Traveling with 2020 Vision

Where’s everyone going in 2020? Check out my most recent appearance on Great Day Washington to find out.

Need more information on any of the destinations mentioned? Here you go.

Cape Verde:  

https://www.capeverde.com/

Japan:

Japan National Tourism Office:  www.japan.travel

Spain:

Tourist Office of Spain: https://www.spain.info/en_US/

Visit Madrid: https://www.esmadrid.com/en

Laura on TV: Let's Talk About the Hot Destinations for 2019

Want to hear about some of the year's up-and-coming destinations? Take a look at this segment that recently aired on WUSA's Great Day Washington.

On the set with Great Day Washington co-hosts
Markette Sheppard and Kristen Berset-Harris 

More Travel Gadgets on Great Day Washington

Greetings, dear readers. Apologies for being AWOL, but this new luxury travel gig for Skift is keeping me going 24/7.  But I continue to squeeze in time for my Travel Tuesday gadget guru segments on Great Day Washington. Here's the most recent, which features items like A/Stand, AirHook, Face Cradle and the HydraPak collapsible water bottle. Take a look.

Crazy Travel Products

Looking for the newest crazy cool travel products? You can always depend on Great Day Washington's gadget guru and travel goddess (that's me) to deliver the goods. Watch the hilarious segment here and find product details below. 


Sound + Sleep MINI is a sound machine serving up a choice of 48 different tones, from whales jabbering to the hum of traffic (whatever floats your boat...and puts you to sleep). Why bring along a machine (albeit lightweight) an app will do? Well, for troubled sleepers, apps just might not do, according to the MINI's engineers. Apparently, its patented technology "has the ability to automatically listen to your background for disruptive ambient noise and the MINI responds by remixing sound and adjusting volume to neutralize outside sounds." Take that, apps!   Plus, with the MINI, you can leave your phone far from the bed, making those middle-of-the-night check-ins less likely. Plug it in or use AA batteries. $79.95 

They'll make you look a bit batty, but they work. Occles are designed to keep illumination out, whether you are trying to get shuteye on the airplane or a tan at the beach. The light, durable eye covers are padded with soft rubber, providing your peepers with their very own face pillows. The adjustable wraparound is helpful for sizing, but a little awkward to lean against.  Warning: Although Occles do keep UV rays out, you may end up with raccoon eyes if you sunbathe in them too long. A pair runs about $30.

Wouldn’t it be great to speed through an airport with your carry-on in tow? With a top speed of 12 miles per hour, you can now zoom past your fellow passengers on Villagio of Miami’s Transmover luggage scooter. The included carry-on bag is detachable, so you can throw on your own suitcase or dog carrier. The battery-powered version, with a TSA-approved rechargeable battery, costs around $500 (unless you want a pink one--that costs more). A manual scooter runs in the range of $250.

Travel Trends for 2017

2017 is going to be the year of the experience. Now that travel to places that were once considered exotic has become somewhat pedestrian (oh yeah, I’m heading to Easter Island tomorrow--you?), it’s the search for the ultimate experience that may reign supreme...no matter where it takes place. That said, experiences need to be one-of-a-kind and indigenous to the place visited.

Click Here to See My Coverage of 2017 Travel Trends for Great Day Washington

For example, during a recent trip to Italy, I bypassed Rome and Venice and focused on making gelato in Bologna and truffle hunting near Alba.

Tasting the fruits of my gelato-making efforts
at Gelato University in Bologna

Searching for truffles with
Igor and Rocky

A fjord in
Northern Norway

2017 will also be the year when people are looking chill out and escape from reality. This means that instead of heading to the world’s great cities, they may be prone to head to the outer reaches of familiar countries. Iceland has been a very popular place for the past several years. This year, there may be a fjord in your future, as seekers of calm and isolation may head above the Arctic Circle, exploring Nunavut in Canada, Lapland in Finland and Northern Norway. In all of these places, visitors can experience the Midnight Sun, giving them more daylight to lap up adventures. In Northern Norway, those adventures include riding horses, hanging ten at the world's northernmost surfing school, or French kissing with wolves.

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Getting Intimate with Wolves
at Norway's Polar Park

In the United States, the desire to get away from crowded spaces will also predominate. National parks will continue to be popular escape routes. Rural states like Nebraska and the Dakotas may also see an upswing in tourism. 

Also, so-called secondary cities will experience a renaissance. During the past few years, places like Richmond, VA; Cincinnati, OH; and Boise, ID have become beacons of urban cool. Young chefs, priced out of major markets, are opening restaurants in these smaller burgs, while uber-cook, cutting-edge lodging brands, like 21c Museum Hotels and Aparium, are focusing their efforts in these under-a-million cities.

Art at a 21c Museum Hotel

A room at The Modern in Boise, Idaho

Where to Go Next

On Election Day, I did my travel expert thing on WUSA's Great Day Washington. The topic, aptly, was places to go to escape from the U.S. of A. 

http://www.wusa9.com/entertainment/television/programs/great-day-washington/travel-tuesday-new-international-non-stop-flights-/349789757

If you are actually thinking about moving out of the country, here are some excellent alternatives.
In the comments section, let me know what your post-election travel plans are.