2024 Faire Forecast: Calming escapes

This post is part of the Faire Forecast: our predictions for the buying trends that will shape 2024.

Travel is finally going back up to pre-pandemic levels, and business travel budgets are expected to be coming back—some are even calling it travel revenge for all the pandemic time spent at home. Today, people are looking for trips to balance their chaotic lives, with destinations that will help them feel relaxed and recharged, and maybe help them sleep better too.

Speaking of sleep, 2023 gave way to “Sleep Tourism,” as travelers headed to destinations where they could catch some z’s. In a Skyscanner report, 75% of those surveyed said they don’t get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night, and 44% are looking at sleep retreats to help in 2024. Sleep is the highest priority of their travel agenda (at 24%), higher than cooking and even hiking. And they’ll pay for it: That same report says that 39% of US travelers have budgeted to spend more on travel in 2024 than the previous year.

Jack Tydeman, a Southeast Asia specialist at Audrey’s Travel and Travel + Leisure A-List travel adviser, is also picking up on this trend. “We’ve seen a shift in motivations for travel in the past 12 months,” he says. “Clients are now moving back to more curious travel and exploring off-the-beaten-track adventures, and this travel to more remote destinations will definitely allow them to recharge.”

Independent retailers should think about consumers’ mental space in 2024, so they can better support it. How can you capture their calm?
Nicole Leinbach, Founder, Retail Minded

So what do these types of trips look like? Well, some travelers will head to the wilderness for backpacking, forest bathing, and cold plunges, while others may go for aquatic escapes with ice therapy treatments, water sound baths, and floating yoga. Some might go for locations without Wi-Fi or cell phone signals.

As people lean into their calm, Nicole Leinbach, a retail industry expert and founder of Retail Minded, presents some useful questions to retailers: “How can you capture their calm? What’s going to benefit it?” She recommends thinking about the consumer mental space and offering products and services that can better support it.

For some retailers and brands, that might look like making a sleep retreat even more luxurious, from loungewear, light-minimizing masks, and cushy travel pillows to gear for yoga classes and journals to capture the experience. (Faire searches for “journals” were up 33% year-over-year in Q3.)

Get your activewear and swimwear ready for those watery getaways and think wellness from head to toe, whether you offer sunglasses, flip-flops, or an all-purpose travel wrap. Most importantly, keep travelers cozy as they hop into bed after a day outdoors. Pajamas, slippers, noise-canceling earbuds, and robes ensure they can achieve a peaceful eight hours.