95. What's hot in travel in 2023 — 101 projects surfaced in the Travel Massive platform

·42 min·4 clips

A traveler drags her wheelchair up stairs in Vanuatu, revealing the hidden struggles of 20% of the world.

This episode highlights 101 innovative travel projects that emerged on the Travel Massive platform in 2023, categorized into 12 distinct trends. Host Kevin O'Shaughnessy is joined by fellow podcaster Rick Azarian and Travel Massive's Ian, who co-created the list with colleague Maria. Ian explains the list originated from a keynote on travel trends, compiled by reviewing hundreds of member-submitted projects to identify core themes. The categories include accessible travel, community apps for digital nomads, co-living spaces, slow travel, growth in Africa, affiliate marketing tools, travel tech for creators, gamification, AI trip planning, mapping applications, micronations, and impact travel. Specific projects mentioned include GetAboutable for accessibility, the Nomadigo app for connecting nomads, and the co-living Montenegro Tower in a renovated Ottoman-era ruin. The slow travel section features the Africa Rally charity road trip and the tour company Ontours, the world's first B Corp in travel. Notable insights reveal that one in five people globally have a disability, representing a major market opportunity for accessible travel. The rise of digital nomads is linked to remote work trends, high housing costs, and pandemic lockdowns. Rick Azarian, who has visited 52 African countries, notes that nations with better infrastructure like Kenya and South Africa see more tourism growth. The gamification trend, exemplified by apps like Questo, aims to give travelers "agency" through challenges rather than passive tours. AI trip planning faces the challenge of user retention, as people may only use such tools once per major trip. The mapping category includes Text to Map, a Berlin-based tool that generates maps automatically from written text. Micronations range from comical bedroom declarations to the serious Principality of Sealand, a former military platform with its own royal family and passport stamps. Impact travel concludes the list, emphasizing how traveler choices can create positive effects. The tone is conversational and exploratory, with hosts sharing personal anecdotes and observations. The style is educational and community-focused, aiming to showcase grassroots innovation. This episode is ideal for travel entrepreneurs, content creators, and industry professionals seeking emerging trends and niche inspiration. Listeners looking for deep dives into a single topic or critical analysis of these trends might find the broad overview too surface-level.

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A community-built snapshot of 101 travel projects surfaced on Travel Massive in 2023.

This Travel Massive special edition covers 101 new projects surfaced on the platform in 2023 and sorts them into roughly 12 buckets, from accessible travel and nomad tools to AI trip planning, mapping, micronations, and impact travel.

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