Have you heard of undertourism (if it's even a word) or bleisure trips? No? Me neither!
There are always predictions of trends in travel, whether it be that particular countries or areas grow in popularity or, now that we are more environmentally conscious of the impact on the climate of long-haul flights and wasteful hotels, with rail travel and holidays closer to home becoming more popular. I came across the puzzling terms (and others) in a recent article, 'Travel Trends For 2020', on Entrepreneur Media. The definitions:
- 'Undertourism is a trend wherein travellers opt for a holiday to similar, yet less popular holiday destinations compared to the conventional, mainstream and overly crowded popular destinations.'
- 'Bleisure Trips is a trend that will become increasingly popular amongst the professional segment in mixing Business trips with Leisure trips.'
Our experienced home swap members will probably think this is hardly news - many have been deliberately choosing to exchange with others whose homes are off-the-beaten tourist trail or, even if in a popular location, say London, in a spacious suburban home or outside the city that’s a welcome retreat from the crowds of tourists in central London.
Combining work and leisure has grown in popularity too, and swapping homes is a very cost effective way for members who can work anywhere they have a good internet connection. Bleisure appears to refer more to those who work in offices and still need to go on business trips, rather than 'digital nomads' but, if business trips are known well in advance, there's no reason that a home swap can't be arranged close by at the end of the trip.
Many homes offered for home exchange have home offices (and sometimes even dedicated office 'sheds' in the garden). The is an example of a home with an office 'well- appointed for anyone working remotely', a cosy place to combine work and leisure in Los Angeles. View exchange offer
And for an undertourism base, how about this best of both home swap: 30 minutes to London and Buckinghamshire countryside on the doorstep. Beautiful Georgian village house built in 1805 is alleged to be a formal Naval college and was an annex to the vicar’s home next door. View exchange offer
And our final example, this exchange offer in Harlesden, a vibrant, colourful area of London with good transport links to the centre, could incorporate both undertourism and bleisure: a bright, spacious flat with a home office in the garden (beautiful dog optional on a home exchange!). View exchange offer
Interested in home swapping? Visit Home Base Holidays and check out all the latest home swap offers. Keep an open mind on destinations and you will find many lovely surprises.
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