Raising 3 kids - two little gentleman and baby girl. What have I done? I have brought three people into this crazy world. . . . and now I need to teach them some mommy stuff.
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As our blog grows so do we, our family hobby is insect collecting, and travels. These blogs are about mommy observations in our day to day lives, in real life photos showing us as we grow.
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Unique experiences are a key driver of global travel spend. It's a topic we've done a lot of research into, and it came up again on stage at the Skift Global Forum East in Abu Dhabi as we discussed the future of travel in 2030 and beyond. I had the pleasure of attending and, after the event ended, I decided to take a dose of our own medicine. That's how I found myself in the waiting room of the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital. Patients, naturally, get priority, and so after waiting for the Gyrfalcon ahead of me to check in, I joined the tour group.
This is just one example of how the experience economy is booming, and travel is at its heart. But what differentiates experience from just plain old service? We would argue that experience sells the consumer an identity, not just a skillset. Put it this way: a young person on a first date will probably mention their most recent trip, not their most recent tax filings. Tax accounting is an important service, but it's certainly not an experience.
With the rising generation, travel is entering an experiences-as-identity era. Experiences are worth traveling for because they create or reinforce identities. Foodies cross oceans for a good bowl of noodles. Athletes run marathons on all seven continents. And animal-lovers like myself? We show up at falcon hospitals on the other side of the world.
Skift Research data backs this up. In 2025, our analysts polled over 5,500 travelers in 11 major markets, ranging from the U.S. and Europe to Asia and the Middle East. Despite the many differences across such a wide swath of the globe, all shared one common trait: they described travel as a crucial part of their lifestyles and identities.
This is great news for the travel industry as it creates a strong baseline for tourism demand. Today's consumer is more reluctant to cut their trip budgets than they were in the past. This is making travel more recession-resistant (though not quite recession-proof).
But with the increased importance of travel and experience comes a higher bar for excellence. To quote Uncle Ben from Spider-Man, "With great power comes great responsibility." If travel drives the identity of the modern traveler, then it follows that a bad travel experience is not just an inconvenience or a waste of money but a personal insult. If I let you help shape my identity and you let me down, then the trust is broken in a way that will be very difficult to repair.
As a result trust – in brands, destinations, booking platforms, and travel operators – is emerging as the ultimate currency in travel.
AI tools will make travel planning and trip advice increasingly accessible. So how will the traveler of the future sort through the massive amount of trip options available to them via AI? They will search by identity (e.g., foodie trips, falconry travel), filter by unique experiences, and book with their most trusted platforms.
Unique experiences and high trust will be key competitive advantages for travel businesses that win in 2030 and beyond.
This winged patient received a clean bill of health
Best, Seth
P.S. If you happen to have a lead on any falconry trips then don't be a stranger!
Live Tourism and emerging markets are defining the next phase of global travel growth, requiring the industry to shift focus from traditional seasonality to high-value event cycles and dispersed travel models.
The global car rental sector is a resilient $92 billion market, driven by leisure travel, with the Americas being the largest market. The sector is rapidly digitizing with 74% of bookings online, with direct bookings driving as much traction as intermediaries.
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