Traveling is more than just seeing the sights—at least, that is a growing trend amongst Pinterest users. They say that a picture says more than a thousand words and many of the images of certain unique spots around the globe speak for themselves. That’s why more people want to get up close and personal with these places. These are some of the growing travel trends and spots to fulfill that specific urge!
Places on Earth that Seem Unreal – Waitomo Glowworm Caves
There are plenty of places on Earth that seem like they are literally out of this world. Many people seemingly want to visit them, and that’s why the search term was used 240% more this year than the last. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a great place to visit if you want to get to know a place that looks surreal. They are located in New Zealand, and as their name suggests, the presence of the worms is what lights up the dark caves. You can take a boat ride in the water below to get the full experience. As the famous song says, though, don’t pay the ferryman until he gets you to the other side! You’re going to feel like you’re in some type of mythological place, for sure.
Haunted Places – The Stanley Hotel
Pretty much every city that you can visit has some type of haunted building that locals rave about. Obviously, some spots are more famous than others. The term haunted places was used 155% more this year than the last. If you want to visit a place that they say is haunted while potentially having a good vacation regardless, The Stanley Hotel in Colorado is the spot. They say room 401 is the creepiest, and one of the rooms is allegedly home to a mean male ghost. This is where they filmed The Shining, so something has to be up! You’re at the foot of the Rockies, so even if you don’t get scared at night, you can take a decent hike the next morning.
Relaxing Nature – Blue Lagoon Iceland
From wanting to feel scared to fully relaxing! This search term grew by 340%. People are really looking for places to relax and unwind from their daily lives. What better place to do that than a lagoon in Iceland that’s heated by volcanic activity? The country itself has a relaxing vibe; there’s no big city life around in this area. Your whole trip to this place can include relaxing stops in nature. This place is literally “relaxing nature.”
Ancient Cities – Petra, Jordan
One of the biggest issues with crafting trips around visiting ancient cities is that you get there, take a day trip of the area, and you’re done. Therefore, going on an entire journey with the highlight being an ancient city can lead to a bit of a letdown. Petra in Jordan may be the expectation. This is mainly because it’s near other ancient cities, so the tour can be a bit more extensive. The problem is it’s almost on the border with Israel; the area is kind of unsafe at the moment. Still, if you want to plan a trip that allows you to visit many ancient cities, this is the area of the world where you need to be. You can cross over to Egypt or even Jerusalem and then over to what was Capernaum if there’s a cease-fire on the horizon. This part of the globe is filled with interesting ancient cities to explore.
Abandoned Places – Hashima Island
Abandoned and ancient places are not the same thing. At least not the Pinterest algorithm, anyway. This search term grew by 230%; indicating people really have a growing interest in at least looking at pictures from abandoned places. If you’re planning to travel to an abandoned site, you’ll have some of the same issues that you would with the ancient cities. Some are in remote locations and may not be worth a full foreign trip. That’s why Hashima Island can be a great location. It’s an abandoned offshore mining facility in Japan with a ton of large buildings in decay. The island is explorable, and it’s close to popular theme parks and other locations where you can enjoy good days apart from the time that you spend on the island.
