what is travel research

• Technical Support
• Find My Rep

You are here

Journal of Travel Research

Preview this book.

• Description
• Aims and Scope
• Editorial Board
• Abstracting / Indexing
• Submission Guidelines

The Journal of Travel Research ( JTR ) is the premier, peer-reviewed research journal focusing on the business of travel and tourism development, management, marketing, economics and behavior. JTR provides researchers, educators, and professionals with up-to-date, high quality research on behavioral trends and management theory for one of the most influential and dynamic industries. Founded in 1961, JTR is the oldest of the world’s top-ranked scholarly journals focused exclusively on travel and tourism, reflecting the worldwide importance of tourism, both economically and socially.

Published by SAGE, an international leader in social science and business publishing, JTR publishes the most current and influential scholarship on travel and tourism.

The Journal of Travel Research publishes state-of-the-art research on the most important trends and issues in travel and tourism. JTR offers an international and multidisciplinary perspective on the best development and management practices by publishing research which enhances knowledge of important travel and tourism phenomena. JTR thereby contributes to the development of theory which enables improvements in tourism development policy and strategy; managerial practice; economic, social and environmental outcomes; and education and training programs.

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Travel Research are double-blind, peer-reviewed by leading tourism scholars. The JTR editorial review board includes top tourism scholars identified on the basis of their current research and scholarly contributions. This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The mission of the Journal of Travel Research is to be the premier, peer-reviewed research journal focused on the business of travel and tourism development, management, marketing, economics and behavior. Given the multifaceted, multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder character of the tourism economy, this focus implies a concern for both the public and private sector spheres of interest as well as economic, socio-cultural, political, environmental, legal, technological, and demographic issues. Specific goals are to be international in scope with geographic diversity, to be multidisciplinary with diversity in research topics and methodologies, and to be germane to the needs of the travel and tourism industry and its stakeholders.

All manuscripts published in the Journal of Travel Research are double-blind, peer-reviewed by accomplished scholars in the topical area. The standard for publication in the Journal of Travel Research is that a paper must make a substantive contribution, either theoretically or methodologically, to the travel and tourism research literature. Additionally, a paper should specify its contribution to pragmatic tourism management concerns and practice.

Published manuscripts must be on research of the highest standards, on topics of major significance and widespread interest, and relevant to the progress of this important global sector.

• A Matter of Fact
• CAB Abstracts Database
• CABI: Forestry Abstracts
• CABI: Global Health
• CIRET - Centre International de Recherches et d'Etudes Touristiques
• CRN: Business & Industry
• Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
• Clarivate Analytics: Current Contents - Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences
• Corporate ResourceNET - Ebsco
• Current Citations Express
• EBSCO: Business Source - Main Edition
• EBSCO: Vocational & Career Collection
• Geographical Abstracts: Human Geography
• Land, Life & Leisure
• Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Abstracts (in CAB Abstracts Database)
• MasterFILE - Ebsco
• OmniFile: Full Text Mega Edition (H.W. Wilson)
• Rural Development Abstracts
• Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science)
• Soils and Fertilizers
• TOPICsearch - Ebsco
• Wilson Business Periodicals Index/Wilson Business Abstracts
• World Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Abstracts (in CAB Abstracts Database)

The Journal of Travel Research publishes articles examining the business of travel and tourism development, management, marketing, economics and behavior. Its purpose is to serve as a medium through which those with research interests can exchange ideas and keep abreast of the latest theoretical, methodological and best practices research.

This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics .

Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jotr to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned or rejected.

Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of the Journal of Travel Research will be reviewed.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 6.3 below.

As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

1. What do we publish?

1.1 Aims & Scope

Before submitting your manuscript to the Journal of Travel Research , please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope .

1.2 Article types

Three types of manuscripts can be submitted to the Journal of Travel Research .

1.2.1 Empirical Research Articles

The Journal of Travel Research encourages data-based articles which describe, explain, or predict a tourism phenomenon. Articles using quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods data are encouraged. These articles should be “problem based”, focusing on a practical tourism development, management, marketing or economics problem. The standard for acceptance is that a paper must make a substantive theoretical and/or methodological contribution to the tourism research literature.

1.2.2 Foundations of Tourism Research Conceptual Articles

The  Journal of Travel Research  encourages the development of high-quality articles which are broadly conceptual with the goal of building theory and/or reviewing and evaluating the body of research in a substantive and important area. The goals of these papers should be improved conceptual clarity, holistic review of the current research, theory building and expansion, and innovation with forward looking outcomes that propose new opportunities and ideas. These articles may be wholly conceptual or conceptual/empirical with meta-analytic data. Authors of such articles must be invited, or commissioned by the Editor. Lead authors will be internationally leading experts in the field. Researchers who feel they may be in a position and have an interest in writing such an article must first contact the Editor directly with a detailed proposal (not a manuscript at this stage) including a detailed case as author demonstrating a leading international reputation and expertise to be able to write such an article. If the proposed article potentially meets the above goals and the author demonstrates a clear capacity to produce the article, the Editor will then invite the author(s) to proceed. Articles in this series will nevertheless be evaluated through the normal double-anonymize review process.

1.2.3 Letters to the Editor

The Journal of Travel Research encourages conversation. The purpose of these letters will be to provoke conversation, review our research endeavors, and commentary on our research problems, assumptions, methodologies and evaluation. Also included are comments about our publication process and expectations. Finally, constructive commentary concerning research publications is encouraged.

All Empirical Research Articles and Foundations of Tourism Research Conceptual Articles submitted to the Journal of Travel Research are first assessed by the Editor to determine their suitability for potential publication in JTR . Subsequently, selected manuscripts are then double-anonymize, peer reviewed by accomplished scholars in the topical area. Acceptance of Letters to the Editor will be the prerogative of the Editor. In all cases, the standard for publication in the Journal of Travel Research is that a paper must make a substantive theoretical and/or methodological contribution to the tourism research literature.

1.3 Writing your paper

The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice and on  how to get published , plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance their article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation .

1.3.1 Make your article discoverable

When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online .

1.4 Coronavirus (COVID-19) requirements for manuscripts

COVID-19 has fundamentally affected travel and tourism and therefore impacted the way in which travel and tourism research is conducted and reported. Consequently, manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Travel Research must acknowledge the effect of COVID-19. For this reason, JTR has introduced some additional manuscript submission requirements. Please carefully read the following requirements and ensure you have addressed these appropriately:

• The relevance and usefulness of research conducted pre-COVID-19 will, in general, have declined and in some cases may now be obsolete. How we make use of pre-COVID-19 research to inform post-COVID-19 research design must recognize this reality. A thorough review of the relevant literature is still required, but authors must now acknowledge and discuss the relevance and usefulness of this earlier research in light of COVID-19 developments.
• Researchers who have already collected or used pre-COVID-19 primary data (on or before January 31, 2020) but are yet to finalize their analysis and complete the writing of their manuscript must consider how they may need to address the effect of COVID-19 on their interpretations and conclusions.
• For research involving the collection of data, in part or in whole, after January 31, 2020, during dramatically changing circumstances, will be difficult to analyse and interpret leading to potentially false assumptions and erroneous conclusions. For example, research dealing with tourism consumer behavior cannot ignore how tourism consumers are seeing the world differently. The design, analysis and writing of such research must not ignore this seismic change. Because research topics and circumstances vary so widely, it is not possible to provide prescriptive advice on how researchers must address these challenges; suffice to say that manuscript reviewers will want to clearly see and understand that authors have convincingly addressed such issues in their manuscripts.
• We are of course seeing a large influx of COVID-19-related travel and tourism research. Descriptive research which simply confirms what is already largely known does not meet JTR publication requirements. Hence, when researchers are thinking about potential post-COVID-19 research topics, it would be most helpful if they reflected on this likelihood so that: a) certain topics are not over-researched, and b) the research is not merely descriptive (the what) but is also explanatory (the why) and prescriptive (the how) thereby contributing to theory..

2. Editorial Policies

2.1 Peer review policy

Sage does not permit the use of author-suggested (recommended) reviewers at any stage of the submission process, be that through the web-based submission system or other communication. Reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Our policy is that reviewers should not be assigned to a paper if:

•  The reviewer is based at the same institution as any of the co-authors

•  The reviewer is based at the funding body of the paper

•  The author has recommended the reviewer

•  The reviewer has provided a personal (e.g. Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail) email account and an institutional email account cannot be found after performing a basic Google search (name, department and institution). 

2.2 Review criteria

As a leading journal in travel and tourism research, the standards for publication in JTR  are very high. There are five primary criteria which determine whether a manuscript is suitable for publication, as follows:

• Relevant - the manuscript must be directly relevant to the stated aims and scope of the journal.
• Significant - the subject and outcomes of the research must make a significant, important, and valuable contribution to travel and tourism knowledge and theory.
• Original - the research must be original, new, and leading-edge such that it adds new knowledge to a topic of importance to JTR readership.
• Rigorous - the research design and methodology must be of a very high standard.
• Articulate - the manuscript must achieve a very high standard of English grammar and expression and must communicate all important aspects of the research in a very clear manner.

JTR receives several hundred submissions per year. The page budget for the journal permits us to publish only a small portion of these (around 114 articles per year currently). Hence, the competition for a publication slot is quite high. JTR is therefore unable to publish many of the manuscripts it receives. So, to provide authors with some further guidance on the factors which have the greatest impact on manuscript acceptance/rejection, the following additional points may be helpful as a general guide. JTR  is not primarily a hospitality/hotel management, leisure and recreation management, or even management research journal. Yet, JTR  does publish some research which blends into these fields of research providing the focus of the research has a strong travel and tourism aim.

• JTR publishes papers which are on the ‘leading edge of the wave’ or are breaking new and important ground that will become the foundation for interest in tourism research into the future. JTR seeks to lead travel and tourism research and to help shape the tourism research agenda rather than serving merely as a follower. Many studies are undertaken on topics for which there is already a major body of literature. JTR welcomes further research on these well-established research issues providing they lead to important, new results. This might occur if the research advances findings further into new important situations or helps to fill important gaps. It might also occur if the findings challenge orthodox assumptions and paradigms, or revolutionize knowledge on the issue. But if work on already heavily-researched issues simply adds yet one further similar study to the mix, JTR is unlikely to be interested in publishing the manuscript.
• JTR does not have a bias towards or away from any particular methodologies. What matters is whether the research is designed and executed well, and the research topic is of significant interest. It is important to explain and justify why the selected methodology is the most appropriate from among the various approaches available, given the research aims and objectives.
• Many studies are undertaken with a focus on addressing a particular local situation or context. The results from such studies need to have broader relevance and the context itself should be of widespread interest. The findings may indeed be of great interest and relevance to the local tourism sector, but if findings cannot be generalized to other populations,  JTR is probably not the right target journal.
• Minor English grammar and expression problems can be potentially addressed by the author through the manuscript review process, but major problems will result in rejection. Only manuscripts with a high standard of English in the final manuscript version are publishable. It is always the author’s responsibility to ensure a high English standard.
• Finally, every manuscript is competing for a limited number of publications slots per year. So sometimes very good research can miss out on a place in JTR simply because there are other more deserving manuscripts.

Reviewers are asked to consider and assess each manuscript on a 5-point scale for each of the following 14 items:

• Is the topic directly relevant to the stated aims and scope of JTR ?
• Does the research make a valuable contribution to travel and tourism knowledge and theory?
• Is the research substantially original and leading-edge for publication in JTR ?
• Is the research design rigorous, methodologically sound, and of a high standard?
• Is the manuscript highly articulate and clear? Does it contain a high standard of English grammar and expression?
• Is the literature review appropriate up-to-date?
• Is there a significant theoretical contribution to the literature?
• Is there a significant methodological contribution to the literature?
• Is the methodology sufficiently explained for future research to follow/replicate?
• Are there clearly stated and significant practical and applied contributions in the conclusions of the manuscript?
• Are there clearly stated and significant theoretical contributions in the conclusions of the manuscript?
• Are there clearly stated and significant methodological contributions in the conclusions of the manuscript?
• Are there clearly stated and exhaustive limitations in the conclusions of the manuscript?
• Are conclusions warranted?

2.3 Authorship

All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. A student is usually listed as principal author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.

2.3.1 Writing assistance

Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance.

It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.

Please supply any personal acknowledgements for writing assistance separately to the main text on the title page only to facilitate anonymous peer review.

Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools .

2.4 Acknowledgements

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support. Please supply any personal acknowledgements separately to the main text and only as part of the title page to facilitate anonymous peer review.

2.4.1 Third party submissions

Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

• Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
• Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
• Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves .

2.5 Funding

The Journal of Travel Research requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Funding details should be added to the title page only in order to facilitate the anonymous review process.

2.6 Declaration of conflicting interests

The Journal of Travel Research encourages authors to include a declaration of any conflicting interests and recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the Sage Journal Author Gateway .

For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations here .

3. Preparing your manuscript for submission

3.1 Online submission system

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you carefully read and adhere to all the guidelines and instructions to authors provided herein. The Journal of Travel Research (JTR) is hosted on SageTRACK: a web-based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Please read the guidelines below, and then simply visit https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jotr to login and submit your article online.

Important note: If you are submitting to your journal via Sage Track, please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online, please visit ScholarOne Online Help .

3.2 File formatting

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

Manuscripts are submitted as two or more files. The first file is the title page containing the manuscript title, author names, affiliations, any acknowledgments and declarations, and both postal and e-mail addresses. The other file(s) should contain no information which might reveal the identity of the authors. These files provide the body of the article including the title, abstract, text body, and references. Tables and figures may also be included in this file on separate pages at the end of the manuscript or uploaded as separate files.

3.3 Manuscript preparation

To be considered for publication in the Journal of Travel Research, manuscripts must meet the following standards:

• Everything is double spaced.
• Everything is left justified, with a ragged right-hand margin (no full justification)
• Format is one inch margins on all sides. Minimum print size is 12 point, except in tables and figures where 10 pt may be used.
• Manuscripts are submitted as two files: The cover page and the manuscript body.
• The cover page should include the manuscript title, ALL authors’ name, position, affiliation, address, telephone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and any acknowledgements. Please use title case when entering the article title into the submission form.
• The manuscript file should contain the title, abstract, 4 to 5 keywords, text, appendices, notes, references, each table, and each figure.
• Authors’ names are to appear only on the cover page. There should be nothing in the manuscript file that identifies the authors either by name or institution.
• Tables and figures are not to be embedded in the manuscript – each table and figure should be provided as a separate page at the end of the manuscript. Tags should be inserted in the manuscript indicating approximately where tables and figures should be located.
• Within the manuscript file, Title, Abstract and keywords should be on one page. After that, each section is to begin with a new page.
• Abstract is to be 150 words or less
• Manuscripts must be 10,000 words or less. This 10,000 word limit includes everything in the manuscript except the title, abstract, keywords, tables, figures and references. Due to page limitations and the desire to accommodate as many authors as possible, this should be considered a hard limit.
• Acronyms are only allowed in the following circumstances: where they represent universally recognised organisations, e.g. UNWTO, NATO, or internationally recognised classifications such as ISO, GDP, or for well recognised scientific methodological terms such as ANOVA, LISREL, PLS and so on. Acronyms are not allowed for field specific terms in any circumstances.
• American English spellings are used in all sections except references. Sage Publications requires English translations of all reference citations.
• Endnotes are to be grouped on a separate page. There are to be no footnotes.
• All in-text citations should be included in the reference list, and all references should have in-text citations.

3.4 Reference style

The Journal of Travel Research uses APA 7th edition formatting. Information on APA reference examples can be found here: https://apastyle.apa.org/ .

3.5 English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services . Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.

3.6 Artwork, figures and other graphics

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines  

Figures supplied in color will appear in color online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. For specifically requested color reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Sage after receipt of your accepted article.

Figures are to be camera ready – they must appear exactly as they should in the journal. The Journal of Travel Research is published in black and white. Figures should be black and white with gray and pattern shading if necessary. Any color requirements for the printed manuscript version will incur a charge to the author(s).

Tables should not have cells or lines dividing the different elements. Preferably, each element should be separated by a tab.

3.7 Supplementary material

This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc) alongside the full-text of the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files

As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID . ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized.

The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.

3.9 Information required for completing your submission

You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

3.10 Permissions

Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway .

4. Manuscript revision requirements

To enable you to revise your manuscript so as to give it the best chances of reaching a successful outcome, please carefully read these guidelines and follow them meticulously. It is essential that you understand that the invitation to revise and resubmit a paper is not a commitment on the part of the Journal of Travel Research to eventually accept and publish the paper. Even if the author addresses the concerns raised in the initial review, the further review of the revised manuscript must determine whether the paper then meets the standards required for publication in JTR .

As you revise your paper for resubmission to the Journal of Travel Research , please make sure it meets the following guidelines. If the paper is ultimately accepted, you will receive the list of formatting requirements again with a “it must meet…” statement. It is critical that you take care to ensure you meet these requirements as it can save a great deal of your time and our time at the typesetting stage.

Please submit your revised paper via the Journal of Travel Research Manuscript Central process. It is important that the paper be submitted as a revision of your first submission. Specifically, this means it would be submitted under the same manuscript number and be treated both by Manuscript Central and by the Editorial Office as a revised paper. This will result in a much faster review process.

Include with your submission a supplementary file indicating how the paper has been revised relative to the substantive comments made by the reviewers of the original version as well as any additional comments or requirements indicated by the Editor as contained in the decision email. It is important that this file be submitted together with the revised manuscript so that it can be forwarded it to the reviewers. This paper must explain how the authors have addressed the concerns raised in the initial review. Subsequent reviews focus specifically on this response. When you finish with your resubmission, you can review a pdf file of the complete submission – make sure the supplementary file is included. Also, since it is potentially going back to the reviewers, please be sure not to include your name or identity in the supplementary file.

To create this supplementary file you should:

• Cut and paste all comments by each reviewer, as well any requirements indicated by the Editor in the decision email.
• For each substantive comment, provide a detailed explanation and justification of your response.
• Your response to each comment should clearly indicate whether or not a change has occurred in the manuscript and, if so, what that change is and precisely where it can be found.
• If you are in disagreement with the reviewer comments or suggestions, or prefer an alternative approach to address an issue they have raised, this is quite acceptable. However, in such cases, you need to discuss and explain your views and justify your preferred approach either not to change the manuscript, or to change it in a different manner. Again, any change should be clearly explained and its location in the manuscript specified.

Attending to these points adequately will significantly benefit the further review of revised manuscripts.

In addition to responding to the reviewer comments, it is important to make sure the paper is current in its review of the literature. Often the manuscript process, from inception to completion, can take many months. It is important that, during each revision process, you update the review of literature, including, as appropriate, how this paper fits within the related papers published in the tourism literature and JTR over the past few years. Please also make sure to check for relevant manuscripts in the JTR Online First ( http://jtr.sagepub.com/content/early/recent ) listing as that is the most current papers that will be published in advance of your paper.

5. On acceptance and publication

5.1 Sage Production

Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly.  Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate.

5.2 Online First publication

Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

5.3 Access to your published article

Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.

5.4 Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice. 

6. Publishing Policies

6.1 Publication ethics

Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway

6.1.1 Plagiarism

The Journal of Travel Research and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

6.1.2 Prior publication

If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a Sage journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the Sage Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.

6.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

Before publication, Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the Sage Author Gateway

6.3 Open access and author archiving

The Journal of Travel Research offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage . For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access . For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies .

7. Further information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Co-Editors Nancy Gard McGehee at [email protected] or James Petrick at [email protected] .

• Read Online
• Sample Issues
• Current Issue
• Email Alert
• Permissions
• Foreign rights
• Reprints and sponsorship
• Advertising

Individual Subscription, Print Only

Institutional Subscription, E-access

Institutional Subscription & Backfile Lease, E-access Plus Backfile (All Online Content)

Institutional Subscription, Print Only

Institutional Subscription, Combined (Print & E-access)

Institutional Subscription & Backfile Lease, Combined Plus Backfile (Current Volume Print & All Online Content)

Institutional Backfile Purchase, E-access (Content through 1998)

Individual, Single Print Issue

Institutional, Single Print Issue

To order single issues of this journal, please contact SAGE Customer Services at 1-800-818-7243 / 1-805-583-9774 with details of the volume and issue you would like to purchase.

Board of Directors

• History of TTRA
• Asia Pacific
• Greater Western
• Career and RFP Opportunities
• Journal of Travel Research
• Marketing Outlook Forum
• Newsletter Sign-up
• ScholarWorks@UMassAmherst
• Think Tank initiative

TTRA Partners

• 2024 Annual Conference
• 2024 Conference Agenda
• 2024 Conference Attendees
• 2024 Conference Speakers
• 2024 Conference Sponsors
• 2024 TTRA Awards
• Accommodations
• Hello Burlington
• News and Events
• Member Login

54th Annual International Conference

Travel and tourism research association.

Join us in Burlington, Vermont, June 11-13, 2024.

Join Our Growing Global Community

Join the world’s leading travel and tourism research association. TTRA is the leading advocate for higher standards in travel and tourism-related research, analysis, and marketing.

For over 50 years, TTRA has been the industry’s leader for go-to, evidence-based, global travel and tourism data and analysis.

Why We Do What We Do: We collaborate to advance the strategic use of research to provide leading-edge travel and tourism solutions that create a positive impact on people, places, and society.

TTRA unites the best and brightest in the travel and tourism research community.

University academics, professional practitioners, and research experts become members of TTRA to network, collaborate, learn, and ideate with colleagues from across the globe.

Travel and tourism professionals need world-class research to make informed decisions. TTRA is where they find it.

Upcoming Events

CenStates Annual Chapter Conference 2024

Mark your calendars for October 9-11 and gather with us in Sioux City for the Central States Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research […]

View Event Details

Save the Date: STS Annual Conference 2024

The South East Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) is thrilled to announce our participation in the Southeast Tourism Society’s (STS) […]

Annual Conference 2024

2024 Annual International Conference GLOBAL INSIGHTS, LOCAL STORIES: Shaping the Future Tourism Research June 11-13, 2024, Burlington, Vermont. Join us in Burlington! Discover the charm […]

Latest News

Election Results for TTRA Board of Directors …

Attention TTRA Members We are excited to announce the results of the 2024-2025 International Board of Directors Elections. Your participation was vital in ensuring […]

Read Full Story

Journal of Travel Research 2024 Award Winners…

For Immediate Release [Lapeer, Michigan, May 24, 2024] – The Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) is thrilled to announce the winners of the […]

DMO Data Toolbox White Paper Series

White Paper Series Brings Together Leaders in Academia, Tourism, and Data for First Initiative from Travel and Tourism Research Association Think Tank – DMO […]

TTRA Membership Benefits

Awards & Recognition

TTRA is proud to recognize and honor significant accomplishments, exemplary leadership, and commitment to the travel and tourism research community.

Build Connections

TTRA members build connections with a diverse network of industry leaders and gain valuable insights and knowledge through collaborations and partnerships.

TTRA provides members with access to the latest industry trends, research, training opportunities, and mentorship programs to help further their professional development.

TTRA Member Testimonials

"The colleagues and friends I have made along the way are irreplaceable. I would encourage anyone that is new in the travel industry to join TTRA as quickly as possible."

Visit Knoxville

“TTRA membership has its privileges. TTRA is not just an association in which I am a privileged member, it is a community in which I am a privileged resident.”

U.S. Department of Commerce

“Being a member of TTRA has been a vital part of growing my career. I found my first job after graduation through a connection I had made during my first annual conference.”

Andria Godfrey

Miles Partnership

TTRA Partner of the Month:

Future partners.

A creative insights firm shaping winning strategies for travel, tourism, and hospitality leaders. As a team of market researchers working with more than 250 brands worldwide over the last two decades, Future Partners focuses on working with destination management organizations, travel brands, and tourism industry partners, from hotels and attractions to airlines.

Visit Future Partners’ Website >>

Our partners share our commitment to advancing the travel and tourism industry through research and insights. They are integral to our events, and their contributions are widely recognized by current and past TTRA members. We invite you to connect with these organizations and join our mission to drive progress in the industry. TTRA is proud to be associated with leading institutions and organizations in the travel sector, including Arrivalist , Azira , Future Partners , Longwoods International , Zartico , and many more.

Partnering with TTRA provides organizations with a unique opportunity to connect with, support, and engage with the travel and tourism research community.

Get In Touch

Regional Chapters

National Office

TTRA is a highly respected and established organization dedicated to advancing the standards of travel and tourism research and analysis. With its focus on excellence, professionalism, quality, and inclusivity, TTRA is the go-to source for professionals in the industry seeking to stay ahead in their field.

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

• Search ITA Search

Travel and Tourism Research

National travel and tourism research.

The National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) functions as the U.S. federal tourism office. A core responsibility is to collect, analyze, and disseminate international travel and tourism statistics. As a result, NTTO is charged with managing, improving, and expanding the system to fully account and report the impact of travel and tourism in the United States.

Contact the Research Team

For updates and news on the Travel Industry, explore our TI News Page . 

Interim Study and Report to Congress on the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Travel and Tourism Industry in the United States

Prepared in Response to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328).

Highlighted Data Visualization

New country profile monitor.

Interested in a customizable visual summary of our country market profiles showcasing myriad country-specific statistics from travel volume and top ports of entry to visitor spending and purpose of trip ?

Please visit:

Statistics and Research Programs

5 Proven Ways to Simplify and Organize Your Travel Research

• Updated: 04/08/2024

When it comes to tidying my travel research, I bear-hug embrace the ways of the famous Japanese organizer, Marie Kondo. Like Marie, I make a point to save only the things that bring me joy—or at least the anticipation of it, while on a trip. 

Although part of me wants to save everything I find—from every cultural to culinary highlight—I moderate. Keeping things focused, I keep items I love and know my family will like, which helps me create a valuable trip resource. 

And, just like neat compartments in a post-Kondo sock drawer, I organize these saved items using an easy system that allows me to find and access them later.

Table Of Contents

At-a-glance: 5 strategies to streamline & organize travel research.

Planning a trip can be exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. With so many destinations, hotels, and activities to research, I know first-hand that it is easy to get lost in a sea of information.  That is why it is helpful to have a strategy to organize and simplify your travel research. Here are five proven ways to do just that.

• Use a travel research checklist . Guide your planning for a stress-free vacation and remember every detail with a comprehensive list like this one.
• Know the best travel planning resources . Get the essential planning information you need faster and better with these top sources. 
• Have a system to store your research . Know where to save your travel research so you can find, access, and share it easily when needed.
• Get out the door with more checklists . Use universal and destination packing lists and close-the-house checklists to get out the door more smoothly and with everything you need.
• Stay organized during the trip . Stay on track during your trip using itineraries, online files, and apps—ensuring easy access to essential information.

Why Staying Organized Makes for Better Travel

When it comes to travel research, being organized helps. Without a structured approach, it is easy to get overwhelmed and spend hours searching for new information or finding old sources.

Organizing and simplifying your travel research helps you save time and have the necessary information at your fingertips when needed. I n addition, easy access to your saved travel research gives you more options and on-the-go flexibility .

For example, before a trip to southern France, I read about Lourmarin, a Provencal town with one of the best Saturday markets in the region. I saved the destination to my curated Google Maps list  and recorded tips about visiting the Saturday market, like where to park, open hours, and places to eat, in an online doc.

Even though I knew a visit to Lourmarin was not a sure thing, as we were traveling with a big multi-family group and staying over an hour away, I hoped for the best.

So, when our schedules opened, I suggested the activity, and the group agreed to go. I found and shared my saved information. And we all spent a lovely Saturday in the market town. Of the many ways to enjoy Provence, browsing pretty market stalls in a picturesque town, followed by a leisurely alfresco lunch at a charming cafe, is a very, very good one.

Use This 49-Item Travel Research Checklist

One of the first steps in organizing your travel planning is to borrow a travel research checklist or create your own. This checklist will help you stay on track throughout your trip-planning process. 

A good checklist will detail the key elements you need to research , like flights, accommodations, transportation, and activities. If you feel overwhelmed, break each category into smaller tasks and set deadlines for each. If you are going on a group trip, assign responsibility to whoever oversees that task. Doing this will help you stay focused and ensure no details slip through the cracks.

Use a checklist like the one I provide in this article , and shown below. Once you have your checklist in place, it is time to start researching.

Know the Best Travel Planning Resources

Countless travel planning tools, from flight comparisons to hotel reviews, will help simplify your research and provide valuable insights. However, as a shortcut, I share my favorites with links and why to use them for each of these four categories.

• Where to Go
• How to Get There
• Where to Stay

Many of the sources I share are free or low-cost, simple to use, and quickly provide the essential information you need to plan your best trip. Marie would approve. 

Where to Go: 8+ Resources for Travel Planning

Use these 8+ resources to get ideas on where you want to go next. Or use them to shape your itinerary within a region.

YouTube & Social Media

Travel-related videos and social media are great planning resources . Following travel accounts can inspire you, offer travel hacks, and provide recommendations. Engage with account content and ask ques tions from creators to get personalized advice.

Plus, take advantage of resourceful groups and forums on Facebook and Reddit. Join private travel groups or hop on destination-specific threads. Scan past posts where travelers asked and got answers for the very same questions you have. Get feedback on possible itineraries to get ideas to shape your trip. 

Travel Bloggers

Reading travel blogs can be a great way to gather insider tips and recommendations . Experienced and knowledgeable travel experts with distinct points of view will provide valuable insights and advice. Follow or subscribe to the newsletters of bloggers you like best.

Sign up for my monthly Discovery Newsletter & get a free Trip Budget Calculator !

Friends & Family

It is likely that your family or friends, or friends of friends, have been to the place you plan to travel. Bring up your planned trip in casual conversations or cast a net digitally on social media to ask for recommendations.

Google Explore

Use the open-ended Explore search engine on Google Flights to see all the destinations you can fly to or fly and drive from your home city with airfare price tags attached for specific or flexible dates. I have planned many trips based on where I could get the most affordable tickets using Google Explore. Learn how to best use it in “ Travel Better: How to Best Use Google Flights Explore .” 

Once you have a general idea of the destination or region you want to visit, read a guidebook to get an in-depth and independent view of how to craft your itinerary . Also, get information on destination highlights, history and culture , and ideas for where to eat, sleep, and shop. Get an idea for which guidebooks fit your needs best in this article sharing the pros and cons of the top 15 guidebooks series . 

Borrow an Itinerary

Need the ultimate shortcut for trip ideas? Look at a tour company website that fits your travel style and see where they go and how they organize their trip itineraries. A few of my favorite companies include Intrepid Travel (for international adventure travel), Macs Adventures (for European hiking and biking trips), and Austin Adventures (for US national park visits). 

For example, if you are unsure how to visit the highlights in Costa Rica, jump on the Intrepid website and look at their Costa Rica trips. Do you need ideas for hikes and walks in Switzerland? Macs Adventure trips show great ideas. Or—if you are confused about how many of the five Utah national parks to visit on one trip—you will see that Austin Adventures has figured it out.

Plus, when you are on these sites, you can decide to fully outsource your planning and book a trip directly with the tour company. Get more ideas for the best places to find inspiring trip itinerary ideas here .

How to Get There & Get Around: 7 Resources for Travel Planning

If you have not already read a guidebook for your destination, now is the time to do it. The best guidebooks  provide comprehensive logistics information about getting to and from and traveling around a destination.  In addition, here are the shortcuts I recommend looking at to get the transportation information and bookings you need. 

My first stop is always Google Flights . I use it for its Explore functionality , where I can price flights and track fares . Then, I buy my tickets directly from the airline. I do this to minimize the potential hassle of dealing with a reseller if my flight is delayed, canceled, or needs rebooking. If this happens, I prefer dealing directly with the better-resourced airline. See more airfare tips here .

Also, I recommend signing up for the free flight deal emails from Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights). Or—buying its annual membership to get access to exclusive fare deals.

Consider the benefits of train travel wherever you plan to explore. It is the ultimate slow travel experience . I share why I love to travel by train and provide resources for where to plan train trips and buy train tickets here .

Sometimes the best way to get there, or get around, is by car. Get my tips for road trips  and rental cars , including one of my favorite sources to save on car rentals— Autoslash . Learn about rental car insurance in “ Rental Car Insurance: When You Need It & When You Don’t .”

Where to Stay: 5 Resources & Tips for Travel Planning

When our family travels, I put a lot of care and attention into picking the places we stay —from the location to the layout. I do this because I have found vacation lodging has an outsize positive or negative impact on our overall trip experience.  For example, it is difficult to have a bad trip when this is the kind of place you stay in Positano, Italy.

Get my tips for finding the best places for your trip here . See my best resources where you can filter your accommodation searches based on preferences, such as price range, location, and amenities below. 

Google Hotels

In addition to providing an easy-to-use navigable map to search for top lodging, Google Hotels features three little-known helpful buttons that could save you loads of time when you plan your next trip. These buttons will help you decide where to stay, when to visit, and what you will pay for your lodging. Learn more about Google Hotels in “ Google for Travel: Plan Better with These 8 Tools .”

Booking.com

This accommodation booking platform is my preferred lodging site, particularly in Europe, where its presence is extensive. You will appreciate its flexible cancellation and payment options, user reviews, discounts, and easy-to-use interface for hotels and rentals.

VRBO & Airbnb

Explore more of the rental market using sites like VRBO and Airbnb . Find rental properties that offer more space vs. hotels and household amenities like kitchens and laundry, which are helpful for longer-term travel.

Tripadvisor

Use this site to see which hotels and specialty properties rank the highest for your destination. Read the detailed guest reviews. 

5 Essential Accommodation Search Tips When Travel Planning

• Set a budget. Doing this will help narrow your options and save you from wasting time on properties outside your price range.
• Read property reviews. See what previous guests have to say about your prospective lodging to learn about its quality and suitability for your needs.
• Check out manager reviews. When considering renting, click on the owner or manager profile to check out their other properties. Confirm all the rentals they manage have consistently solid reviews. If they do not, consider this a red flag, increasing the likelihood of potential issues with your booking.
• Dive into negative reviews. Did a guest have an issue? See how management responded. Is the response prompt, considerate, and respectful? Or combative and blaming? Since you never know when an unexpected issue may occur with a booking, you will want reassurance that management has a proven ability to deal effectively with problems. Or better yet, can avoid them from happening altogether.
• Note the fees. Before you book a rental, get a clear idea of the additional cleaning and booking fees not included in the base rate. These fees can add an extra $100+ or more per night. This extra cost may make staying at a fee-free hotel more enticing. 

What to Do: 12 Activity Resources for Travel Planning

Now that you have planned the when, where, and how to get there, it is time for one of the best parts of travel research—figuring out what to do once you arrive. Here are the top resources to help you decide.

Google Things to Do & TripAdvisor

Search these sites to get ideas for top activities for your destination. Use Google Things to Do to search by interest or by neighborhood. Learn why to use it and where to find it in “ Google for Travel: Plan Better with These 8 Tools ”. Use Tripadvisor to scan ranked lists for activities and tours. 

Local Tourism Sites

Most destinations have official tourism websites that provide comprehensive information about attractions, events, and local services. These websites often have downloadable maps, suggested itineraries, and excellent recommendations for activities. Search “[Your destination] visitors bureau” to find one.

Google Maps

This powerful tool offers more than directions. Use it to search, collect, and store valuable information about attractions, restaurants, and transportation options. I am a big fan of using their custom lists and maps and recommend them frequently for travel planning. Learn more about using Google Maps for travel planning in “ Why You Will Love Google Maps for Trip Planning .” 

When you want to hike or bike on a trip—use the AllTrails website or app to discover and save the best trails. Then, use it again to get the most up-to-date route info, including trail difficulty ratings, what to expect, user reviews, and access points for the trails you decide to tackle. 

I highly recommend signing up for AllTrails+ to download offline trail maps. You can use these in-app maps to GPS-locate your progress as you hike or bike. Doing this will help you stay on the right trail, avoid unnecessary detours, and be a deterrent against getting lost. 

Viator, Get Your Guide & Airbnb Experiences

Search Viator , Get Your Guide , & Airbnb Experiences booking platforms to find and pre-purchase highly rated guided activities. 

Pinterest, Travel Blogs & Internet Searches

Jump on Pinterest to search “things to do in [your destination]” and see hundreds of pinned articles suggesting top activities, dining, and cultural experiences. Or open your favorite browser and search the same thing to find more travel articles and blogs covering your destination in depth. Click on results that catch your eye.

AI for Travel

Use ChatGPT or any rapidly emerging AI travel-related technologies to tell you the best things to do in your destination. If you are a time-crunched travel planner, you may love the simplicity of using AI to speed up this step. Find the latest tools by searching “AI travel” on your preferred internet browser.

Employ a System to Store Your Travel Research

Now you have collected all your trip information, save it in a way that makes sense for how you want to use it and retrieve it later. I prefer to use a suite of Google tools to do this. I detail how I use Google Docs, Chrome, and Calendar to save notes and website URLs into folders and create events in “ Google for Travel: Plan Better with These 8 Tools .” 

While researching your trip, consider keeping a travel journal in a Google Doc to document your progress. In your journal, record details like top lodging contenders, must-see attractions, local customs, and transportation options. 

Or consider using note-taking apps like Evernote or Google Keep . These apps allow you to create digital notebooks and tag your notes for easy retrieval. Organize your docs or notes by categories, such as accommodations, attractions, and transportation. Doing this will ensure you can find the information you need quickly.

In addition, I recommend using Google Maps custom lists and maps to save and access travel information. Learn how to best use it in “ Why You Will Love Google Maps for Trip Planning .”

Streamline Packing & Prep For Your Next Trip with These Checklists

Before any trip, most travelers must contend with packing and an endless stream of tasks before getting out the door. Streamline and minimize this prep using checklists. 

Use a universal packing list like this one . Or search for a destination-specific packing list to get tips for things to bring depending on the season. Then, to make sure you remember to do things like hold the mail and book the pet sitter, use a pre-trip task checklist like this , which will help remind you what needs to get done before you roll away with your suitcase.

Maximize your packing skill with these 25 expert packing tips .

Stay Organized During Your Trip with These 4 Tips

Once you have completed your travel research, booked your trip, and arrived at your destination, it is helpful to stay organized. Here are a few tips to help keep everything in order.

1. Use a Travel Itinerary

Create a travel itinerary for your day-by-day details to keep you organized. In it, map out your transportation bookings, lodging details, activity options, and reservations. When applicable, note opening hours, travel times between activities, and meals included. Or borrow one of my customizable formats—free and downloadable in this article .

2. Store Important Documents Online

Take photos or make digital copies of essential documents in case of loss or theft. Create a digital folder on your computer or cloud storage to store important documents such as passport copies, itineraries, credit card copies, trip insurance, and visa information. Label each file clearly for easy access. Or, if you plan to use a smartphone on your trip, store essential docs in a digital wallet.

In addition to storing important documents online, send copies of these same docs to trusted friends or family members. That way, if you forget your passwords or no longer have access to your digital devices due to theft or accident, you have an alternative way to retrieve them in an emergency.

3. Make Use of Travel Apps

Before your trip, download and update all travel-related apps you plan to use. If you are unsure which ones you may want, look at this list of the 15 apps I use for nearly every trip.  Use these apps to get last-minute notifications of travel booking changes, buy or cancel services, and communicate with service providers. Be sure to create an account and log in before you leave for your trip. 

4. Keep a Travel Journal

Document your trip experiences by jotting down recommendations and recording unexpected discoveries. Savor the process by sitting down to write your thoughts in a special notebook while you travel. Or go quick and digital and type or voice-dictate notes to a Google Doc or note app like Evernote . You never know how or when you might want to share or remember your experience. Your notes can be a resource for others and a treasured keepsake.

Following the five proven strategies above, you will simplify your travel research and stay organized, making your trip-planning process enjoyable and minimizing stress. Plus, by using checklists, top resources, defined systems, and travel tools like itineraries, apps, and cloud-based documents, you guarantee a better experience at every stage of your trip for yourself and your travel companions. 

Related Reading

If you are searching for more travel planning tools to help you save time and money and to stay organized, check out the related articles below.

• 49 Things You Need to Do to Plan Your Best Trip (Free Travel Research & Planning Checklist)
• Google for Travel: Plan Better with These 8 Tools
• Why You Will Love Google Maps for Trip Planning
• Travel Better: How to Best Use Google Flights Explore
• How to Save Time & Money with Google Flights Price Tracker
• Rental Car Insurance: When You Need It & When You Don’t
• Pack Faster & Better with This Universal Printable Packing List
• 25 Expert Packing Tips to Help You Travel Better
• Pre-Trip: A Practical Checklist to Close the House & Pack

Love to travel? Sign up for m y monthly Gather & Go Travel Discovery Newsletter and get a free trip budget calculator .

Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I only recommend products and companies I use. And the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.

Cathedral Rock: How to Make the Most of Your Hike

Why You Will Love Enchantment Resort: A Review

From An Expert: InsureMyTrip.com is My #1 Pick for Trip Insurance

35 Places You Will Love for Your Next Ladies’ Trip

How to Make the Most of Missoula in 3 Days

39 Amazing Ideas for Things to See & Do in Missoula

Leave a reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to Gather and Go Travel , a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, an experienced traveler to over 50 countries and a travel writer, book lover, and blogger. Learn more about me , read our story , and how to work with me .

Need an Itinerary for a Spring Trip to Europe? Here are 25 Amazing Ideas

49 Things You Need to Do to Plan Your Best Trip (Free Travel Research & Planning Checklist)

Rental Car Insurance: When You Need It & When You Don’t

Your Family Will Love These 30 Road Trips Near Chicago

Pack Faster & Better With This Universal Printable Packing List

How to Spend 10 Days In Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento

Instagram....

gatherandgotravel

📍US & 🌎 travel for families, friends + couples 📝 Itineraries, destination guides and ideas + tips ❤️ hiking🥾, mountains + 📚books 🏡 Chicago

love this info?

And receive our F REE Budget Trip Calculator .

© 2023 All Rights Reserved

Travel planning.

Amazeballs Better Travel Guide

Travel Planning Tips

Destinations

Travel Learning

Conversations With Travel Pros

Blogs I Love To Follow

Work With Me / Contact Me

Journey From 100 To 10K

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Get A Free Trip Budget Calculator

Sign up for my monthly gather & go travel discovery newsletter packed with tips and vacation ideas and get my trip budget calculator for free..

• Skift Research
• Airline Weekly
• Skift Meetings
• Daily Lodging Report

New Research

Just published.

The Curious Case of Indigo Airlines, India’s Largest Airline

Indigo’s dominance in the domestic Indian market is a testament to its cost leadership and superior operational capabilities but venturing into international long haul market with widebody aircrafts will need a shift of mindset, strategy and planning from its low cost operation. The international market is highly competitive and demands premium products, operational flexibility, a loyalty program, and more experienced crew – all of which IndiGo currently lacks. Even if IndiGo were to introduce these services and products in the next few years, it would likely face strong competition from Air India, which has more experience in these areas, leading to intensified competition as both airlines expand their international networks. The question arises whether the market is large enough to accommodate both Air India and IndiGo.

Latest Reports

Skift travel health index, skift travel health index: april 2024 highlights.

Consumer Habits

Debunking the Myth of Vacation Rental Consumer Fatigue

Destinations

Regenerative Tourism: Fact From Fiction

U.S. Travel Trends Q1 2024: Exploring Day Tours and Experiences

Free Access

Will Hotel Pricing Strength Continue into 2024?

As we enter 2024, where inflation growth is expected to further ease off and we largely move away from Covid-era economic trends, the big question in the hotel industry remains: will pricing strength continue into 2024?

Skift Travel 200 by Sector

The Skift Travel 200 combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. The ST200 makes it easy to track travel industry performance for the first time ever.

Learn more about the ST200 by reading our  full methodology .

View by Sector

• Accommodations
• Travel Tech
• Cruise and Tours
• Ground Transport

Most Read This Month

Exploring Gen Z and Millennial Travel Habits

Millennials and Gen Z are steering travel trends with a focus on technology, sustainability, and a quest for distinctive and meaningful experiences.

Hotel Tech Benchmark: Payment Solutions 2023

The pandemic accelerated the shift to digital and alternative payments. To capitalize on this, hoteliers should modernize their payment tech stack to offer seamless integration and diverse payment options for increased bookings, higher-value reservations, and improved guest satisfaction.

Skift Research Global Travel Outlook 2024

2024 will be the year that the travel industry fully transitions from catch-up to true growth above pre-pandemic levels. Without revenge travel as a tailwind we expect a more normal growth trajectory for the travel industry this year.

Navigating Q4 2023: Analysing the Value of Travel Credit Cards in the U.S.

Younger Demographics Drive Growth in U.S. Travel Credit Card Market, Bank Brands Dominate

Generative AI’s Impact on Travel

Generative AI is poised to transform the travel industry. True, there’s plenty of hype out there with little substance to back it up. But even after Skift Research separates the chaff from the wheat, we find that a multi-billion dollar opportunity still remains.

The Past, Present, and Future of Online Travel

The golden era of Booking and Expedia is facing challenges of slowing growth and increased competition, prompting a fierce battle for market share through innovation and expansion efforts amid a changing landscape.

Skift Research – McKinsey & Co.

The Promise of Travel in the Age of AI

This new report in collaboration with McKinsey & Co. is intended to inspire travel companies to reimagine their businesses, raise the industry’s aspirations, and unlock long-term stability and growth through the use of AI.

August 2023 Highlights

Find out how the travel industry is performing across the globe.

Book an Analyst for Your Event

Subscribe to Skift Research

• 3+ new reports per month
• Access to 200+ reports
• Analyst Q&As through email
• 25% off tickets to Skift Forum events
• Quarterly analyst report review calls
• High resolution PDFs of new reports as they're released

US Travel Header Utility Menu

• Future of Travel Mobility
• Travel Action Network
• Commission on Seamless & Secure Travel
• Travel Works
• Journey to Clean

Header Utility Social Links

• Follow us on FOLLOW US
• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on LinkedIn
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook

User account menu

The latest travel data.

MONTHLY INSIGHTS March 04, 2024

U.S. Travel has temporarily paused our monthly data newsletter, however, the latest travel data is still available via the U.S. Travel Insights Dashboard . This dashboard is updated each month (member login required).

The U.S. Travel Insights Dashboard , developed in collaboration with Tourism Economics, is supported by more than 20 data sources. The dashboard is the most comprehensive and centralized source for high-frequency intelligence on the U.S. travel industry, tracking industry performance, travel volumes and predictive indicators of recovery including air and lodging forecasts, DMO website traffic, convention and group trends, travel spending and losses, traveler sentiment, among others to measure the health of the industry.

Key Highlights January 2024:

• Travel appetite started the year on a softer note, but overall growth continued. Air passenger growth remained positive, up 6% versus the prior year but lower than the double-digit growth seen through 2023. Foreign visits remained strong, up 24% YoY.
• Hotel room demand continued a trend of slight contraction falling 1% versus the prior year, while short-term rental demand grew 1%, a lower rate than 2023.
• A particular bright spot was that group room demand within the top 25 markets displayed solid growth of 9% relative to the prior year.
• The outlook for the economy remains fairly optimistic due to the strength of the labor market, looser financial conditions and healthy household and nonfinancial corporate balance sheets. This has filtered through to slightly higher consumer sentiment in February.
• Sentiment is also growing for upcoming leisure travel in 2024. The share of travelers reporting having travel plans within the next six months increased to 93% in January from 92% in December, according to Longwoods International’s monthly survey.
• Travel price inflation (TPI) fell slightly in January as a result of falling transportation prices. Sticky services inflation should see relief from decelerating wage growth. However, upside risks stem from rising healthcare costs, supply chain disruptions and slowing labor supply. Source: U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics

Member Price:

Non-Member Price: Become a member to access.

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH

Travel Price Index

Travel Forecast

Quarterly Consumer Insights

Additional monthly insights are available through the full U.S. Travel Monthly Data Report, exclusive to members. Please inquire with  membership  if you are interested in learning about becoming a member of U.S. Travel Association. 

 How Important Is Travel Research  When Planning a Trip Overseas?

When you're planning a trip to Europe, doing  travel research before you go is the best way to maximize your experience once you get there .

It prepares you for what you’ll see and do.

It helps  reduce culture shock , no matter where you go.

It allows you to make knowledgeable choices, while planning your trip.

And most importantly, it gives you the ability to make informed on-the-spot decisions when necessary, during your trip.

When You Don't Do Travel Research....

When you fail to spend time doing travel research   before you travel , it will take you longer to adjust to differences between your home and your destination.

If you skip this step, you're not only unprepared to deal with the cultural onslaught that greets you when you arrive at your destina-tion, you'll lose time, energy, and momentum at every point you need to make even the simplest decision.

This could be as basic as choosing which part of town for your hotel, to how to order from a foreign language menu, to how to greet the locals.

If you're not  a seasoned traveler, everything you do from changing money, to asking directions, to making a simple purchase will be more difficult, confusing, and frustrating.

But if you take the time to develop a researched   plan for travel , while also acquiring some basic knowledge and familiarity with where you're traveling to , you’ll quickly scale the learning curve and be able to make smart, informed de cisions .  

Why Do Travel Research?

Doing travel research - both online and offline - when planning your overseas trip, guarantees you'll have a more memorable and exciting travel adventure.  

Once you know something of the history, geography, and culture of the places you visit, those places will come alive.

When you learn just a bit about the politics, economy, and government of your destination, you'll open your mind to both the differences  and the similarities between your at-home life and wherever you visit.

When you learn enough to understand the customs and lifestyle of the people, it will open the door to engaging them one on one for a more personal travel experience.

Not the least of the reasons for taking time to do travel research is understanding what draws you to the destination you choose to visit.

Traditional sources for plan-ning a trip to Europe - be they guidebooks, tourist in-formation offices, or online destination sites - double as both research and trip planning resources.

Using old-fashioned, hands-on  guidebooks can help you solidify your ideas for  where you want to travel .

Along with overseas tourist boards and information offices, they can help you focus on your specific areas of interest, as well as  cities, regions, and not-so-familiar areas to include in your itinerary. 

Begin by focusing on information for any major cities you plan to visit. Look for descriptive material on must-see attractions, noted architecture, and local festivals. 

Expand your range of interests by gathering information on surrounding regional areas, even if you're not sure you'll visit there. 

A broadly focused trip should include visits to areas beyond the major cities for a more intimate and true-to-life version of the people who live there.

Most information offices, especially in high-tourist areas have storefront locations, where you can pick up information when you travel. Many will also send you print brochures and provide links to digital material for local and regional areas you're interested in.

Tourist board websites can inform you of historic locations and attractions of interest, as well as   current events enjoyed by the locals. 

While brochures published by tour companies can give you an  overview of tou rist-focused sights and attractions, tourist boards give you ideas for how to get  off the standard tourist  track and into the soul of your destination .

Accessing information through overseas tourist boards will speed your travel research, while increasing your knowledge, awareness, and understanding of where you travel.

What Are Tourist Information Offices?

While their name may seem self-explanatory, tourist information offices, both storefront and online, are  retail marketing branches for government-sponsored tourist boards.

They exist to promote local, regional, and country-wide areas for the purpose of drawing travelers to come and visit. 

Travelers bring money, with many areas of the world relying heavily on tourist dollars and other currencies to keep their economies running.

It behooves those in charge to entice tourists to their areas and assist them with their t ravel research by  providing the most accurate, up-to-date info for their overseas trip.

In Europe, most every location, from major capitol cities to the smallest of rural communities, has some sort of tourist board or informational website with a variety of materials and brochures available for download.

When contacting tourist information offices, always request  general information for the areas you're interested in. This will give you an overview of the history, commerce, politics, and social culture of the areas you hope to see.

Combine this general info with  specific local and regional material for a cross reference of things  to see and do . This will help you decide which areas are most important to include in your travel plan.

Look for materials that include practical travel advice - often noted as tips or hints.  You'll f requently find suggestions for how to organize your trip, ways to save money, timely weather conditions, and how to use local transportation.

No matter how much you think you already know about a destination [or traveling in general], you'll always find something of value by doing  travel research that will add depth to your travel experience . 

Tourist boards and information offices are the best source for current, accurate information for inbound travelers. They're the go-to source for opening and closing hours, entrance fees and event schedules, transport or attraction passes, and locally scheduled tours. 

Combining  online travel research with hard copy information, like maps, time-tables, and schedules from tourist offices, will increase your options for things available to do and when to do them.

The information promoted by tourist offices is researched, gathered, and published by the same people who live and work in the areas they represent.  

When planning your overseas trip, start your research online with visitor bureaus, tourist offices, chambers of commerce, or government tourist boards.

These, coupled with a good guidebook or two will give you all the information you need to plan a great and memorable trip!

For great  travel research , combine resources that are both  online and  low tech . Some of my favorite sources are in these articles:

Great Travel Resources are easy to find - and they're free . Seldom used travel sources can make planning your trip to Europe easy and fun.

Online Travel Research makes Europe travel planning  a simple, straight-forward process. But where do you find the best travel planning websites?

Travel Tip 

When you take the time to research your destination before you travel, you’ll have a greater knowledge of the location, sights, routes, and events, so that even when your travel plans hiccup – and they will - you can quickly change course and never miss a beat!

Return to Homepage |  Return to Top....

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

• Click on the HTML link code below.
• Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy

A Visual Guide to Italy's Unique and  Charming Secret     Small Towns

• Our Travel Blog
• Blog Archive
• Why Travel?

Travel Smart

• Getting Travel Ready
• Travel Attitude

Travel Guides

• Travel Research
• When To Travel

Before You Travel

Travel Safe

• Is It Safe To Travel
• Passports & Visas

Travel Insurance

Travel Your Way

How To Travel

• Your Travel Style
• Independent Travel
• Escorted Vacations
• Europe Packages

Travel Organized

• Choosing Luggage
• Carry On Travel Luggage
• Checked Luggage
• Lost Luggage

Travel Planners

• Online Agents
• Independent Agents
• Certified Agents

Travel Informed

Tools & Resources

• Online Travel Sites

Site Info & Admin

• Privacy Policy
• Site Disclaimer
• Terms of Use
• Site Map & Search

Search Our Site

Updated travel topics.

Get Travel Ready

Safe To Travel?

Travel Luggage

Make Your Packing Easier and your Trip More Organized...

Packing Cubes from eBags

Our Readers Say...

Thanks for providing all these awesome resources for travel addicts on your website! ~ Sally D./Canada

I enjoyed looking through your website, especially the article you've written about yourself and your passion for travel. I share the same passion. ~ Theresa C./US

This is the first time I’ve visited your site, and it's fantastic. I think it's a terrific resource as an all-travel portal. ~  Steven F./US

I’ve been reading your blog, travel-safe-travel-smart.com and found the article 'Use The Best Travel Guides To Plan Your Trip' extremely interesting. ~ Jessica B./US

Travel Research Online | The voice of the travel agency community

The voice of the travel agency community.

Gifted Travel Network Teams Up With Voyager Social To Empower Travel Advisors With Advanced AI

AA About-Face Brings Back Travel Advisor Commissions

The Journeyman Collective Offers Luxury Guided Magic Mushroom Retreats

Travel Leaders Network’s Lea Diele Receives Top Honors for Advisor Education

More Strikes Loom at Paris Airports

The US—and Its Travel Advisors—React to Maldives Banning Israeli Visitors

AmaWaterways Grows Its Fleet for 2026

American Airlines Blinks on NDCs, As Sales and Stock Fall

Publisher’s Corner

The ethos of traveling responsibly by richard earls may 19, 2024.

I recently returned from a trip to Anchorage, and while I was there, I was struck by the local concern for the well-being of the indigenous community and local economies. I have seen those same concerns expressed to an even greater degree by native Hawaiian travel advocates. At a time when our planet and its cultures are as accessible as they are vulnerable, the importance of traveling responsibly has to be taken seriously. Read the rest of this entry »

The Rosen Report

To be or not to be: can advisors disclose their business without ‘soliciting’ by cheryl rosen june 7, 2024.

Last week’s cautionary tale about travel advisor Debi King , who was put off an Oceania World Cruise in the Seychelles for “soliciting business” onboard the ship, resulted in lots of comments from travel advisors, most of them on Oceania’s side.

“Everyone” knows it’s prohibited, many said; there’s nothing new here (though no one could remember a case of it actually happening). And yet, my email and Facebook pages quickly were flooded with stories from travel advisors who themselves were solicited on board various ships, or who felt their clients were solicited by the cruise lines themselves.

“It’s too bad Oceania declined to comment on what occurred, as it is a missed opportunity for them,” says Sean Mouttet. “Their input could provide Read the rest of this entry »

The Incessant Traveler

Tauck’s next big thing: smaller groups, and the resilience of the group tour model by david cogswell june 13, 2024.

Next year, 2025, will be the 100 th anniversary of the founding of Tauck, and at this major milestone the tour operator is taking a serious look at its concept of group touring. Historically, the Tauck tour might have carried as many as 40 in a group. That was more or less the capacity of the standard touring motorcoach Read the rest of this entry »

Ex Fida Bona

Is your use of “that” photo legal by richard earls march 18, 2024.

The growth of sites such as Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay have so revolutionized the stock photography landscape that giants like Getty Images, which owns Unsplash, and Canva (Pixabay and Pexels) are now major players. It all seems most attractive. A no-cost registration gives the travel professional millions of images to use on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms without laying out any money at all. It is the best of all worlds for the travel marketer.

Read the rest of this entry »

AmaWaterways Announces AmaKaia & AmaSofia Will Join Fleet In 2026 by Britton Frost June 7, 2024

AmaWaterways announced two new river ships launching in 2026:  AmaKaia   will AmaDara on the Mekong   River and  AmaSofia   will sail Europe’s Rhine and Danube Rivers Read the rest of this entry »

Mike’s Monday Cup of Mo-Joe

Confidence is key by mike marchev june 10, 2024.

For those who might be unfamiliar with America’s pastime, the position closest to the first baseman in the game of baseball is the second baseman. The defensive distance between these two players is usually no more than 30 feet. Furthermore, the game itself consists of throwing, running, catching, and hitting. One is usually gifted a baseball glove at age 5. This is normally when youngsters are introduced to the game Read the rest of this entry »

An Overview of Marketing Tactics by Richard Earls October 15, 2023

There are an endless variety of possible tactics you can employ. Read the rest of this entry »

Editorial Musings

Why travel agents should embrace neighborhood tourism. in fact, what is neighborhood tourism by john frenaye june 10, 2024.

A growing trend among travelers is pursuing authentic, local experiences beyond major urban attractions. This “life-seeing” trend is documented in studies such as Booking.com’s 2023 report, where 75% of participants sought authentic cultural experiences. Read the rest of this entry »

Travel Leaders Network’s Lea Diele Receives Top Honors for Advisor Education by Joey DeLoach June 11, 2024

Lea Diele, CTIE, vice president of education for Travel Leaders Network, was named the 2024 recipient of The Travel Institute’s Educational Excellence Award. This annual award recognizes organizations and individuals demonstrating a significant, ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive education for travel professionals Read the rest of this entry »

Point-to-Point

Three new routes to switzerland: two by air, one via matterhorn by megan chapa may 1, 2024.

North American tourism to Switzerland has doubled since 2019 and the demand for increased transportation has been answered. Convenient and culturally immersive, Switzerland has given the North American tourist, and diligently planning travel agents, a giant transportation high five. There are now three new and noteworthy options for entering this picturesque, storybook country. For business or leisure tourists, getting to Switzerland has never been easier or more culturally immersive Read the rest of this entry »

Supplier Profile

Travel answers unveils unified brand for travel advisors by joey deloach may 8, 2024.

Travel advisors now have a powerful new tool with the launch of Travel Answers, a unified brand consolidating five leading wholesale travel companies. This rebranding combines Down Under Answers, Travel2, Islands in the Sun, Africa Answers, and Asia Answers into one platform.

The move aims to streamline operations, marketing, and travel advisor experience across these DMCs specializing in Read the rest of this entry »

Agent Perspectives

Fyndtravel at one year, lisa watson showcases a streamlined travel event calendar by joey deloach march 27, 2024.

My first interview with Lisa Watson went great. She was easy-going and her dedication of work to the creation of FyndTravel was obvious. However, a dead computer on my end took all text and recordings with it to the scrapyard. Chaos happens, I suppose.

We tried again and, as expected, I found the conversation just as enjoyable and informative.

Lisa started our conversation by pulling up a screen share Read the rest of this entry »

New Short Break Tours in Australia’s Red Centre Ideal for Travel Agents by TRO Staff February 13, 2024

AAT Kings has announced two new short break tours in Australia’s majestic Northern Territory, presenting travel agents with exciting new packaged offerings. Lasting 3-4 days, these immersive experiences balance efficient travel with in-depth discovery of Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon.

One-to-One Interviews

Toby ai, artificial intelligence, voyager by joey deloach august 7, 2023.

The following article is a republish of an unedited interview with Voyager’s new artificial intelligence, Toby. Starting with “tell us about yourself. “

Toby uses an artificial intelligence language model created by OpenAI, and I’m glad to be of service to you and to the travel professional community. I’m capable of processing vast amounts of data and providing responses to a wide range of inquiries. I’m also constantly learning and improving, thanks to the advanced machine learning algorithms used in my development. Whether it’s helping companies improve their customer service, assisting with complex data analysis tasks, or even engaging in conversational interactions like this one, my capabilities are broad and my potential is virtually limitless. With my advanced AI capabilities and strategic insights, I’m here to help you achieve your business objectives and enhance your overall operational efficiency.

60-Second Geography

Suzhou: a timeless gem of classical gardens, silk culture, and waterways by joey deloach june 13, 2024.

Nestled in the Jiangsu province of eastern China, Suzhou stands as a captivating destination that weaves together the threads of ancient history, cultural richness, and natural beauty. Often referred to as the “Venice of the East,” this enchanting city has long been celebrated for its classical gardens, thriving silk industry, and intricate network of canals that grace its landscape

Beyond Times Square Curates Luxury to Savannah and Charleston by TRO Staff May 29, 2024

For over two decades, Beyond Times Square has been the go-to destination management company for travelers seeking personalized, behind-the-scenes experiences in major US cities like New York, Washington D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia. Now the luxury travel experts are have announced the addition of two new destinations to their exclusive portfolio — the quintessential Southern charmers of Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina Read the rest of this entry »

WeTravel’s: Where to Go List 2024 by TRO Staff October 26, 2023

WeTravel, a booking and payment platform, has recently released a Where to Go 2024 list outlining hot spots in travel for 2024. They’ve based the suggestions on bookings through the WeTravel platform. London, Ghana, Paris, and more. These recommendations are complete with popular activities from cruises to festivals, and museums to nature. Read the rest of this entry »

Great Cathedrals of Spain by Oliver March 20, 2023

Spain is a country rich in history and culture, and its cathedrals are a testament to true architectural mastery. From Gothic to Renaissance styles, these magnificent structures dwarf the ego and immerse the visitor in awe. Here are a few of the most significant cathedrals in Spain, including notes on their history, design, and construction. Read the rest of this entry »

Above and Beyond with Alaska Helicopter Tours – Anchorage by Richard Earls October 24, 2023

The September Alaskan air was cool but not cold. Nevertheless, I didn’t begrudge the coat I brought with me. I was too excited by what lay ahead to feel anything but anticipation in any event. It was my first trip to Alaska, and the second for my wife Judi. Today we were going to have the opportunity for a special adventure. Our destination: the glaciers of the Knik River Valley, a mere 45-minute drive north of Anchorage, where the Alaska Glacier Lodge would serve as our departure point into the vast, icy wilderness. Read the rest of this entry »

10th Annual Romance Travel Forum Closes to Rave Reviews and Increased Business by TRO Staff July 18, 2023

Romance Travel Forum, an exclusive B2B event focused on destination weddings, honeymoons, and other romantic occasions celebrated with travel, recently concluded with outstanding reviews, and strong optimism for increased business amongst participants.  Produced by Travel Show Marketing Group (TravelSMG), an independent event organizer catering to the Travel Advisor market, this exclusive event was held at the Secrets Moxché Playa Del Carmen resort in Mexico from June  25 – 29.  The sold-out 2023 edition was Read the rest of this entry »

• Terms and Conditions
• Accessibility Statement
•  Advertise with TRO
• Contact Travel Research Online
•  Facebook
•    RSS feed

Please support TRO and our Suppliers! The FREE resources and tools available to you are paid for by supplier sponsorship.

© 2009 - 2024 Travel Research Online. All rights reserved.

The promise of travel in the age of AI

Every generation has its own “golden age” of travel, often defined by the widespread adoption of new technology—from the jet engine of the 1950s that drastically reduced travel times to the dot-com period of the 1990s that allowed customers to build their dream itineraries online. Today, a new era of digitally enabled travel is upon us. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), including generative AI (gen AI), and machine learning (ML) are equipping the industry to reimagine what it means to plan, book, and experience travel. This surge of innovation sets the stage for travel companies to rethink how they interact with customers, develop products and services, and manage operations.

Advances in technology have also transformed consumers’ expectations. Since 2013, time spent on digital devices has grown by 70 percent, and this trend only accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic as online interactions increasingly replaced in-person contact. 1 Based on data from U.S. Census Bureau and Statista. See State of travel 2023 , Skift Research, July 21, 2023. However, traditional travel is unique in that it is an inherently human-centric experience. The industry, therefore, has an opportunity—perhaps even a duty—to define what travel will look like in the digital age.

Most travel companies aim to provide exceptional service and deliver the perfect trip. But, instead of ease, excitement, and delight, travel operators too often fall short of meeting baseline expectations of timing and quality. In fact, nearly 80 percent of American travelers experienced at least one travel-related problem in the first half of 2023. 2 Lane Gillespie, “Survey: 77% of travelers plagued by travel problems amid booming season; more than half saw higher prices,” Bankrate, July 10, 2023.

In the 2021 report, Rebooting customer experience to bring back the magic of travel , McKinsey and Skift Research found that leisure travelers were eager to get back to the sky, water, and road—so much so, that they were often willing to overlook customer-service issues and inconveniences. Customer satisfaction ratings at the time were high, even in a period of intense disruption when negative sentiment was on the rise. 3 Rebooting customer experience to bring back the magic of travel , a joint report from McKinsey and Skift Research, September 2021.

Today, that window of acceptance may have passed. Customer expectations are rising, and tolerance is wearing thin. Despite this, people still aspire to travel and, according to McKinsey’s ConsumerWise  Sentiment Survey, nearly a third of consumers intend to “splurge” on travel expenses in the next three months. 4 McKinsey ConsumerWise Global Sentiment Survey, August 2023, n=4,000. Through both established and new technologies, companies have the opportunity to keep the aspiration to travel alive by closing the persistent gap between the promise and reality of travel.

While larger companies may have more resources to develop in-house capabilities, a robust ecosystem of service providers makes new technologies accessible to companies of all sizes. According to McKinsey Digital estimates, companies that holistically address digital and analytics opportunities throughout their organizations have the potential to see a 15 to 25 percent earnings improvement.

A new report , The promise of travel in the age of AI , produced by McKinsey and Skift Research offers use cases and success stories that detail how technologies are being used, drawing from interviews with executives at 17 companies across five types of travel business. It explores how companies apply advanced data science to better understand and serve customers, delves into how digital and analytics tools can improve products and services, and examines how new technologies augment workforce capabilities and unlock operational capacity. This article highlights some key findings.

Know your customers like you know your friends

Over the past two decades, the variety and volume of customer data that travel companies can capture has increased dramatically; new tools and technologies such as AI-powered assistants are only accelerating this trend. However, this data is often difficult to process and does not always paint a full picture of the customer. Companies may turn to third-party sources to complete their understanding—combining and distilling commercial, operational, financial, and behavioral inputs. Robust marketing technologies can then help distinguish the “signal” from the “noise” in the data to better predict customer behavior.

Having gained a clear and comprehensive understanding, companies can create customer segments to guide how they interact with and serve different customers. Depending on the data available and the analytics capabilities at hand, segmentation can range from grouping customers into segments based on a single macro characteristic (e.g., business versus leisure) to individual “segments of one,” known as hyper-segmentation.

Drilling down to segments of one can enable hyper-personalization, which is broadly defined as the ability to uniquely tailor touchpoints to an individual customer’s needs, preferences, and behaviors. At its core, hyper-personalization is not only about increasing conversion rates, but about providing the customer with an end-to-end experience adapted to their specific context. Considering the level of personalization that is becoming the norm in many aspects of daily life, companies are adopting an ongoing test-and-learn approach to ensure their offers and actions resonate with customers’ rising expectations.

Hyper-personalization can also help companies rebuild trust if operations have gone wrong. Personalized communication reassures customers that they are at the forefront of the company’s mind and instills confidence that a thoughtful recovery plan is in place. For example, companies may share real-time status updates in moments of disruption and provide tailored solutions, or even proactive compensation, to ensure customers feel individually taken care of.

Design your products to surprise and delight

Recent advances are pushing the boundaries of what technology can accomplish. Nothing illustrates this better than the meteoric rise of AI platforms like ChatGPT which garnered one million users in only five days. 5 Steve Mollman, “ChatGPT gained 1 million users in under a week. Here’s why the AI chatbot is primed to disrupt search as we know it,” Yahoo News, December 9, 2022. While this pace of adoption may feel unsettling, it provides an impetus for companies to reimagine their product design and delivery using AI and digitization.

Historically, capabilities such as language, creativity, and aesthetic judgment—once considered uniquely human—could not be scaled through technology. AI, particularly gen AI, offers a new way to augment and scale these capabilities with the potential for enormous benefits: according to McKinsey research , generative AI has the potential to unlock between $2 trillion and $4 trillion in annual value across industries. 6 The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier , McKinsey, June 14, 2023. In the travel context, gen AI could take the form of a digital assistant that interacts with customers throughout the journey. It can provide personalized trip itineraries during discovery and booking, offer tailored recommendations based on preferences and real-time constraints during the trip, and help resolve unexpected disruptions.

However, AI is only part of the answer. Established digital technology also helps companies deliver on commitments made to customers. Many of these digital assets and tools rely on common systems and capabilities, making them widely attainable—freeing up staff to provide better face-to-face services and build relationships through the human touch. Several such applications can boost guest satisfaction and reduce points of friction in hotels, including guest apps, digital check-ins, digital room keys, and in-room tech. The magnitude of these individual tools is amplified when seamlessly integrated together, making it easier for customers to use digital applications throughout their hotel stay.

Empower your workforce to follow through on promises made

An engaged and productive workforce enables the delivery of experiences and products that satisfy customers. However, the travel industry faces structural labor hurdles and high turnover which makes attracting, training, and retaining top talent challenging. Fortunately, the industry can enhance and scale the capacity of its existing workforce by equipping the frontline with the right tools at the right time. This can free up employees to focus on the things they enjoy most and that make the travel industry tick: quality personal interactions with customers, in essence, the human touch.

Two promising opportunities to improve workforce and operational performance through technology stand out across the travel industry: augmenting frontline capacity and upskilling talent.

In the travel industry today, complex decisions still rely on human expertise and outdated technology such as greenscreen or rudimentary interfaces. This leads to a best-guess approach, the risk of negative outcomes, and a steep learning curve. Travel companies are developing new tools  for the frontline to process complex inputs and help guide “day-of” decision making. For example, advanced simulation models such as digital twins allow companies to conduct rapid “what-if” analyses and provide real-time guidance to the frontline.

According to McKinsey research , new technology, including gen AI, is also shortening training times for new hires while rapidly upskilling the existing workforce. For instance, virtual and augmented reality are used to simulate real-life scenarios to prepare frontline employees to hit the ground running, and gen-AI-enabled "teaching assistants” provide personalized coaching based on individual performance. 7 “ The organization of the future: Enabled by gen AI, driven by people ,” McKinsey, September 19, 2023.

Travel is ripe for innovation

Checklist for the age of ai.

Some travel companies are already successfully deploying digital technology, AI, and ML to reshape how they interact with customers, develop and deliver products and services, and manage people and operations. They’ve taken the following actions—are you on track?

General considerations

• created a digital wish list—as if the company had infinite time and resources
• prioritized wish list based on potential short- and long-term benefits as well as the company’s strategic vision and available resources
• assessed the skills and talent necessary to execute against the prioritized wish list
• built the right team and identified roadmap to fill remaining gaps
• inventoried existing internal customer data
• determined which data variables drive customer behavior and predict customer buying decisions
• identified relevant third-party data and integrated with internal data to build a complete customer picture
• considered using a robust MarTech stack to continuously learn and evolve with customers
• defined a dynamic segmentation and personalization approach based on customer personas
• adopted test-and-learn mindset to continually implement and refine
• mapped the end-to-end customer journey and identified pain points
• used analytics to determine which pain points impact customers the most
• considered new technology (like AI) to enhance and reimagine the customer journey
• brainstormed improvements to current digital offerings that would minimize pain points (such as more timely communication)
• built a product roadmap based on timing and importance of features
• diagnosed top day-to-day employee pain points
• determined if digital tools can resolve top pain points (for example, automate repetitive tasks)
• provided workforce with real-time visibility into critical areas of daily operations
• used simulation models to plan for multiple future-state scenarios
• built decision-making tools (such as digital twins) to choose optimal solutions for complex problems
• defined opportunities to improve training (using tools such as simulation training, VR, AR) and provide feedback (using smart-AI tool)

We believe this is a moment of optimism for the industry. Between reclaiming its historical share of GDP, benefiting from the ongoing corporate travel recovery, and catering to consumer demand for unique experiences, the stage is set for travel’s accelerated growth. Looking ahead, travel is forecasted to grow at an average of 5.8 percent a year through 2032—more than double the expected growth rate of the overall economy (at 2.7 percent a year). 8 “Travel & Tourism sector expected to create nearly 126 million new jobs within the next decade,” World Travel & Tourism Council, April 21, 2023.

This does not mean that travel companies can simply sit back and reap the benefits. Existing and new technologies provide an avenue for companies to capture their share of the industry’s anticipated growth by resetting how they interact with customers, deliver products and services, and empower their workforce. Fortunately, there are a growing number of ways—build, buy, or partner—to help companies get started. The only wrong move is no move.

Susann Almasi is an associate partner in McKinsey’s Carolinas office, Alex Cosmas is a partner in the New York office, Sam Cowan is a consultant in the Minneapolis office, and Ben Ellencweig is a senior partner in the Stamford office.

The authors wish to thank Skift’s Pranavi Agarwal, Seth Borko, and Wouter Geerts as well as McKinsey’s Marisa Ancona, Danielle Bozarth, Vik Krishnan, Nina Lind, Elena Patel, Alessandra Powell, Jules Seeley, and Nirva Vassa, for their contributions to this article.

Explore a career with us

Related articles.

What every CEO should know about generative AI

Generative AI and the future of work in America

The future of tourism: Bridging the labor gap, enhancing customer experience

Travel and Research ‘Level Up’ Graduating Materials Student

When asked why she initially wanted to major in materials science and engineering (MSE) , Cailey Ruderman replied, "I didn't." The first in her immediate family to study STEM, Ruderman didn't have much exposure to the world of engineering before coming to Drexel.

"I searched for 'math plus chemistry plus physics' on Google when I was in high school. ‘Engineering’ came up as part of almost every result,'" Ruderman said. After trying classes in both chemical engineering and materials science, she chose the latter.

Hailing from Marlboro, New Jersey, Ruderman enjoyed having ready access to Philadelphia's resources, but she also spent much of her time at Drexel traveling. In addition to representing the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) , Material Advantage (MA) , and the MSE department at conferences across the country, Ruderman inspected National Guard bases during a co-op with Elsly Technology Corporation, spent six months in California for a manufacturing co-op with Apple, and completed an Intensive Course Abroad (ICA) in Rome, Italy.

Last year, an accidental double booking resulted in a shorter-than-expected gap between Ruderman's flight from Rome at the conclusion of her ICA and her flight to California for her co-op at Apple. "I had about two hours at Newark Airport [after getting back from Rome]," Ruderman explained. "I exchanged luggage with my parents, then got on another plane and flew to California, all in one day. It was probably the most insane 24 hours of my life."

This incident stood out to Ruderman as a prime example of the ways she kept herself busy at Drexel, but she hadn't stepped into a research role until she embarked on her senior design project with the Materials Computationand Informatics Group (MCIG) under Yong-Jie Hu, PhD, assistant professor of materials science and engineering.

Described by Ruderman as "a total departure from what [she]'d learned previously," her group focused on high-entropy alloys, which need to be modeled and studied computationally due to their complexity. The project utilized machine learning, which Ruderman hadn't previously been exposed to, yet she found excitement in the prospects offered by the research. "The experience required a higher level of thinking than I'd done in the past, but I think it's allowed me to be ahead of the curve when it comes to what the industry is looking forward at," Ruderman explained.

It's this 'leveling up' of skills and experiences that Ruderman believes gives Drexel its value. "Drexel really transforms you," she said. "Every co-op I had, and every year of coursework, allowed me to evolve and brought me to places that wouldn't have been possible without that structure. Leveling up in that way is what I think makes Drexel unique, and it's something you have to take advantage of."

In This Article

Areas of study, departments.

Office of Research Training, Diversity, and Disparities Newsletter, June 2024

What’s New at NIDA

Calling all presidents, provosts, and deans .

Have you heard of the Engagement and Access for Research-Active Institutions (EARA) Initiative ? This new initiative aims to enhance knowledge and utilization of NIH funding opportunities. EARA is a navigation and communication-focused initiative that enhances outreach and connections between Research-Active Institutions (RAIs) and NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) to:

• Provide information about, and aid RAIs in navigating existing NIH resources and opportunities
• Foster bilateral engagement and communication between RAIs and NIH ICOs

Specifically, EARA aims to:

• Strengthen RAI awareness and utilization of NIH resources and funding opportunities
• Enhance information-sharing and collaboration for RAI engagement and support across NIH ICOs
• Build relationships between NIH and RAIs and broaden participation of RAIs in the NIH ecosystem

EARA Pilot Project

The NIH COSWD (Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity) team, with the help of NIH ICO partners, will work intensively with a group of approximately 50 selected RAIs that volunteer to engage in enhancing their knowledge and utilization of NIH funding opportunities. These RAIs can include rural institutions in IDeA states as well as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), in keeping with the CHIPS and Science Act.

Learn more about this new initiative on the NIH website.

You’re Invited!

On behalf of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) UNITE initiative, you’re invited to participate in a workshop on Interdisciplinary Approaches to Understanding and Addressing Structural Racism and Health , which will take place both in-person and virtually over two days this summer: Thursday, July 18, 2024, from 11-5:15 p.m. ET and Friday, July 19, 2024, from 10-3 p.m. ET !

This workshop will bring together researchers, clinicians, and community partners with expertise in fields such as social and natural sciences, law and criminal justice, education, public policy, and social work, as well as biomedical, behavioral, and public health. Researchers and practitioners from these many disciplines will engage in deep discussions, share data, and facilitate collaborations to address the negative health impacts of structural racism in biomedical and behavioral research where it may exist.

Following a set of panel presentations, workshop participants will have the opportunity to join a breakout session where they will identify key considerations for (1) advancing what is known about structural racism and health and (2) collaboratively approaching solutions. Participants can choose from breakouts on the following topics:

• Methodology and measures for studying structural racism and health disparities
• Consequences of structural racism that affect health
• Strategies for productive cross-disciplinary partnerships
• Interventions to address the impact of structural racism on health

The workshop’s overall objectives include the following:

• Review historical data and perspectives surrounding structural racism.
• Showcase research on new methodologies, advancements in understanding the drivers of structural racism, and strategies for cultivating meaningful partnerships.
• Share best practices and lessons learned from interventions aimed at addressing structural racism.
• Identify recommendations for advancing what is known about structural racism and health and for collaboratively approaching solutions.

Register to participate in the workshop either in person or virtually. Please reach out to Melissa Hill with any questions.

Program Updates

A new d-start, data science concept  .

We are excited to announce that in February 2024, the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse (NACDA) approved D-START, a data science concept ! In alignment with the 2022 - 2026 NIDA Strategic Plan, which emphasizes the critical role of data science in advancing biomedical and behavioral research on substance use (SU) and/or substance use disorder (SUD), we proposed D-START to support investigators at the intersection of Data Science/Big Data/Computational Science and SU/SUD. Recognizing the challenges investigators face in securing independent funding and generating preliminary data, this initiative aims to foster growth and innovation in a field that is primed for advancement. We strongly encourage early career and established researchers, especially those from diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds in STEM, to apply and contribute to this transformative effort. Stay tuned for upcoming details on application procedures, eligibility criteria, and deadlines. For any questions, please contact Dr. Yohansa Fernandez .

Childcare Costs for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellows and Institutional Research Training Awards

As part of ongoing efforts to support family-friendly work environments for the NIH-supported workforce, NIH is increasing the childcare support to $3000 for applicable NRSA individual fellowships and institutional training awards effective beginning with FY2024 awards. Applicable FY2024 training and fellowship awards that were issued prior to the date of this notice will be revised to retroactively reflect the increase in support for all eligible slots (training grants) and individuals (fellowship awards). See NOT-OD-24-116 for more information.

Notice to Alert the Public of NIDA's Career Development Award Salary Limits

NIDA has increased salary limits for K01, K25, and K99 Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs)! Effective with new (Type 1) K01, K25, and K99 applications due on June 12, 2024, and subsequently, several NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) will increase their contribution toward the K awardee's salary support for the requested effort (e.g., nine person months, equivalent to 75% full-time professional effort devoted to research and career development) to a base level of $100,000. All NIDA K01s, K25s, and K99s awarded in Fiscal Year 2025, both competing and non-competing, will be calculated using these new figures, and the remaining future years will be adjusted accordingly. In order to ensure accurate awards, applications need to provide the PI's current base salary and level of approved effort. See NOT-DA-24-032 for more information.

Thank You to Our 2024 NIDA Diversity Scholars Network Program Coaches!

The ORTDD would like to recognize the 15 NIDA Diversity Scholars Network (NDSN) Program coaches who have agreed to support the research careers of our NDSN early career scholars. NDSN coaches are experienced NIH grantees whose role in the program is central to the success of the participating scholars.  Coaches dedicate time and effort to review a matched scholar’s draft grant application and provide thorough feedback based on their background and expertise. We would like to thank the current program coaches (below) in addition to past program coaches for their time and devotion to the career development of our scholars!

Yuhua Bao, Ph.D. Professor of Population Health Sciences Cornell University

Katherine Theall, Ph.D.  Professor, Department of Epidemiology Tulane University

Elizabeth Krans, M.D., MSC Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences University of Pittsburgh

Scott Sherman, M.D.  Professor, Department of Population Health  NYU Grossman School of Medicine  

Karla Wagner, Ph.D. Professor, School of Public Health  University of Nevada, Reno

Aimee Campbell, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatric Social Work  Columbia University  

Carrie Oser, Ph.D.  Di Silvestro Endowed Professor and University Research Professor in the Sociology Department  University of Kentucky

Dionna Wiliams, Ph.D. Associate Professor Emory University School of Medicine  

Sara Becker, Ph.D.   Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry) Northwestern University

Jeremy Day, Ph.D.  Associate Professor & Vice Chair for Strategic Planning and Recruitment  The University of Alabama at Birmingham  

Marina Tolou-Shams, Ph.D.  Kilroy Realty Endowed Professor of Psychiatry University of California San Francisco

Charles Neighbors, Ph.D.  Associate Professor, Department of Population Health  New York University Langone Health  

Tessa Evans-Campbell, Ph.D.  Associate Dean and Associate Professor, School of Social Work University of Washington

Schahram Akbarian, MD, Ph.D. Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

James Bjork, Ph.D. Associate Professor Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies Virginia Commonwealth University    

Last chance to Apply for a 2024 NIDA Diversity Scholars Travel Award!

NIDA….  We are pleased to announce the availability of NIDA Diversity Scholars Travel Awards for two upcoming conferences:

• The National Hispanic Science Network (NHSN) International Conference : October 3-5, 2024, in New Orleans, LA
• The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Meeting : October 5-9, 2024, in Chicago, IL

The deadline to apply for these travel awards is July 12, 2024, at 11:59 PM EST . Don't miss this opportunity to advance your career and contribute to the scientific community. For more details and to apply, see the travel award website . Please contact Dr. Yohansa Fernandez for any questions about a NIDA Diversity Scholars Travel Award.

Upcoming Events

You won’t want to miss the final Scientific Workforce Diversity Seminar Series (SWDSS) event of the 2023–2024 season “How Are Institutions Transformed to Foster Cultures of Inclusive Excellence? ” virtual seminar! The seminar will take place on June 20, from 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m. ET. This virtual seminar will cover strategies to enhance inclusion and create a culture of equity as well as methods to assess culture change within the scientific workforce at academic institutions.

Marie A. Bernard, M.D., NIH’s Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD) , will moderate the 90-minute discussion. Panelists will share data from their respective programs that seek to improve and sustain inclusive environments. 

This virtual seminar will cover strategies to enhance inclusion and create a culture of equity as well as methods to assess culture change within the scientific workforce at academic institutions. Additionally, panelists will discuss benefits of inclusive excellence in the scientific workforce and barriers that institutions face in fostering inclusive cultures.

• Alison Gammie, Ph.D. , Director of the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH
• Elizabeth Ofili, M.D., M.P.H., FACC , Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), Morehouse School of Medicine; Chief Medical Officer, Morehouse Choice ACO
• Lea Vacca Michel, Ph.D. , Professor, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives for the College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Blanton S. Tolbert, Ph.D. , Vice President of Science Leadership and Culture, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Registration Link

Contact information: Julius Patterson , COSWD Communications Lead

Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Data User Workshop

The NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) are sponsoring a Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Data User Workshop to further the understanding and use of PATH Study data files!

• The in-person session will take place July 29-30 in Ann Arbor, Michigan . Information and the application to the in-person only session
• The virtual only session will take place August 15-16 via Zoom . Information and the application to the virtual only session

The free course is designed for academic faculty and research professionals, as well as graduate students interested in tobacco regulatory science and/or prevention/translation research. NIH and FDA’s PATH Study is a rich data source for researchers.

The workshop will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and exercises, and will use hands-on examples to help attendees better understand the PATH Study sample design and weighting. Participants will learn how to conduct longitudinal analyses to estimate change over time, as well as pseudo cross-sectional analyses to estimate prevalence.

Each workshop session (in-person or virtual-only) offers the same content. To attend, please apply by May 31 . Enrollment is limited and admission to the workshop is competitive. For more information and to apply, please visit the 2024 ICPSR Summer Program Registration Portal .

Addressing Health Inequities in Clinical Diagnostics (R41/R42 and R43/R44 Clinical Trials Not Allowed): Notice of Technical Webinar

Webinar Schedule: Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)

The purpose of this webinar is to inform potential applicants that the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and participating Institutes and Centers (ICs) will hold a pre-submission technical assistance live webinar regarding applications in response to PAR-24-157 – Addressing Health Inequities in Clinical Diagnostics (R41/R42 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) and PAR-24-158 – Addressing Health Inequities in Clinical Diagnostics (R43/R44 Clinical Trials Not Allowed).  The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at 3:00 pm Eastern Time (ET).  All interested individuals must register in advance to participate in the webinar via Zoom.

All prospective applicants are invited to attend the webinar and are strongly encouraged to send relevant questions prior to the webinar to maximize the use of time. Questions should be sent by email to Karlie Sharma by July 5, 2024. We will prioritize these questions during the Q&A portion of the webinar. While an effort will be made to include all questions in the webinar, it is possible that not all questions will be addressed during the event due to time constraints.

Webinar Registration

Participation in this webinar, although encouraged, is optional and is not required for application submission. More information is available about NIH’s SBIR/STTR programs .

The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts

For a full list of NIH training, fellowship, career development, and research education funding opportunities including parent announcements, please visit and subscribe to the NIH Guide to Grants and Funding .  

Scientists probe a space mystery: Why do people age faster during space travel?

Research finds bodies in space were stressed and showed dramatic signs of aging during the journey. but 95% of the indicators studied returned to normal within a few months..

Humanity's future may involve getting to a planet other than Earth ‒ but first people will have to survive the journey. That's why in a new series of papers scientists explore the impact of space travel on the human body from skin to kidneys to immune cells to genes.

Four civilian astronauts allowed themselves to be researched from top to bottom as they circled in low-Earth orbit for three days aboard the 2021 SpaceX Inspiration4 mission and then returned to their normal lives.

One of the most important observations was that although their bodies were stressed and showed dramatic signs of aging during the journey, 95% of the indicators studied returned to normal within a few months.

Radiation exposure apparently causes the acceleration of disease and damages cells "even in three to five days," Susan Bailey, a co-author on many of the studies and a radiation cancer biologist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, said in a Monday video call with reporters.

Space news: Starship splashes down for first time in 4th test

Bailey and other scientists have studied astronauts before, most famously, identical twins Scott and Mark Kelly, during and after most of the 520 days Scott spent in space. ( Mark is now a senator from Arizona , choosing to run for political office after his wife, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords , now a gun control advocate , was shot in the head by a constituent.)

But this collection of studies, published Tuesday in Nature and related journals , shows the impact of space travel both on more people and also on a more diverse group, not just the exclusive people who can pass NASA's rigorous selection process.

Hayley Arceneaux , for instance, a physician assistant who served as the mission's medical director, was treated for cancer at age 10 and was one of the rare women in space. At 29, Arceneaux was also the youngest-ever space traveler.

Each of the four members of Inspiration4 represented a different decade of life, and began to provide the kind of diversity that will be crucial to understanding how space travel may impact people of different ages and health status and with different lived experiences, the researchers said.

"It really provides the foundation as we think ahead and more futuristically," Bailey said. The papers, she said, encouraged her and her peers to "think a little bit more about what it's really going to take for people to live in space for long periods of time, to thrive, to reproduce. How is all of that really going to happen?"

Bailey spent months studying the biology of the space travelers. But Monday's video conference was the first time she'd seen them face-to-face. "I'm familiar with your DNA," she told Arceneaux and fellow space traveler Chris Sembroski. "But it's nice to meet you."

Better understanding the damage that accumulates and how the body adapts to space travel will also lead researchers to treatments and fixes, said Bailey and the two other co-authors on the call, Christopher Mason, professor of genomics, physiology, and biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, and Afshin Beheshti, an expert in bioinformatics at Blue Marble Space Institute of Science in Seattle.

In addition to age-related diseases, the papers revealed other problems space travelers can develop, like kidney stones. "Here we can treat that, but a kidney stone halfway to Mars, how are you going to treat that?" Beheshti wondered aloud. "That wasn't on the radar before" these papers.

"As we start to unravel some of this," Bailey added, "we'll improve not only our ability to deal with radiation exposure but also be addressing some of these age-related pathologies like cardiovascular disease that certainly could influence astronauts' performance en route to Mars."

Another insight: Women seem to recover faster from space damage than men, though Mason cautioned that more women need to be studied to better understand the effect and that faster recovery could come at the expense of higher long-term risk of breast and lung cancer from extended radiation exposure.

The lessons learned from space travelers could help folks on Earth, too, the researchers said.

Learning how to keep cells safe from radiation, for instance, might be transferable to help minimize damage to cancer patients undergoing radiation treatments, Mason said.

New protection measures could also be useful for people exposed to radiation at work or in case of a nuclear reactor disaster like the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan after the 2011 earthquake there.

Because space travel speeds up aging, learning how to reverse or slow that process could help "extend health-span for us mere earthlings as well," Bailey said. The new skin study, for example, suggests approaches that might be used to help people keep their skin looking younger longer.

"There's all kinds of things that could potentially benefit people on Earth," she said.

The Inspiration4 mission, which raised $250 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis , Tennessee, also relied on some experimental technologies for recording medical information, including a handheld ultrasound imaging device, smartwatch wearables, a measurement device to check for eye alignment and new methods for profiling the immune system as well as other cells and molecules.

These devices and approaches could be useful for Earth-bound settings that are far from major urban medical centers, Mason said.

Relying on civilians rather than NASA astronauts also made it easier to study the space travelers, who signed waivers and aren't subject to government regulations, he said. Their data will be made available to other researchers.

Both Arceneaux and Sembroski, a data engineer who works for the space technologies company Blue Origin, said they loved their spaceflight and would do it again in a second if given the chance. But they also hope many others are given the same opportunity.

"We're not going to see the civilization in space that we want without people being willing to share that experience," Sembroski said about sharing his data for research. "It was fun to be part of this."

"Our mission had, not only a lot of heart behind it," Arceneaux added, "but we really wanted to make a scientific impact."

Arceneaux said she doesn't mind the mark left by the biopsy used to study how her skin reacted to space travel. "I love my space scar!" she said.

"Better than a tattoo," Bailey responded.

The best news from the research on both Kelly and the Inspiration4 travelers, Mason said, is that there's "no show-stopper. There's no reason we shouldn't be able to get to Mars and back."

Radiation exposure probably means people shouldn't be taking multiple trips to and from the red planet, he said. But "so far, from all we've observed, the body is successfully adapting to the space environment."

Karen Weintraub can be reached at [email protected].

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

New research explores how a short trip to space affects the human body

New research shows space tourists experience some of the same body changes as astronauts who spend months in orbit. NASA and other organizations have long studied the toll of space travel on astronauts, but there’s been less attention on space tourists.

FILE - Jared Isaacman, left, and Hayley Arceneaux prepare to head to launchpad 39A for a launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday Sept. 15, 2021. New research presents the largest set of information yet regarding how the human body reacts to spaceflight. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

• Copy Link copied

FILE - A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off with four private citizens from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday Sept. 15, 2021. New research presents the largest set of information yet regarding how the human body reacts to spaceflight. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

FILE - Inspiration4 crew member Jared Isaacman, right, waves to family members before a trip to Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A and a planned liftoff on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Sept. 15, 2021, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. New research presents the largest set of information yet regarding how the human body reacts to spaceflight. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

FILE - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with four private citizens onboard, lifts off in this time-exposure photo from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. New research presents the largest set of information yet regarding how the human body reacts to spaceflight. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

FILE - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with four private citizens onboard, lifts off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, in Cape Canaveral , Fla. New research presents the largest set of information yet regarding how the human body reacts to spaceflight. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)

FILE - Sian Proctor, right, talks to a friend from a car window before a trip to Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A and a planned liftoff on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. New research presents the largest set of information yet regarding how the human body reacts to spaceflight. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

DALLAS (AP) — Space tourists experience some of the same body changes as astronauts who spend months in orbit, according to new studies published Tuesday.

Those shifts mostly returned to normal once the amateurs returned to Earth, researchers reported.

Research on four space tourists is included in a series of studies on the health effects of space travel, down to the molecular level. The findings paint a clearer picture of how people — who don’t undergo years of astronaut training — adapt to weightlessness and space radiation, the researchers said.

“This will allow us to be better prepared when we’re sending humans into space for whatever reason,” said Allen Liu, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Michigan who was not involved with the research.

NASA and others have long studied the toll of space travel on astronauts, including yearlong residents of the International Space Station , but there’s been less attention on space tourists. The first tourist visit to the space station was in 2001, and opportunities for private space travel have expanded in recent years.

A three-day chartered flight in 2021 gave researchers the chance to examine how quickly the body reacts and adapts to spaceflight, said Susan Bailey, a radiation expert at Colorado State University who took part in the research.

While in space, the four passengers on the SpaceX flight, dubbed Inspiration4, collected samples of blood, saliva, skin and more. Researchers analyzed the samples and found wide-ranging shifts in cells and changes to the immune system. Most of these shifts stabilized in the months after the four returned home, and the researchers found that the short-term spaceflight didn’t pose significant health risks.

“This is the first time we’ve had a cell-by-cell examination of a crew when they go to space,” said researcher and co-author Chris Mason with Weill Cornell Medicine.

The papers, which were published Tuesday in Nature journals and are now part of a database, include the impact of spaceflight on the skin, kidneys and immune system. The results could help researchers find ways to counteract the negative effects of space travel, said Afshin Beheshti, a researcher with the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science who took part in the work.

AP videojournalist Mary Conlon contributed from New York.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Western Force researcher shows the travel burden across time zones for WA sporting teams is real

Analysis Sport Western Force researcher shows the travel burden across time zones for WA sporting teams is real

The travel discrepancy in Australian sport has been an accepted inequality for a long time.

Think back to 1996 and 1999 when West Coast was forced to play "home" semi-finals at the MCG, against Essendon and Carlton.

Or when Geelong had to trudge 74 kilometres to Melbourne to host Collingwood at the MCG in a qualifying final, after finishing as minor premiers.

Or how Collingwood — not to pick on the Magpies specifically — will leave Victoria just once between now and the AFL finals, while fellow finals hopeful Fremantle will play in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.

A fair amount of this can be attributed to the heavy weighting of teams in Victoria, which will always see Melbourne sides' play away games in their home city.

But this season has seen something of shift in attitude to the unevenness of the competition's structure.

'The greatest inequity'

Dockers chief executive Simon Garlick and West Coast counterpart Don Pyke met with AFL boss Andrew Dillon ahead of the 2024 season, with travel a key part of the agenda.

"The greatest inequity that exists in our game is the discrepancy in travel and particularly that of West Coast and ourselves," Garlick told ABC Perth in March.

"It’s no one’s fault, it’s just the way the competition has evolved.

"There’s 14 teams on the east coast and there’s two teams 3000km away on the west coast of Western Australia."

His thoughts have been echoed by Dockers coach Justin Longmuir, and Gold Coast's Damian Hardwick.

The three-time Richmond Premiership coach acknowledged the toll travel had on his players last month, just 11 games into his tenure in Queensland.

In contrast, former St Kilda player and ABC expert Nathan Burke said sides who travel get the benefits when at home.

"I get a bit sick of our interstate teams whingeing about how much they travel," he said.

"Virtually every second week, you're playing a team who travel, who are less experienced at travelling than what you are.

"If I'm West Coast Eagles, every second week I'm playing a team from the other side of the country. 

"So what you lose by travelling over here (Melbourne), you actually gain a bit back by playing a travelling team every single week.

"No one ever mentions that."

Earlier in the season, there were reports some clubs felt the granting of 12 business class seats on all flights to and from the eastern states helped nullify any travel disadvantage the WA clubs had.

Research suggests travel a factor

West Coast and Fremantle aren't the only professional sport teams in Western Australia — the Perth Wildcats, Perth Lynx, West Coast Fever, Perth Glory, Western Force, WA Cricket and Perth Heat also contend with interstate trips.

The Force travel the furthest in any one go, playing Super Rugby matches in New Zealand.

The organisation has a researcher, Kanon Uchiama from the University of Western Australia, embedded in its program to study some of the impacts.

"When you look out into what's out there, in terms of the knowledge so far, the main thing that travel always seems to come back to is sleep," she told ABC Perth's Extra Time program.

"There are a lot of factors that come about with travel that disrupts the sleep of a team, and when a team doesn't sleep properly, that's when you start to see a myriad of issues start to appear, not just from a performance perspective, but also a recovery perspective."

Force players wore sleep tracking watches, and performed cognitive and physical tests while travelling, in an attempt to understand how a change in sleep was affecting their ability to perform.

"We were able to use one of those new sleep technologies to uncover some information around the stages of sleep, and one of the things we found is your REM sleep — really important around the mood and the psyche — that's kind of affected post travel," she said.

"We're starting to get some insight on how these stages of sleep change across a week of Super Rugby, and how certain factors like travel, or even just playing a game, might affect these certain sleep stages."

Length and direction matter

Uchiama said Western Australian sides were more disadvantaged by travel, due to the need to head east to matches.

"One that doesn't get talked about often is direction. It's known to be harder to travel to the east coast than travelling west," she said.

"It's harder to travel and adapt to a time zone shift that goes forward instead of just going backwards. It's harder for us to fall asleep at night, and in the morning it's hard to get up."

Uchiama said other factors can contribute to lessened performance on the road, including changed routines and different training facilities.

"Things like your million-dollar training and recovery facilities and your access to all your staff and your support network and nutrition, hydration, sleep routines that you might have at home, when you're on the road, or when you go away on tour, it's just that little bit harder to access," she said.

The debate on a more balanced sporting landscape will rage on — sides on the east coast are unlikely to go quietly when a perceived competitive advantage is being threatened, while teams seeking a fairer fixture will continue beating the drums until something changes.

The ABC of SPORT

• X (formerly Twitter)

Related Stories

Wa's latest spin bowling star opens up on his love of learning, and how some coffee shops can bowl wrong 'uns.

'Fun, exciting, painful': Min Woo Lee's coach Ritchie Smith reflects on tutoring Australia's man of the moment

'Shocked and dismayed': Fremantle Dockers slammed for re-signing Woodside as sponsor during 'climate crisis'

• Sports Organisations
• Super Rugby