Lost in translation?

Amsterdam, Netherlands – 1 May 2018 – Technology has transformed travel, shrinking the world with thousands of destinations only a click away. However, new research reveals a significant two thirds (63%) of today’s travelers don’t believe they are making the most of their travel opportunities.

Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, has conducted research across more than 20,500 global travelers to uncover the barriers and anxieties which prevent people from making the most of every trip and reveal how they can move to a state of truly limitless travel.

The research shows that despite a world of opportunities, one in five people (20%) have never felt limitless on vacation and one in 10 (10%) have only ever felt limitless once.

Nevertheless there is a strong desire to be a limitless traveler[i], with almost half (44%) of people worldwide expressing that aspiration and over three quarters (78%) wanting to make the most of every travel experience and travel with no regrets.

A common worry is the language barrier, as over a quarter (28%) of respondents agree this can hold them back from planning a trip and one in five (20%) are nervous about getting lost without speaking the local language. Travelers believe they are being held back by struggles to find accommodation (34%) and over a quarter feel anxious about unfamiliar situations when traveling (26%).

In a unique collaboration Booking.com has teamed up with Ili, the world’s fastest offline translation device, to offer travelers an exclusive discount on their very own ili device and limited version of Booking.com case. With customer support in available in 43 languages, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Booking.com is an expert at connecting people of different languages and this partnership will further help travelers to overcome their travel concerns around language.

Available in the US, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, the device can translate your words instantly offline and can be used to enrich communication in situations such as asking for directions, ordering food in restaurants, going shopping, and seeking recommendations from locals.

The Booking.com research also shows almost two thirds (62%) of people want to experience new cultures, over half (51%) want to taste local delicacies, over a third (39%) are keen to experience staying somewhere new and a third (33%) want to embrace meeting new people whilst travelling, which Booking.com and ili can help travelers unlock in new places.

Overcoming travel trepidations

When asked what would remove travel barriers and anxieties for future trips the top factors respondents called out were great accommodation options (37%), positive reviews from other travelers (35%), being able to ask questions and directions in the local language (26% and 23%), and being able to order their favorite food (22%).

Technology can help overcome these concerns as over half (52%) of travelers admit to using technology frequently while travelling. As a global leader in digital technology, Booking.com has already brought travelers its pilot Booking Assistant, an Artificial Intelligence chatbot which empowers customers to get first-line support for upcoming bookings, all through a single intuitive chat interface. With over 147 million real guest reviews on Booking.com travelers can also research and get advice in their own language before they go.

Pushing the limits

One in two (55%) travelers think the best thing about travel is getting outside their comfort zone, confirming that they want more unique travel experiences to push their travel limits. The top getaways which travelers haven’t done before because they are too afraid, but would love to try one day include:

Volunteering trip (39%)
Gourmet adventure (38%)
Mystery trip (38%)
Sabbatical trip (36%)
Ancestry trip to find out about their heritage (36%)

In addition the top five trips that people have already been on and would like to go on again, as they allow them to experience travel to the fullest, are:

Road trip (54%)
Last minute trip (38%)
Solo trip (34%)
Long distance train journey (32%)
Backpacking or hiking trip (30%)

Traveling without limits isn’t confined to the younger generation as although over a quarter (27%) of Generation Z (18 to 24 year olds) intend to take a road trip, Baby Boomers (55 to 64 year olds) are looking to get more adventurous with the trips they take and a fifth (20%) intend to go on a backpacking or hiking trip and one in five (18%) are planning a road trip. There is also a surge in solo travel to push limits with two fifths (40%) of global Baby Boomers having taken a solo trip in the last year, and a further fifth (21%) planning to take one in the future.

Pepijn Rijvers, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com comments: “Travel can fulfil dreams, exposes us to new experiences, and ultimately enriches our lives for the better. Not only do we want to connect travelers with amazing places to stay, but we also provide knowledge and advice about a destination so that no matter where you choose to go, you can feel inspired to see more, go further and embrace every amazing opportunity along the way. As an industry innovator, we are continuously looking for ways to use the latest technologies to take the friction out of travel and empower people to experience the world, and our collaboration with ili is a great example of how we want to enhance the traveler experience, wherever they want to go and whatever they want to do.”

[i] Someone who does not feel held back from getting the most out of travel, who embraces the new and different and is not afraid to push the boundaries when it comes to travelling