People are often defined by where they go and what they see, the dishes they eat, how they look, and how they express themselves. With that in mind, let us explore four key trends in travel, food, health, and fashion.
Travel: Hygiene, Comfort, and Convenience
The covid-19 global pandemic has taught us many things. Chief among them is the importance of personal hygiene and social distancing when outside the house. Even if several pharmaceutical companies have already developed vaccines for this treacherous virus and government agencies have started the mass roll-out process, this doesn’t mean we should forget the important lessons we learned.
Slowly, countries are beginning to open their doors once more to local and foreign travelers. From a tourist perspective, this entails three key elements, hygiene, comfort, and convenience. For example, if retail businesses such as restaurants and shopping malls want to attract and maintain a stable clientele, they need to provide their customers with multi-functional restroom stalls with baby changing stations, combination units, grab bars, hand dryers, and waste receptacles. Not only that, but they should also be cleaned constantly and fully replenished.
The same goes for hotels and other types of accommodation, local hospitals, gyms, museums, libraries, and any other place welcoming a daily influx of people.
Food: The Dining Experience
The Michelin Guide is a rating system that awards restaurants with one, two, or three stars based on a series of criteria, including quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in his cuisine, and value for money. As of 2021, the East Asian nation of Japan has the most three-star restaurants with 28.
At the dawn of the 21st century, people, especially the younger generations, are much more picky, demanding, and savvy when it comes to the products and services they buy. They also have access to much more information, from official government sites and universities to critic reviews, personal blogs, social media influencer accounts, and everything in between.
But what does this mean for restaurants, diners, and other eateries? While the answer to this question comes in different forms, it starts with hosts providing their guests with more than simply food. Excellent cuisine, no matter how carefully crafted or exotic, is no longer enough. It needs to come with a story, a reason, and an unforgettable experience.
Health: Customized, Exciting, Holistic
People do exercise for a variety of reasons. For some, it is about looking good without a shirt or in a bikini. Others want to lose weight, gain more energy, and recover from nagging pains and aches with a sedentary lifestyle. Finally, some people do it for maintenance purposes or to pave the way for a healthier, happier second half of their lives.
No matter the reason, one thing is certain, nobody wants it to be boring. The men and women of today are busier than at any other moment in history. As a result, they don’t want to waste the limited time they have doing something they don’t like. Instead, they are looking for a workout routine that is short, efficient, functional, and exciting.
It comes then as no surprise that the number of personal coaches, massage therapists, and yoga instructors has increased dramatically over the last half-decade or so. Neither does the fact that more and more people are trying out diverse, unconventional health and fitness routines like Crossfit and mixed martial arts and wellness practices like breath training and meditation.
Fashion: Colorful, Edgy, and Unique
According to Vogue, one of the hottest fashion trends for 2021 is the unconventional street style look. From neon face masks, eccentric hair colors and styles, and oversized business coats combined with tracksuits and other exercise clothing, many people are dying to express themselves freely, to get out of the house after months of quarantining and isolation, and show the world who they are.
Fashion has always been about expression, confidence, and individuality. But it has never been truer than it is now. The covid-19 global pandemic has given all of us a stark reminder that we are not immortal, and no matter what we do or how we protect ourselves, we are not immune to disease and even death. In essence, our time is limited.
Thus, revealing oneself, one’s ideas, and beliefs has become paramount. And what better way to do it than through the clothes you put on, the hats, caps, and other gear you place on your head, and the shoes you rock to school or your place of work?
We’ve seen four important lifestyle trends in travel, food, health, and fashion. Together, they represent the tendencies of a new person, an individual looking to maximize his life through the places he visits, the food he eats, how he stays healthy, and the items of clothing he chooses to wear.
