Here’s What’s New With Aurora Expeditions for 2024 and Beyond

While many people remain transfixed by the variety of challenges unfolding around the world,  the good news is that 2024 is just around the corner, bringing a chance for fresh starts and perhaps a dose of renewed optimism.

And even amid the most complex of times, the new year also ushers in new travel trends.

For 2024, that’s expected to include a focus on “cool-cations,” mindful aesthetes (travelers who want to make more conscious and responsible choices), and reboot retreaters (who focus on trips rooted in self-improvement)—among several other intriguing developments recently identified by a Booking.com survey.

The opinions of some 27,0000 travelers spread across 33 countries were tapped to identify those and other emerging trends for the year ahead.

Separately, during Virtuoso Travel Week, it was revealed that education and science-focused expeditions are also top of mind of travelers, particularly those concerned about climate change.

Travel brands far and wide have taken note of these trends and many are incorporating them into their itineraries for 2024 and even 2025. That includes Aurora Expeditions, which has a slate of intriguing new cruises for the coming year and beyond.

TravelPulse recently sat down with Aurora Expeditions’ CMO Hayley Peacock-Gower who shared a sneak peek at what 2024 and 2025 hold in store and how the expedition cruise company is tapping into some of the evolving interests of travelers and the evolving needs of the planet.

Ilulissat, Greenland (Photo Credit: Aurora Expeditions/Michael Baynes)

Cool-cations

With record-breaking heat waves across Spain, Italy, Greece, and beyond this past summer, more than a few headlines declared that the long popular European summer vacation may well be a thing of the past.

Enter: Greenland. Long a sleeper destination that received less than 57,000 tourists in 2019, Greenland’s moment to shine has arrived, says Peacock-Gower.

“Greenland is the new dreamland,” Peacock-Gower explains. “We’re seeing a lot of love for Greenland right now.”

While brutal summer heat elsewhere around the globe is one reason for Greenland’s rise in popularity, the country also has a great deal to offer visitors. An island three times the size of the state of Texas, Greenland is known for its deep fjords, massive glaciers, and sprawling, colorful tundra. It is home to the second-largest ice sheet in the world (after the Antarctic Ice Sheet) covering more than 1,500 miles. The seas around the island, meanwhile, are home to seals, walruses, and whales.

“It’s remote and unspoiled and untouched. It’s really like the Patagonia of the north,” says Peacock-Gower.

For 2024 Aurora has a variety of Greenland itineraries planned including a 17-day Greenland Odyssey in July.

Scotland is another cool-cation destination on the rise for the coming year. While it may not offer polar temperatures, Scotland certainly provides its own escape from increasing global heat.

“It’s really a fascinating destination and it’s cooler than Europe,” says Peacock-Gower. “There’s also a lot of historic sites to visit and birding and wildlife.”

Citizen Science (Photo Credit: Tyson Mayr/Aurora Expeditions)

Science and Education-Focused Expeditions

While education and enrichment have long been a core part of Aurora’s offerings, in 2024 and beyond there will be even more focus on this type of hands-on enrichment for travelers.

“Participative education is really on the rise,” says Peacock-Gower. “Passengers and travelers really want to get involved.”

Existing educational and hands-on ‘participative’ offerings with Aurora range from travelers taking part sea bird surveys and environmental clean-ups to workshops with some of the world’s leading nature photographers from National Geographic and the BBC.

In the coming years, photography education in particular will continue to be expanded.

“Photography has always been a real passion point, but we're really focused on continually enhancing photography education,” says Peacock-Gower. “That’s something new and growing. In particular, we’re looking at doing a specific photography voyage in 2025. A themed voyage with an incredible caliber of photographers in different fields.”

A photographer captures the majestic scenery of Antarctica. (Photo Credit: David Stock @ Divergent Travelers/Aurora Expeditions)

Closer on the horizon, Aurora will add to its educational offerings by bringing Don Maruska, author of Solve Climate Change Now, onto an expedition. Maruska, who encourages people to take climate action and to have fun while doing it, will join Aurora’s 12-day Spirit of Antarctica cruise in December.

Come spring, rewilding facilitator, adventurer, and writer Gina Chick will join Aurora’s 21-day expedition to the Falklands, South Georgia, and the Antarctica peninsula. Chick specializes in leading programs that help adults and kids learn to be at home in the wild and tap into the wisdom of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

“She is going to be facilitating workshops and giving insights,” says Peacock-Gower. “We’re also bringing an Australian reporter along who will be doing a series of interviews with Gina, so travelers can hear first-hand about her experiences.”

Art-focused expeditions are final idea that Aurora is considering for future voyages.

“We’re thinking of ways to combine nature and art, but that’s still a work in progress,” says Peacock-Gower.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.