Southern Lights Captured From Space © NASA Goddard Photo and Video
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In anticipation of its Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2012 guide, Lonely Planet has announced its Best in Travel Readers’ Choice Awards. During the voting for the awards Lonely Planet asked its readers to tap into their inner psychic and predict the next big trends in travel for 2012.
Making an appearance on the list is, of course, the new era of space travel. With Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic paving the way for future shoestring galaxy explorers.
Readers also predicted that technology will play a greater role in budget travel. From walking tours of London to deciphering foreign menus””there’s an app for that.
Two surprising entries on the list are the trends of slow travel and collaborative travel. Epic train rides, classic road trips and walking treks are proving to be more and more popular with travelers. As is the trend of connecting with locals via Couchsurfing, service sharing and skill swapping. Budget travelers feeling the squeeze of the economy are relying more on the kindness and generosity of strangers they encounter on their travelers.
Read the entire article at The Lonely Planet Blog .