Wine tours, wilderness trains and travel trends in 2024

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It was Monday again and time for a new week. And of course it's time for travel news here at FREEDOMtravel. We present a selection of this week's press releases, presented in brief. Enjoy!

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7 out of 10 motorists have difficulty seeing pedestrians without reflectors

7 out of 10 motorists find it difficult to see pedestrians who do not have reflectors. This is according to a survey conducted in connection with Synbesiktningen, Sweden's largest vision test of motorists carried out by Synoptik in collaboration with Bilprovningen. The results of Synbesiktningen 2023 in brief:

• 73% think it is difficult or very difficult to see pedestrians who are not wearing reflectors.
• 81% believe that pedestrians should be required by law to wear reflectors in the dark.
• 65% feel that it is more difficult to drive in the dark.

Volkswagen integrates AI chatbot ChatGPT into its cars

At the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas 2024, the world's leading electronics fair that took place from 9-12 January, Volkswagen presented the first cars where the AI-based chatbot ChatGPT is integrated into the voice assistant IDA. To ensure the highest possible level of data protection, ChatGPT does not access any vehicle data.

TUI launches wine holidays

It is now possible to go on a wine tour with TUI. Through a collaboration with the Swedish experience platform WineTourism.com, TUI now offers its customers in the Nordic countries the opportunity to book wine tastings and guided excursions to some of the most popular wine regions in the world. Examples of available destinations are Mallorca, Sicily, Malaga, Rome, Lisbon, Barcelona, Verona, Pisa and the Canary Islands.

Two journeys offered with the Wilderness Train 2024

During 2024, Inlandsbanan and the Railway Museum in Gävle will offer two unique train journeys based on seasonal variations. The first journey starts in April and goes from Stockholm to Åre and Abisko. The second journey is in September and passes four world heritage sites - Laponia, Gammelstad church town, Hälsingegårdarna and High coast. On board, meals are prepared and served by the train's kitchen team. Traction is provided by steam, electric and diesel locomotives on different sections of the journey.

Changing price trend for international travel

After a long period of inflation and economic instability leading to an upward price trend, current data from the hotel and travel search site momondo shows that airfares for travel abroad seem to be slowing down in 2024, compared to the previous year. In a survey, 58% of Swedish travellers say they want to discover new destinations in 2024. Swedes' most wanted flight destinations for 2024:

1. Split, Croatia
2. Malaga, Spain
3. Alicante, Spain
4. Palma de Mallorca, Spain
5. Barcelona, Spain

Five travel trends in 2024 according to TUI

Sleep rituals, Instagram boasts and vibrant cities. The Swedes' appetite for travel doesn't seem to be slowing down for the coming year. Travel company TUI's trend experts share five trends that will characterise the travel year 2024.

1. Sleepcations - More and more travellers want total relaxation and catch up on sleep, preferably in comfortable hotels with spas.
2. City travel - More and more people are looking for city breaks, and cities that are trending include the following Istanbul, Athens and Vienna.
3. Travel FOBO - FOBO (Fear of Better Options) is about decision anxiety, is it best to book now or later?
4. Content safari - Choose destinations that look good on social media. Hashtagged destinations include Bali, Maldives and Dubai.
5. Sustainable travel - More travellers want to make sustainable choices when travelling, and many want to make choices that support local communities.

Reflection of the week

AI is really coming in everywhere, and you can't help but wonder how it will affect our lives in the long run.

Did you miss the last travel news? Read the Personalised billboards and exciting destinations for young people

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