Two More Travel Trends for 2024: The Kiplinger Letter

(Image credit: Getty)

To help you understand what is going on in the travel sector and what we expect to happen in the future, our highly experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe). You'll get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many (but not all) of the forecasts a few days afterward online. Here’s the latest...

Interested in booking your next cruise solo? You’re not alone.
More cruise ships now offer single-person cabins than ever before and cruise lines are busy adding more. Some ships even offer common lounges and bar areas tailored for passengers traveling alone. About 5% of cruise passengers are solo, about double compared with a decade ago, says an industry group.

The trend has grown since the pandemic and is especially popular among women. Norwegian Cruise Lines has been the front-runner catering to solo cruisers, but others are catching up, with most now selling rooms specifically for one individual.

From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance

Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just ~~$107.88~~ $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues

CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/y99mlvgqmn1763972420.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

Travelers with guns
An ongoing travel trend that we reported on when it hit a record peak in August 2023: Airline passengers bringing loaded guns to U.S. airports.

For the third year in a row, a record number of firearms were intercepted: 6,737 at airport security checkpoints in 2023, with a whopping 93% found loaded, according to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) records. That compares to just 1,123 in 2010. Last year, TSA screened over 858 million individuals.

Local gun laws vary, but guns are never allowed in carry-on bags, even with a concealed weapon permit. Folks caught with an undeclared firearm could face steep penalties of up to $14,950, travel restrictions and even arrest, depending on local law.

This forecast first appeared in The Kiplinger Letter, which has been running since 1923 and is a collection of concise weekly forecasts on business and economic trends, as well as what to expect from Washington, to help you understand what’s coming up to make the most of your investments and your money. Subscribe to The Kiplinger Letter.

Sean Lengell covers Congress and government policy for The Kiplinger Letter. Before joining Kiplinger in January 2017 he served as a congressional reporter for eight years with the Washington Examiner and the Washington Times. He previously covered local news for the Tampa (Fla.) Tribune. A native of northern Illinois who spent much of his youth in St. Petersburg, Fla., he holds a bachelor's degree in English from Marquette University.