Travel to Europe in 2024: Top Trends and My Personal List

Travel to Europe in 2024 is going to be epic.

Of course, I say this every year.

But I really believe this for the upcoming year.

There’s a lot going on in 2024!

So what are the trends and ideas for travel to Europe?

And what are some of my personal plans for the new year— that I hope will give you some inspiration?

Let’s dive in and find out.

Traveling for sports or music

The Summer Olympics are in Paris in 2024 so there will be many folks who will travel to Europe for these games.

I’m personally traveling to Scotland for The Open Championship (the British Open, golf).

Many folks are traveling more and more for concerts.

I’m actually working on a trip for a family who are going to Milan this winter for a concert.

The Swifties are traveling everywhere for Taylor Swift.

She really has her brand dialed in, doesn’t she?

Her fans are super loyal!

And while traveling for a sporting event or a concert has always existed, it’s definitely a growing trend.

Gazing at the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights have been spectacular in the latter part of 2023.

And because of things going on in the atmosphere, the prediction is seeing them will be easier until early 2025.

So 2024 is the year to travel to Europe — maybe Norway, Finland or Iceland — to see this natural phenomenon.

You can even see them in parts of the UK.

This is a trend, and travel idea, that is firmly on my list!

Traveling to cooler destinations for the peak summer season

With record temps across Europe in 2023, travelers are going to rethink going to Rome or Athens in summer 2024.

Instead, travelers will consider going to northern Europe instead.

So places like Norway, Sweden, Finland, the UK, Ireland, the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and Iceland will be more appealing.

Sure there will be those who love the heat and will still flock to the beaches of southern France or the Greek Islands.

But travel to Europe in summer is going to start to look a bit different in 2024 (my opinion).

And along with this trend comes…

Traveling in off peak and shoulder seasons

For those of us who can travel outside of the high seasons (think school holiday times such as summer, around Christmas and around Easter), we’ve been traveling at these times — shoulder season or off peak.

But there are those parents who are beginning to think about taking their kids out of school to travel to say, Madrid or Florence or Athens, so they can avoid the heat.

I’ve had some recent clients take their kids out of school for a few extra days around Thanksgiving so they could visit Rome, Florence and Tuscany in cooler temps.

So my thought is there may be less of an off season moving forward.

Getting into nature

COVID started this trend.

When folks couldn’t do much, they went out — into nature.

And while some people migrated back to more city life — museums, concerts, theater, dining indoors — others kept that love of nature.

COVID taught these new converts the wonders and benefits of spending time in the natural world.

So now we have more people out in the mountains, on the lakes and rivers and in the forests.

This is good but we do need to be sure we don’t overwhelm these precious eco systems.

Do tread lightly and be respectful.

There are so many amazing places to travel in Europe where you can get into nature — the mountains of Italy, Switzerland, Spain or Austria.

The forests of Slovenia, Finland and Romania.

And the lakes/lochs of Scotland and Sweden.

The trend continues.

And it continues with many folks wanting to have bucket list nature experiences.

You know, more epic trips.

Things like walking a long distance trail like the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain or the West Highland Way in Scotland.

Perhaps it’s taking a sailing trip along the islands of Croatia or Greece.

Or kayaking around the fjords of Norway.

Even cycling through the Swiss Alps or the vineyards of France.

Travel to Europe in 2024 is more than the cities and sites.

It’s delving into nature.

Travel to Europe for me personally

Ireland

It’s been a minute since I’ve been to Ireland.

I had planned to return in 2022 but then we got the cancer diagnosis for my dad.

So all my plans were canceled.

And while I thought about visiting Ireland in 2023, it just didn’t make sense.

As I travel to Europe in 2024 — after a few months Stateside — Ireland looks like it will be my first stop in the spring.

There are no definite plans as to where in Ireland.

But I would like to return to some spots and probably go to one or 2 new spots that have been on my list.

Ireland is always near and dear to my heart, so the fact that I haven’t been since 2018 is, well, sacrilegious!

Germany

This country was not immediately on my list for my travel plans to Europe in the new year.

However, after a chat with some good friends, it’s now on the list.

We’ve talked about traveling together over the past couple of years.

So when Mindy mentioned she and Billy were considering Germany, my response was, “I haven’t been there but I want to go.”

Then she said something about the Black Forest.

Hello!

One of the top places on my Germany list.

So this may happen after Ireland.

It will be fun to travel for a couple of weeks with good friends.

Dolomites of Italy

From June 16 to June 28 I’ll be leading a small group of you through some of my favorite places in Südtirol Italy.

It will be an amazing trip of hiking, wine, food and visiting the incredible Novacella Abbey.

Travel to Europe just isn’t complete for me unless I spend some time in one of my happiest of happy places.

PS Information will be available by January 1, 2024. But mark your calendars!

Scotland

And yes, I’ll be returning to Scotland as well.

Mid July will see me at The Open Championship watching some of the best golfers in the world.

I hope to spend some more time in other parts of Scotland as well.

I’m not sure where yet, but I definitely would love to go back to a few places I have been and am always up for exploring some new spots.

Admittedly, the Shetland Islands are high on my list as is digging deeper into the far North of Scotland.

I’ll also be in St Andrews in late October as I have a wee job there for about a week.

So it seems I may be back and forth in Scotland over the summer and autumn months.

Yes, Scotland is becoming a bit of a second home for me!

Elsewhere?

I haven’t planned anything else in my head yet.

That’s where all of this is at the moment — except for the Dolomite small group tour, of course.

I’d love to go back to Slovenia, go somewhere in France other than Paris and get up to Norway and/or Finnish Lapland for some Northern Lights time.

The other possibility is another Oversea Rentals Adventure in September or early October.

I have some ideas rolling around in my head on another small group tour.

And I’ll be putting more thoughts into my personal travel plans to Europe soon.

What are your plans?

Drop them in the comments below.

Or send me a note at info@oversearentals.com