Beyond the Destination: The Future of Purposeful Travel and Its Curators

The traveling public has placed a growing importance on deliberately choosing experiences that foster personal growth, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. According to Mastercard Economic Institute’s Travel Trends 2025: Purposeful-Driven Journeys, the macroeconomic environment strongly influences tourists’ travel decisions, but non-economic factors are also important considerations and today’s consumers are clearly prioritizing purposeful travel. In fact, research published in March by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) showed 78% of travelers now prioritize meaningful experiences over luxury amenities. These insights seem to have inspired ATTA to reframe adventure travel as no longer just ‘extreme’ activities. It’s also about immersive, meaningful experiences in which travelers are seeking connections with nature, culture and local communities. 

As purpose-driven travel continues to shape how and why people explore the world, travel advisors are becoming more essential — guiding clients through increasingly complex decisions with a level of insight, trust and personalization that digital channels alone cannot deliver.

Travelers’ preference for experience over consumer goods is reflected in the sector’s rise within the travel industry. The Outlook for Travel Experiences 2019 to 2029, a Phocuswright (a Northstar Travel Group brand) study released in February, put the gross booking value (GBV) of travel experiences at US$271 billion in 2025, with projections to surpass US$340 billion by 2029. Even travel advisors are reaping the benefits. A survey of advisors affiliated with Travelsavers and Nest projected transformative travel to be a 2026 travel trend. Already, there is a global influx of travel agencies like Purposeful Travel in the U.S., Responsible Travel in the U.K., and Australia’s Travel with a Cause, that have built businesses on trips curated entirely around purpose and intention. 

Develop a trust network

“It’s easy for anyone to book eco-friendly accommodation, but understanding if that claim holds up requires experience and relationships,” said Hanna Peltonen, an independent travel advisor with Fora Travel. Recommending experiences that appeal to traveler’s personal interests and goals is an opportunity for advisors to flex their expertise and to further build trust with their clients.“Information is everywhere today, but knowing what to trust and who to trust is another skillset.”  

Rebecca Gade-Sawicki, founder of vegan travel agency Veggies Abroad, agreed. “First evaluate suppliers and review if they align with your business values and what you’re looking to promote,” she said. 

Not all companies disclose their sustainability or social impact results. Experiences can be green washed. Gade-Sawicki recommended setting up a video call with potential suppliers to ask about their conservation and community contributions. “It’s a foundation for your business to build relationships with partners who are transparent about their practices and actively contribute positively to their communities,” she added. 

Peltonen pointed out that clients are increasingly asking specifics about suppliers’ sustainability claims and she expects this trend will only grow in the future. “Clients want to know about the environmental, social and economic impact to decide how ethical the business is,” she said. 

Gade-Sawicki advised building relationships with organizations that support allied initiatives like conservation and the environment. She noted, “since these organizations dedicate all of their work to these causes, they can also help shed some light on who is doing a better job.” Veggies Abroad highlights its vegan travel mission by partnering with World Animal Protection. 

Consider the client

But building an extensive network of like-minded suppliers and partners is just one part of the equation. Consider the client. Travel Advisor Tara Bryan of Odyssey Travel explained younger generations are more aware of sustainability issues. However, more established clients are usually open to advice on making trips more impactful. “It’s equally important to guide mature travelers who may not yet have sustainability on their radar,” Bryan explained. “Helping them understand the impact of their choices — and showing them how meaningful and enriching sustainable travel can be — is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.”

Peltonen reported a similar client experience, with solo travelers, couples and families ranking among the indoctrinated and high net-worth clients showing greater interest in purposeful travel. For clients who aren’t familiar, Peltonen incrementally educates them with gentle suggestions like a local, sustainable experience as part of a traditional resort getaway. 

Bryan takes the same approach. “By helping travelers understand the impact of their decisions and showing them sustainable options they may not have considered, we empower them to explore the world in a way that’s both meaningful and responsible,” she said.

“Meaningful” doesn’t always play into the length of a trip but the intentionality of clients willing to go deeper into a destination with the time they have, whether it’s a short break or longer stay.

When planning slow travel, Peltonen’s luxury clients expect a multi-week journey. She added that “even if they only have two weeks, they still want to be very intentional with their time.” 

Gade-Sawicki observed that in her bookings, rather than spend three days in one destination and then moving on to the next, her clients are asking to spend longer periods of time in a single location. “I’ve had multiple clients choose a single location and really explore it, which gives them the opportunity to go beyond the surface,” she said.

Tech and impact travel

Younger generations aren’t just more conscious of sustainable travel, they are actively pursuing purposeful travel. American Express President Audrey Hendley said in the company’s 2025 Global Travel Trends Report that “travelers, especially Millennial and Gen Z, are motivated to book thoughtful, meaningful trips…”

But these two generations are also leaning into new technology during the trip planning and booking processes. Specifically, in a study of more than 8,000 global respondents with household incomes of US$50,000 or more, 40% of Millennials and Gen Z are turning to Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) for activity recommendations while 33% are using it for personalized trip recommendations. Yet, the Phocuswright research found that Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) are lagging in market share when it comes to experience bookings, accounting for just 8% of gross bookings. That is attributed to both slim profit margins from these bookings as well as the fact that many activity-based tour companies are without modern booking systems, further limiting their online visibility.

Phocuswright’s research also looked at the future impact of AI, which it called an unknown variable. If Agentic AI, which surfaces more content to the user, is widely adopted by travelers, it could lead to more online bookings. This is dependent on existing content across channels such as social media, user-generated reviews, press coverage and access to reservation systems. 

But given that there are currently large numbers of activity providers with a small digital footprint, Agentic AI will struggle to gain a foothold in this sector. That bodes well for travel advisors who have trusted relationships with suppliers that can deliver on promises of sustainability, authenticity and connection.