Habits Archives - Com Namibia

8 New Traveler Habits That Travel Agencies Should Adopt [ABO]

September 29, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

1. The traveler sometimes wants to travel… alone

Les 8 nouvelles habitudes des voyageurs que les agences doivent intégrer - Depositphotos.com Studiostock

CroisiEurope

The solo traveler is becoming more appealing, but traveling alone does not necessarily mean seeking isolation. The client may want autonomy while wishing to meet other travelers, take part in activities, or enjoy a reassuring setting.

According to the Travel Trend Report 2026 from Dertour Group, nearly 30% of respondents across 13 European countries plan to travel alone in the coming twelve months. In France, the share reaches 32.2%.

The question is not only whether the client travels solo, but what they are seeking behind that decision: freedom, rest, encounters, personal challenge or security. This answer will guide the proposal toward an individual stay, an escorted tour, or a plan alternating free time and group activities.

2. Slow travel puts journeys back on track… with a longer pace

Less rushing, staying longer in one place, favoring gentle mobility, and exploring a destination in depth: slow travel answers a desire to travel differently.

According to the Dertour study, 53.2% of Europeans surveyed are drawn to slow travel. Among them, 58.5% want to take more time to discover a destination without feeling rushed.

This trend can manifest as a stay in a single region, a less dense itinerary, a discovery on foot or by bicycle, or even a river cruise. The agency must therefore pay attention to the pace the client desires. Does he prefer to add more stops or take time to settle in? Does he want to visit more places or fully enjoy a few sites?

3. The train becomes a real alternative

Trains can now serve as a strong selling point, beyond the environmental question. Arriving in the city center, comfort, and the possibility to enjoy the journey itself: it meets several traveler expectations.

At Déclic Evasion, train-focused stays increased by 16% between 2024 and 2025. Families, travelers wishing to avoid airports, or clients seeking another way to move around may be interested.

However, selling rail travel remains complex, between booking tools, connections, after-sales service, and disruption management. For the agent, the challenge is to know the relevant itineraries and propose the train when it adds real value to the trip, rather than waiting for the client to ask.

4. Travelers seek more personalization

In the face of a standardized offer accessible in a few clicks, personalization remains a major asset for the agency. It starts with qualifying the need: pace, interests, constraints, comfort level, travel habits, or desire for autonomy.

The DIGITRIPS Pro survey conducted with more than 400 travel agents in France in 2026 confirms this central place of personalized advice: 47 % of respondents name it as their number one daily priority.

6. Travelers also seek meaning

7. Travelers want experiences… not necessarily more activities

Meetings, workshops, culinary discoveries, nature-based activities, unique accommodations: travelers seek experiences that match their tastes and personality.

But immersion does not necessarily mean multiplying activities. A packed program can run counter to the desire for disconnection or for slow time.

The challenge is to find the right balance between discoveries, free time and breathing space.

8. Not chasing every trend

Solo, slow, train, responsible tourism, immersive experiences, tailor-made travel, AI… Should we offer all of it? No.

An agency is not expected to become an expert in every trend. Specialization can help it build a recognizable expertise, provided it is based on real demand, operational capacity, and a coherent business model.

The aim is to identify evolutions that match its clientele and its territory, then build competence in those with commercial potential. Monitoring, training, familiarization trips and observing demand can help filter them.

Instead of always starting with “Where would you like to go?”, why not ask: “How do you like to travel?”

Alone or with others? Slowly or with a dense program? By train or by plane? With a lot of autonomy or with guidance? In search of comfort, adventure, encounters, or disconnection?

These answers will often help reveal the destination or the product. And perhaps this is where the profession is evolving: not only knowing the destinations, but knowing the different ways to travel.

Find all the articles in our series “Very Special Agent – The Practical Guide for Pros” by clicking this link.

Business Travelers’ Habits Still Drive Up Costs

August 28, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Une étude menée par OpinionWay pour Cegid et Corporate Mobilities met en lumière l’impact des comportements des voyageurs professionnels sur les coûts - Depositphotos.com, peshkova

Costa Rica

Business travel policies do not always suffice to control costs.

This is one of the key findings of the 8th wave of the Observatory of Professional Travel, conducted by OpinionWay for Cegid and Corporate Mobilities with 505 business travelers.

The study analyzes 25 observed behaviors throughout the travel journey, from trip preparation to return.

It highlights a less visible portion of business travel costs: the costs linked to travellers’ habits, trade-offs, and routines.

Des pratiques qui peuvent générer des surcoûts

According to the study, between 20% and 50% of business travellers regularly adopt behaviours that could raise the cost of their trips.

The use of taxis and ride-hailing services is one of the main examples: 55% of respondents say they take a taxi or a ride-hailing service without checking available alternatives. Furthermore, 48% rely on an assistant to make a reservation when they could do it themselves.

The same proportion uses their company car even though other transport modes might be relevant.

Another observed behaviour: 43% of travellers add extra services to their initial booking. For Cegid and Corporate Mobilities, these practices do not necessarily reflect a desire to bypass rules or to spend more.

They would rather be linked to a combination of personal and organizational factors: habits, search for comfort or efficiency, but also rules deemed inappropriate, tools that are not user-friendly, and processes that are too complex.

“While the study reveals a strong willingness to change behavior, a single rule is not sufficient to modify practices. It needs to be accompanied by simple, flexible and comprehensive tools“, notes Laurent Lassure, Product Marketing Manager for Cegid Notilus at Cegid.

Les politiques de mobilité durable plus efficaces que les règles contraignantes

The study also reveals a genuine willingness to change. Depending on the behaviours studied, between 68% and 90% of travellers say they are ready to modify their practices when they are not systematic or regular.

But this evolution depends on the environment provided by the company. The main levers identified are first organizational: rules better adapted to the activity’s constraints (27%), booking tools that are simpler and faster (26%), clearer rules (26%), and streamlined processes (25%). Travellers thus seem to expect more system evolution than a simple injunction to change their habits.

The study also compares the impact of different types of internal policies. Implementing an obligatory travel policy, based on highly structured rules and limited autonomy, improves behaviours, but only moderately.

According to the practices, the gain ranges from 5 to 16 points compared to organizations without a travel policy. In terms of using a taxi or a VTC when other alternatives exist, the improvement would be only 4.5 points.

The introduction of a formalized sustainable mobility policy, however, emerges as the most decisive factor of the study. It improves behaviors by 15 to 38 points depending on the observed practices compared to organizations that do not have one. For the authors, such a policy helps create a framework in which behavioral changes become more natural.

La voiture reste privilégiée par une majorité de voyageurs

The car remains central in professional travel.

More than half of those surveyed prefer their company or personal vehicle, even when other solutions could be relevant.

This raises questions about the alignment between mobility policies and corporate travel policies, as well as the degree of freedom given to employees in choosing their mode of transport.

Le pré-booking, un levier encore largement sous-exploité

The study also examines the different moments along a business trip. It identifies the preparation phase, or “pre-booking,” as one of the main optimization levers. At this stage, the cost of the trip remains largely modifiable, with a “changeability” estimated between 79% and 88%.

During the booking, the cost remains adjustable, but with less leeway, ranging between 68% and 90% depending on the studied behaviours.

Once the trip has started, the cost is largely committed and requires more structural transformations.

After the trip, it becomes visible through expenses and reporting data, but it is then too late to act on costs already incurred.

“It is precisely the pre-booking and its highest changeability on which organisations should focus first in a context where providers predominantly concentrate on the booking phase,” says Jérôme Fouque, cofounder of Corporate Mobilities.

The study thus concludes that action must be taken upstream of the trip. For companies, cost control would therefore not rely solely on stricter travel policies, but also on suitable tools, simplified processes, and a better integration of sustainable mobility considerations.

What If the Annoying Tourist Is You? Habits That Annoy Everyone on Vacation

August 27, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Vacations are supposed to be synonymous with relaxation. “Supposed”, because it takes so little to dull a jovial and invigorating mood. A disruptive neighbor on a sun lounger, a passenger on an airplane or a cruise ship, or an inattentive tourist in a guided tour group. A new Booking.com survey reveals that 84% of travelers say they are annoyed by the behavior of other vacationers, and sometimes even before they reach their destination.

At the airport, stubborn bad habits can try the patience of more than one traveler. Forgetting to prepare their passport or boarding pass, arriving with luggage that is too heavy or too bulky, and slowing down the queues are all small things that irritate.

Barefoot Passengers or Phone Addicts

Although 89% of travelers believe that behavior aboard an airplane should be “like in any other form of public transportation”, one in ten admits to removing their shoes and traveling barefoot during the flight. Some film their neighbors deliberately or unintentionally for social media when they are not attempting a manicure at 10,000 meters above ground. Such freedoms are called out by the respondents. Etiquette rules do not reappear on land, where other frictions arise.

Music, Screams, and Swimsuits at the Restaurant…

Another survey conducted by Tiger, a travel insurance specialist, and reported by the DailyMail, finds that 84% of holidaymakers are bothered by others once they arrive at their destination. Those who make crude remarks in the presence of children, especially by the pool or during a family activity, those who make noise or play music at full volume, those who smoke or vape near others, such as on the beach, those who jostle for sun loungers or umbrellas, or those who stroll around in swimsuits or bare-chested in town or in shops are the ones most singled out.

Even though it may seem minor, listening to or playing music at excessively loud volumes can incur hefty fines in certain destinations, such as Portugal. Far from the crowds spread across the warm sand, visitors also encounter some conflicts with their peers. There, it is mainly noisy, intoxicated individuals or those who stroll with large umbrellas, for example in the narrow streets of Venice, who annoy people the most.

When Flying: These 10 Bad Passenger Habits Annoy French Travelers

July 9, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

On solid ground as well as at altitude, it remains difficult to get everyone to adopt proper manners, as demonstrated by a new Booking.com study, unveiled to the press on Wednesday, July 8. Among the reservation site’s respondents, 61% of the French, drawn from 1,000 adults who had taken an international flight in the past twelve months, feel that some travelers exercise a bit too much leeway in the air.

Far ahead of the traditional squabbles about reclining seats, problematic behaviors linked to social media and personal comfort have become the main sources of cabin tension.

Phones, beauty sessions, barefoot passengers…

The golden emblem for the most annoying gesture, cited by 41% of respondents, goes to travelers who lean over their neighbors or get too close to take a photo or film through the window. Next come being unknowingly featured in videos captured and published on social media by a third party (38%), tied with the bad habit of watching films or listening to music without headphones (38%).

Meals with strong smells or mess brought by other passengers (34%) and those who remain barefoot during the flight (27%) also appear on this worst-of list. French travelers are also irritated by those who film content for social networks or TikTok during the journey (24%), those who do their manicure (polish, cut, or file nails) aboard (17%), or those who pace up and down the aisle to meet their daily step count or fitness goal (16%), who perform a full facial, hair, or beauty routine in public (13%), or who use dental floss in front of everyone (13%).

Des bonnes manières qui se perdent…

Surprisingly, some passengers tend to treat the plane as an extension of their home. Nearly three in ten travelers acknowledge behaving “exactly like at home” once seated on the aircraft. Meanwhile, 85% of those surveyed believe that a plane remains a form of public transport where everyone should respect others. “The French like to think they travel with a certain notion of elegance… In reality, nationality matters less than education: the best manners have no passport, they simply travel in first class… of savoir‑vivre. Take note!, explains Jérémy Côme in Booking.com’s press release.

The etiquette expert reiterates in a guide that the rules of courtesy have not changed: “The cabin is neither a family sofa, nor a gym, nor an annex of one’s bedroom (…) Before every flight, perhaps one should ask oneself just one question: if all 180 passengers behaved exactly like me, would the journey be more pleasant or more burdensome?” Facing these rudenesses, the French still favor dialogue: 42% of them prefer to report it politely, while 19% settle for a disapproving glance or a sigh. All simply wish that airlines strengthen their rules.

Tourism 2026: Decoding Travelers’ New Consumption Habits

June 14, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Le Mastercard Economics Institute a publié son rapport annuel « Travel Trends Report 2026 », Despositsphotos.com, Photo by olegda88

Dream Yacht

Following the strong rebound after the pandemic, the sector has entered a maturity phase.

For its 2026 edition, Mastercard’s annual report (based on macroeconomic analysis of real, aggregated and anonymized transaction data) paints a portrait of a global traveler who is resilient yet highly selective.

In the face of persistent inflation and rising fuel costs that drive higher hotel and airline prices, travelers do not give up on traveling. Instead, they weigh options, compare, and optimize their choices.

“Our data confirm that the travel economy remains resilient. Behaviors are shifting toward a more thoughtful approach, with Europeans placing greater emphasis on value for money, financial affordability, and authentic experiences“, analyzes Natalia Lechmanova, Chief Economist for Europe at the Mastercard Economics Institute.

Read: AirPlus, Kresus and Mastercard tackle corporate indirect spend

Europe remains the queen of the game (with Paris leading the spotlight)

In this global tourism competition, the Old Continent shines brilliantly. Europe maintains its status as the preferred destination for cultural and gastronomic tourism, occupying six of the ten top spots among the world’s most visited destinations.

Despite disruptions in energy supply chains and airspace disturbances forcing carriers to adjust certain routes, optimism prevails for the summer season.

Projections for air capacities from June to September indicate sustained growth compared with the previous year.

In this context, Paris is expected to register the strongest global growth.

Behind the French capital, Amsterdam and Brussels show similar momentum, while Barcelona, Madrid and Frankfurt also benefit from a notable rise in international arrivals.

Spending disparities: each nationality has its priorities

One of the report’s insights concerns analyzing tourist behavior once on the ground. In France, expenditures vary considerably based on visitors’ origins.

Swiss travelers favor retail, notably high-end shopping, making Paris their preferred destination. The British and the Dutch, meanwhile, clearly dedicate their budgets to gastronomy, emphasizing dining and haute cuisine.

The Germans adopt a more pragmatic approach, allocate a significant portion of their spending to everyday grocery purchases.

In Spain, the situation is radically different: nightlife occupies a prominent place. Consequently, British tourists spend on average 32% more than other nationalities in clubs and nightlife venues.

The eco-responsible boom: train travel (luxury) on the right rails

The second major trend highlighted in the 2026 edition is the dramatic rise in travel spending related to rail journeys between 2022 and 2025.

Supported by Europe’s strategy for sustainable mobility, which aims to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030, rail travel is no longer just a zero-emission transport option: it is becoming a true immersive experience.

Some nationalities stand out in this dynamic. Spanish travelers now allocate 2.7% of their travel budget to rail (versus 1.8% in 2022), followed closely by the Dutch (2.2%), as well as Belgians and the British (2.1%).

Beyond the conventional network, it is the luxury rail travel segment that is experiencing exceptional growth. Today it accounts for nearly 20% of global rail tourism expenditures. This premium market, particularly buoyant, especially appeals to Italian travelers, who alone dedicate half (50%) of their rail budget to these exceptional rail cruises.