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Nine Inspiring Travel Trends For 2015 That Will Make Your Friends Jealous

Underwater dining, Rolls-Royce escorts and climbing volcanoes. Butlins this ain't.

The latest report by Travel Intelligence on Brits abroad says they’ve “been there, done that” and are looking for “new and exceptional experiences”.

Too right. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of top travel experiences in 2015 guaranteed to make your friends drool.

1 Sleep and eat underwater in Dubai

Ithaa restaurant, Rangali Island, Maldives
Ithaa restaurant, Rangali Island, Maldives



Holidays beneath the big blue is where it’s at according to a Future of Travel report by Skyscanner. If you’ve travelled the globe, the next big place on earth to discover are the unexplored oceans.

Underwater hotel rooms, spas and restaurants are likely to grow quicker than space tourism, they predict, and leading the way is new The Water Discus Hotel in Dubai, set to open in 2015. The whole thing will be nine metres below sea level and guests who choose to venture outside will have to do so in diving gear! If you want to have an underwater hotel experience now, book a Neptune or Poseidon suite at the Atlantis Hotel at The Palm in Dubai, which has glass walls looking into a giant aquarium, or go for dinner at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island’s Ithaa restaurant.

2 Check into a boat-el in the UK

Sunborn boatel, London
Sunborn boatel, London



Floating hotels are hot right now. Sunborn opened London’s first floating hotel this month, which is moored at the Royal Victoria Docks and has 136 suites over five decks, plus bars, a sky lounge, Elemis spa and terrace for private events with a glittering Canary Wharf backdrop (From £160 per night).

Scotland also has its first floating hotel, with the opening of The Four Sisters Boatel a four-star self-catering vessel in the heart of Edinburgh. Get on board.

3 Stay in a snow pod in Switzerland

Whitepod, Swiss Alps
Whitepod, Swiss Alps



Ski and snowboard specialist Alpine Guru predicts a growing trend of skiers seeking accommodation that connects with the environment, like Whitepod, a resort in the Swiss Alps made up of 15 space age shacks, officially known as geodesic pods.

Look a bit chilly? Apparently they keep cosy with wood-burning stoves, plus there’s a central with bar and restaurant. However, luxe snow specialists Summit Retreat report a demand forever more luxurious chalets that are about waaaay more than just about being on the slopes. This season they’re offering a chalet in Val d’Isere with a climbing wall, archery range, swimming pool while Chalet Le Petit Palais in Courcehval 1850 has its own nightclub, cinema room and casino!

4 Climb a volcano in Costa Rica

Arenal volcano, Costa Rica
Arenal volcano, Costa Rica



Adventure lover’s playground Costa Rica is top of many people’s bucket list. Its active volcano, Arenal, is now in a ‘resting stage’ after 50 years of eruptions, so now’s the time to visit. In addition, visitors can take a trip to Monteverde, a cloud forest where there’s the chance to walk across six bridges, spotting toucans, snakes and rare orchids, before hitching a lift on a 1km zip-line.

Thomson Holidays and First Choice have just announced they're launching a Costa Rica long-haul programme for winter 2015, with a weekly flight from Gatwick.

5 Snorkel in a marine park off Mozambique

Anantara Medjumbe Island, Mozambique
Anantara Medjumbe Island, Mozambique



Getting off the tourist track is a must for many and the new Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort & Spa in the Quirimbas Archipelago off Mozambique’s north coast is so remote there isn’t even a track – you reach it via a 45-minute seaplane ride from the mainland.

There are just 12 thatched villas with a plunge pool and hammock, and a small restaurant serving up local dishes. The white sand beach is lapped by the waters of the Quirimbas National Park, a sanctuary where you can snorkle with sea turtles, dolphins and whales.

6 Rolls-Royce transfer in Paris

The Peninsula, Paris
The Peninsula, Paris



Recently opened five-star Peninsula Hotel in Paris is offering guests use of its Rolls-Royce Phantom (or customized MINI Cooper), which certainly beats a taxi from Charles de Galle. Not to be out done, the newly opened Exhibitionist Hotel in London is also setting new heights of service in the city, from guests being able to customize the scent of their room to being given a bespoke iPad at check in as well as access to a private Rolls Royce The luxury suites come with Jacuzzi plunge pools and even outdoor cinemas.

7 Cruise down the Mekong Delta in Vietnam

Aqua Mekong, Vietnam
Aqua Mekong, Vietnam



This is going to be B. I. G in 2015; new five-star boat, the Aqua Mekong will glide down the mighty Mekong River from Vietnam into Cambodia carrying just 40 guests. Made from locally-sourced materials, the luxe liner provides access to remote part of the world where guests can get a glimpse from the observation deck of flooded emerald forests, bamboo stilt villages, remote Buddhist monasteries and pagoda temples, only accessible by boat.

8 Zip-line through a nature reserve in Nicaragua

Jicaro Island Ecolodge, Nicaragua
Jicaro Island Ecolodge, Nicaragua



A stay a Jicaro Island Ecolodge, a new getaway on a tiny islet off the shores of the colonial town of Granada, will cause major Instagram envy. Its nine casitas (small houses) are hand-built from reclaimed timber and overlook Lake Nicaragua and the Mombacho Volcano. And there lots of fun things to do in the surrounding area, from kayaking along lily-lined canals to, most exciting of all, zip-lining through the canopy of the Mombacho Nature Reserve.

9 See the northern lights up close in Iceland

Hotel Ranga, Iceland
Hotel Ranga, Iceland



Iceland’s luxurious Hotel Ranga is one of the best places on the planet to see the northern lights, so its new observatory is a bonus. With a roll-off roof and two computerised powerful telescopes, you and up to 30 other guests can see Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and Mars at night, and plasma clouds by day. And of course the northern lights will be on display, all expertly explained by a lecture from stargazing expert Saevar Helgi.

With volcanoes, glaciers, hot springs and waterfalls on your doorstep, this is a great holiday option for adventurers. Closer to home, the five luxury barns for hire at Kernock Cottages in Cornwall are situated between Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, where there’s very little light pollution, and have been stocked with Celestron Astromaster reflector telescope plus planispheres and stargazing guides.