Experiential travel is one of the biggest trends in the travel and tourism industry. This type of tourism is often viewed as ‘good’, frequently overlapping with niche tourism and sustainable tourism. But what actually is experiential travel and why is it growing? This article explains.
What is experiential travel?
Put simply, experiential travel is travel that focuses on experiences first. It is a world away from spending a week lying on a beach or around a pool – although there is of course nothing wrong with relaxing holidays like this. Experiential travel is also known as immersion travel. This is because people (tourists) are fully immersing themselves in a particular culture or a certain place – whether that be a specific site or a general country.
When travelling in this way, tourists will actively seek out and engage in things that make the place what it is. This includes eating local food, learning about the history of a place, speaking to the people who live there and so on. Experiential travel is very often transformative for people.
Video: What is experiential travel?
Where did experiential travel come from?
Nobody invented experiential travel. For centuries, people have been travelling from their hometown to another place, and taking the time to engage with and learn about that destination. However, the concept does have a name now. Experiential travel has been likened to the concept of experiential education (discussed in this article on educational tourism), which was first discussed by John Dewey in his 1938 book Experience and Education.
Dewey was an educator and philosopher. Study.com says, “John Dewey is probably most famous for his role in what is called progressive education. Progressive education is essentially a view of education that emphasizes the need to learn by doing. Dewey believed that human beings learn through a ‘hands-on’ approach. This places Dewey in the educational philosophy of pragmatism.
Pragmatists believe that reality must be experienced. From Dewey’s educational point of view, this means that students must interact with their environment in order to adapt and learn. Dewey felt the same idea was true for teachers and that teachers and students must learn together. His view of the classroom was deeply rooted in democratic ideals, which promoted equal voice among all participants in the learning experience.”
Experiential travel is a similar idea- learning by doing, but while travelling. The term is often said to have first appeared in 1985, in John Gattorna’s book Insights in Strategic Retail Management, where it was described as travel “where the destination is not as important as the experience which can be had there”.
Why is experiential travel on the rise?
People are looking more and more towards ‘doing’ things while travelling, rather than spending time just switching off and relaxing. But why is this? There are many reasons, including wanting to gain new knowledge and also recreate experiences seen in films, on TV and on social media or blogs. But overall, there is an evident movement by consumers away from the traditional sun, sea and sand holiday model towards more unusual and immersive forms of travel.
And people don’t just want to have an immersive experience, they want to share it with the world too! A 2017 survey by UK holiday home insurance provider Schofields found that 40.1% of ‘millennials’ considered whether or not a place is Instagrammable as their top priority when choosing and booking holiday destinations. People like to post stories and images that make them stand out from the rest of the crowd. Be that their friends, fans or just general social media followers!
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the desire to travel and *do something* has grown even stronger, with many travellers prioritising memorable experiences over material things. The industry has responded: online marketplaces for tours and activities, such as GetYourGuide and Viator, have grown rapidly, and in 2025 Airbnb relaunched its ‘Experiences’ offering as a major part of its app. Social media trends, such as travel inspired by TV shows, films and concerts, also drive demand for experiences.
How is experiential travel marketed?
Experiential travel is rarely given this title when it is being sold. It is repackaged and relabelled, often called ‘adventure travel’ or ‘experience travel’. Scott Dunn, a luxury travel brand, is one company that does market this type of travel as being experiential. They describe it as being ‘immersive, adventurous and authentic. A journey that gets you beneath the skin of a culture to experience life as a local. That could mean thrifting with a fashion designer in Milan or dining with a food blogger in Cape Town. In a work hard, play hard world, we design trips that challenge your perspective to encourage you to rethink your relationship with people and places’.
Experience Travel Group, which offers experiential travel throughout destinations across Asia, describes it as ‘boutique holidays for curious travellers’. Adventure tour operators such as Exodus also sell what is essentially experiential travel. They say “there’s something about the feeling of visiting a new country, culture or environment – whether that’s a mountain range, desert or jungle – that just can’t be beaten”.
Many trips that are marketed as adventures, tours or ‘experiences’ are forms of experiential travel. Essentially, any trip that goes beyond lying on a sunbed and enjoying the buffet can include an element of experiential travel.
Examples of experiential travel
Because the term experiential travel is broad, it naturally encompasses many different types of tourism and holidays that come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. A tourist might achieve an immersive experience by staying in a homestay and getting to know the local people and culture or they might choose to donate their time by taking a volunteer tourism trip. Travelling to places that are off the beaten path, such as Inner Mongolia or the Chinese Silk Road can also offer a more immersive experience.
Other examples of experiential travel include climbing a mountain such as Mount Toubkal in Morocco, learning to dive in Dahab, Egypt, or taking a road trip through Canada. However, visiting these places doesn’t automatically make a trip ‘experiential’. It’s all about getting beneath the surface- for example, taking a cooking class or food tour on a city break rather than only visiting the most famous restaurants, or asking local people for recommendations.
How to make your trip more experiential
Experiential travel is about immersion. There are many ways for travellers to immerse themselves in the local culture and way of life, including:
- Book a homestay or use a housesitting app – find out more about homestays here!
- Take a walking tour led by a local
- Book a cooking class making local dishes
- Eat at independent restaurants
- Join in with a community-improvement activity such as a beach clean up
- Experience local entertainment like a gig, football game or theatre show
- Speak to as many people as you can
- Use local/independent taxi firms rather than Uber
- Do some volunteer work
- Stay in the destination for an extended length of time e.g. through slow tourism
- Get off the beaten path
Why is experiential travel a good way to see the world?
Experiential travel can broaden horizons and teach travellers new things: they might learn a language, pick up new recipes or learn about the history of a culture they knew little about. Seeing how other people live can change a person’s perspective and help to break down stereotypes about a community, a place or a group of people.
Experiential travel can also benefit local communities. Eating at a small, family-run restaurant rather than an international chain, for example, means that more of the money spent by tourists stays with local people, reducing economic leakage in tourism. Experiences such as cooking classes, craft workshops and community-run tours can also give local people an income from their culture and skills. However, experiential travel must be done respectfully- some ‘immersive’ experiences, such as visits to the so-called long neck tribe in Thailand, have been criticised for exploiting the people involved.
Experiential travel: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about experiential travel.
What is experiential travel?
Experiential travel, also known as immersion travel, is a type of travel that focuses on experiencing a destination through its culture, people, food and history, rather than simply sightseeing or relaxing. Examples include cooking classes, homestays, local-led walking tours and volunteering.
What is an example of experiential travel?
Examples of experiential travel include staying with a local family in a homestay, taking a cooking class in Thailand, joining a food tour in Rome, learning to dive in Egypt, trekking with a local guide or volunteering on a conservation project.
Why is experiential travel growing in popularity?
Experiential travel is growing because many travellers want meaningful, authentic experiences and new knowledge rather than traditional sun-and-sea holidays. Social media, a desire for personal growth and the boost in travel demand after the COVID-19 pandemic have all contributed.
What is the difference between experiential travel and adventure travel?
Adventure travel usually involves physical activity and an element of risk, such as trekking or rafting. Experiential travel is broader and focuses on immersion in the local culture- it can include adventure, but also food, crafts, music, volunteering and meeting local people.
Who first used the term experiential travel?
The term experiential travel is often said to have first appeared in John Gattorna’s 1985 book Insights in Strategic Retail Management. The idea draws on John Dewey’s theory of experiential education, set out in his 1938 book Experience and Education.
Further reading
Recommended books on this topic:
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