Our lifestyles are usually defined by how we take care of our bodies and minds, the places we visit in our free time, the foods we choose to eat, and the clothes we wear. Having said that, let us look into four lifestyle trends in health, travel, dining, and fashion.
Health: Focus on the Mind
In the past few years, countless studies have been released on the importance of mental health. As general practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other experts in the field learn more about the complexities of the human brain, we are slowly beginning to understand and better deal with issues of the mind. Examples include cognitive behavior and other therapies to handle ailments such as generalized anxiety, specific phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, depression, problematic anger, and family or relationship problems.
In the 21st century, these matters are no longer being shunned upon by families, educators, and society itself but rather, there is a growing sense of understanding and the openness to discuss them without judgment. As such, people of all ages, genders, creeds, or nationalities are taking the necessary steps to effectively cope with their feelings and have better, more productive lives.
Travel: Personalization and Convenience
We all have different tastes and like to do different things. Whether it is the clothes we wear, the foods we eat, or the places we visit, some people prefer item A to item B whereas, for others, it is the exact opposite or something somewhere in between. While this may sound like common sense, it is only until now that those in the hospitality and travel industries are taking note. Still, change takes time, and as they say, better late than never.
Today, the hotels, hostels, resorts, and other businesses involved in providing us with better, more rewarding travel experiences are doing what is necessary to make sure they are unique and specific to what each one of us individuals wants. Not only that, but search engines like Google and social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are making use of algorithms in consumer behavior technology to recommend worthwhile experiences based on our browsing habits, location, purchasing patterns, financial resources, and even language and cultural background.
Dining: Local and Sustainable
Have you ever wondered where the meat inside the Big Mac at your local McDonald’s comes from? What about the oranges in your juice or the lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes in your salad? Are they grown locally or imported from countries far away? And whether it is one or the other, are the businesses involved taking the necessary precautions to guarantee food safety and the appropriate working conditions for farmers?
Perhaps the vast majority of us will answer with a resounding NO to these and other similar questions. After all, when we go out to eat with our colleagues, friends, and family members, our priority is to have a good time with the people we love and enjoy a delicious meal. Still, if we dig a little deeper, we will soon realize that day by day, we are moving further along into a process some would describe as the democratization of food. For food producers and distributors alike, issues like sustainability, organic ingredients, and fair trade are quickly becoming essential to corporate prosperity.
Fashion: To Each Their Own
In simple terms, a kilt is a knee-length dress skirt worn by Gaelic men and boys in the Scottish Highlands. In most cases, they are worn at formal occasions such as birthdays, religious events, and weddings though some Scottish and Irish nationals use them daily. Nevertheless, you will be hard-pressed to find a Japanese, South African, Argentinian, Turkish, Indonesian, or American man wearing one of these items of clothing while running errands or buying groceries. Aside from being a culturally specific garment, it is not common for men in most countries to wear things oftentimes linked to women, at least not until very recently.
Yet, as is common in most aspects of life, trends come and go and what is deemed unacceptable at certain moments in time suddenly becomes chic and up-to-date. In this day and age, one of them is genderless fashion, the growing belief that no matter if you are a man or woman, you can wear whatever it is that makes you feel comfortable, confident, and happy.
As we have seen, there are four clear lifestyle trends in health, travel, dining, and fashion. In terms of health, mental well-being is at the forefront while the travel industry focuses on the personalization of its services and providing better convenience to its clientele. As for dining, it is all about sustainability, food safety, and fairness. Finally, fashion is now more open-minded, flexible, and inclusive than ever before.
