travel Trends \ A look ahead to 2009

NEW YORK (AP) — Here are some of the latest travel trends.

TRAINS, PLANES, AUTOMOBILES AND BUSES

Amtrak and bus ridership surged in 2008, but the number of miles driven by Americans and the number of air passengers declined.

INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS

According to the Department of Commerce Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, 10 most-visited destinations by U.S. residents flying abroad in 2007 (latest year for which complete statistics were available): Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, Jamaica, People’s Republic of China and Spain. For the first eight months of 2008 compared with same period in 2007, travel by Americans abroad was down 4.8 percent to Europe; up 4.4 percent to the Caribbean; up 3.7 percent to South America, up 5 percent to Mexico and down 5 percent to Canada.

TOP 10 DESTINATIONS FOR SPRING BREAK

Based on advance Travelocity.com bookings for Feb. 9-April 20, 2009: Orlando; South Florida (West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami); Las Vegas; Fort Meyers, Fla.; Denver; Phoenix; Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.; Cancun; Los Angeles and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

TOP 10 DESTINATIONS FOR 2009

As chosen by the publisher Lonely Planet’s U.S. staff: U.S., Mexico, Argentina, Canada, Spain, Italy, Costa Rica, Iceland, Colombia and the United Kingdom.

TOP TRAVEL TRENDS FOR 2009

Predictions from ad agency JWT (formerly J. Walter Thompson): Presidential sightseeing (Obama’s Chicago, Washington for the inauguration, Lincoln bicentennial); inconspicuous travel, where tourists try to blend in; unconventional lodging, such as home swaps or staying in a monastery; pod hotels, which offer tiny and cheap but high-tech, stylish rooms; personalized travel guides, like the customized books offered by OffbeatGuides.com; irresistible deals, like Disney’s free admission on your birthday offer; and “glamping,” or glamorous camping, where a tour company provides comfy bedding and nice meals so you don’t have to rough it while experiencing remote or wild places.

TOP TOUR DESTINATIONS

According to an annual survey of 50 member tour companies by the U.S. Tour Operators Association, Italy ranked as the top international destination for packaged travel. Egypt was second, the first time the country has shown up in that category for the survey, and Latin America, for the first time, was named most popular international region. The most popular U.S. region for packaged travel was the West and the national parks, followed by Alaska and Vegas. China was named as offering the best value, and the Middle East was chosen as the hottest up-and-coming area.