Dan and three golfing buddies played the Pebble Beach courses on his 50th birthday. In honor of their golden anniversary, Jerry and Charlotte took a group of 20 family members on an Alaskan cruise. Lauren and her girlfriends created their own 25th-year class reunion with a New York City shopping trip. They are not alone, as more than 70% of leisure travelers took a milestone vacation with friends and family over the past 12 months, according to The Ypartnership/Harrison Group's Portrait of America Travelers.

If anybody is looking for New Year's predictions, forget it. Things are changing too quickly and unpredictably. However, it's a good time to think about how some of this year's trends might have an impact on 2012.

Scavenger hunts are part of a growing trend to gamify the travel experience.

Welcome to December, that time of year when holidays, gift giving, and personal reflection combine to create the perfect storm of wish-making around the globe. This being the wishing season, I thought it only appropriate that I reach out to some of my road warrior/author friends to see what travel-related wishes they might have for 2012.

Remember Michael J. Fox in the 1990 movie "For Love Or Money?" Doug, a Manhattan hotel concierge, procured gifts, exchanged tickets and surprised guests with his care and knowledge of what they needed without them even realizing it. Today, Doug's services are in great demand in tourism marketing because anticipating and providing what consumers want before they ask for it has become expected. It makes the difference between a purchase and a "no sale" in this competitive marketplace.

A couple of examples emerged recently from mid-rate hotel companies. One involved Fairfield Inns & Suites (FIS), Marriott's mid-rate product. About to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012, Fairfield Inn & Suites was looking for a way to build awareness of its brand attributes (e.g., free WiFi, free breakfast, 670+ distribution, Marriott endorsement) to position this Marriott brand as the lodging choice for Boomer parents.

Of all our holidays in the U.S., I'd have to say that Thanksgiving is my favorite. Yes, it's a time for family and friends to gather, share stories, and create new memories together. But it is also a time for reflection-something we don't indulge in nearly enough thanks to our fast-paced, smartphoned, 140 character world.

The future of travel is about giving customers a better view of the world.

As my iPhone morphs with every new iOS release into something more closely resembling a tricorder from "Star Trek" than a cell phone, I can't shake the voice of Captain Kirk ringing in my ears.

Are your ears burning? They should be, because your colleagues have been dishing about you and perhaps not in the best way. At the recent Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference, I was privy to conversations with enthusiastic resort and travel destination sustainability officers wondering how to convince their company's old school marketing managers to embrace the not-so-new green world.