PERSONALISED genealogy tours, Titanic centenary cruises, camping in British backyards and using Facebook to choose congenial seat-mates for long-haul flights are some of the hot travel trends tipped for 2012.
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Marketing communications company J Walter Thompson is predicting a techno-revolution will see travellers use social media to ''hand-pick desirable seating arrangements'' on their flights.
International booking company Ticketmaster is already testing interactive seat maps for concert and sporting venues, linking them to Facebook and allowing customers to check where friends are sitting.
According to JWT's trend forecast, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is planning a similar initiative, ''giving flyers the chance to choose seat-mates based on social media profiles''.
JWT predicts one of the biggest emerging tech-trends will be smartphone apps that break through the language barrier by translating conversations.
An app called Vocre can translate what each speaker is saying, almost in real time and in nine languages.
There is already a popular app that translates Arabic. Airlines will begin rewarding frequent business flyers with electronic loyalty cards programmed to function as boarding passes that can be updated for each flight and used at automatic check-in kiosks.
And with older, single women one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative tourism demographics, expect to see women-only floors in luxury hotels and less stress around dining out solo.
Baby boomer blokes should not feel left out, as taking part in military re-enactments is emerging as an offshoot of the booming global genealogy tourism market. Dozens of websites are popping up recruiting volunteers for next year's epic battle re-enactments.
Not only can people visit the American Civil War or Crimean battlefields to see where their ancestors fought, they can also dress the part and join the right regiments.
London is set for a tourism boom with the 2012 Olympics - and an enterprising bunch of Britons have responded by creating ''the world's first garden camping community'', to offer budget backyard accommodation for sports fans.
''Campinmygarden.com is the first and only website advertising private gardens as micro-campsites; providing accessible, affordable and fun alternatives to traditional accommodation around the world,'' the website says.
Ireland will reap the rewards of global Titanic nostalgia, with the 100th anniversary of the luxury liner's sinking on April 15 next year.
There are memorial cruises from Cork - the ship's last port of call - and the opening of ''the world's largest Titanic visitor experience'' in Belfast.
Expect lots of merchandising, as well as mini-cruises and flights over the area where the ship went down. Another emerging trend is customised tour planning, with website start-ups helping travellers develop individual itineraries by combing an eclectic mix of small-scale boutique tours and personal guides.
And genealogy trips are a huge trend, with companies offering bespoke tours to help clients trace their heritage.
Australian history tour company Unlock The Past recently announced plans for a bus tour, with military history experts, for anyone interested in the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin in World War II.
It sold out and a second tour is being planned.
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