Dan Peltier

Travel rewards points redemptions in the U.S. are up sharply this year as several brands focus on rewarding and retaining their elite customers. Hotel loyalty program redemptions in particular have shown bold increases as these programs add millions of new members per year.

Many travelers, particularly wealthy ones, will always look to dine in the most exclusive restaurants any destination offers. Restaurant dining, however, is just one of a variety of food experiences travelers are looking for and mobile dining reservations apps should consider this as they expand.

These are the newest travel startups from AngelList vying for travelers’ interest and investors’ attention.

Rich travelers, or those with multi-million annual incomes and assets, are getting richer and they're also getting more loyal and becoming stronger advocates for hotels. They also expect value from loyalty programs like every other kind of traveler and choose programs accordingly.

Artificial intelligence and messaging are the trends of the day that many startup accelerator programs are interested in but there is also plenty of opportunity for aviation-oriented startups, in particular, to swoop in and command the attention they deserve -- and airlines desperately need their help.

These are the newest travel startups from AngelList vying for travelers’ interest and investors’ attention.

Maps are more important than ever as location-aware travel technology depends on them and travelers around the world venture into newer and more localized places that aren’t always familiar tour stops.

Cruise lines in Europe are at somewhat of a crossroads, with a major brand like Norwegian saying its European cruise bookings are down and Carnival's CEO arguing Brexit could give UK cruising an edge. With more cruise lines shifting focus to China it will be interesting to watch if a European cruise site can continue commanding investor attention over others in China, for example.

These are the newest travel startups from AngelList vying for travelers’ interest and investors’ attention.

These are the newest travel startups from AngelList vying for travelers’ interest and investors’ attention.