What’s the future of RTW travel in this economy?

I don’t know about you, but every time I talk to friends these days they’re all doom and gloom about how the economy is going to make people stop traveling, and they wonder if I’m going to need to update my resume anytime soon. Personally, I’m optimistic about the long-term outlook for travelers – but that’s because the travelers I’m talking about are the ones for whom budget travel has always been the M.O., and for whom traveling on a shoestring is a way of life. Those folks, I’m convinced, are still going to be traveling.

But what about people who, up until a few months ago, were all excited about taking a RTW trip? Is that kind of travel going to be harder during rough economic times, or is the economic downturn just another excuse to hit the road? Will folks have to postpone long-term trips for a bit to save up more money? BootsnAll member Astrochimp wonders how much longer people think that relatively easy and cheap travel be possible for the people who want to take RTW trips.

I’ve spent over a year saving up for my late 2009 trip and though I try to stay positive, lately I must confess to having some doubts. We’ve got the US economy melting down, and the dollar set to inflate to record levels, which will take those currencies pegged to it down as well. Then there’s oil getting more expensive all the time, and airlines going bankrupt on my left and on my right.

And it’s not just the economy that has Astrochimp thinking the worst – one thing leads to another, and now he’s all concerned about “climate change, terrorism, and food shortages” as well. What he wants to know is, “Is RTW travel still going to be around in a few years? Is this the twilight of easy global traveling, or will the industry adapt to the changing world climate?”

What do you think? You can answer the survey and then leave your two cents (if you’ve got ’em to spare) in this thread on the BootsnAll boards.