Ann Gabrielle Domingo is a junior cultural desk researcher at Canvas8. She graduated with a degree in Communication from Ateneo de Manila University, where she took up journalism and advertising tracks while dabbling in social sciences classes. Passionate about tracking Asia’s cultural shifts, she’s also written for the likes of 

. She enjoys downtime with her Kindle, curating alternative music playlists, or discovering new hangout spots in Metro Manila.

When author Kyle Chayka explored 2010s minimalism in Longing for Less, a very different world existed. Today, a polycrisis-ridden and digitally saturated society finds people yearning for more. Whether you chalk it up to post-pandemic release or a general sense of impending doom, people are now looking for a new maximalism of feelings, dimensions, and possibilities to reinvigorate them and make their lives feel full.

While people are craving memorable, visceral, and immersive experiences, there's no longer a singular definition of what this might look like. Some are embracing maximalist hedonism through clubbing, extreme tourism, and different kinds of sensory overload, while others are tapping into more gentle, inward-looking, and contemplative experiences like listening bars and communal spas. It signals the emergence of the' Introvert Economy' of cosy, home-adjacent spaces and activities or seeking soothing and quasi-spiritual encounters through hobbies like birdwatching and forest bathing.

The desire for deeply captivating and emotionally engaging experiences extends beyond the physical world – social media, VR, AR, and even image-based interactions must now resonate to the same degree, creating truly memorable moments and environments.

In this consumer and cultural universe driven by exploration and immersion, the boundary between experiences and material goods continues to blur. We're less likely to see them as a dichotomy, as people are increasingly interested in experiential qualities of things and consuming commodified 'thing-like experiences'. This discovery-oriented mindset is opening up new avenues for fulfilment, gratification, and transformation.

Experience Hunters

Grant McCarthy has international experience with global brands, including Nuitee, CarTrawler, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, and Expedia. He's a customer-oriented loyalty expert who offers a combination of strategic insight and commercial expertise. He assists brands in understanding the future of airlines, business travel, travel and leisure trends, and how to deploy personalisation and gamification to acquire, retain, and activate loyal customers.

United States

Travel and Leisure

Pew Research Center

Bank of America

The Wall Street Journal

NerdWallet

PhocusWire

Forbes

Skift

CNBC

The Motley Fool

Interview with Grant McCarthy conducted by Canvas8

Glamour

Vox Media

Thrillist

YR Media

Business News This Week

JPMorgan Chase has ventured into the travel sector with Chase Travel, helping aspiring luxury travelers streamline the planning process and get extra value from their everyday spending. With Gen Zers and Yers eager to go on once-in-a-lifetime trips, it’s making experiential desires more attainable.