Matthew Von Ertfelda

I live in D.C., let’s admit it – not a city strongly associated with style and fashion.

So when I was recently in Los Angeles and happened by a barber shop that turned my head, I had to go in. Inside there were a half dozen tattooed, well-coiffed barbers, each sporting impeccable beards and intensely focused on their work. The space had cracked concrete floors, an exposed ceiling, antique barber chairs, canned craft beers, a pool table and great music. It took only a few minutes of conversation with the owner – a scrappy entrepreneur in a cool black bowler hat - before I decided to sit down and wait for a haircut I really didn’t need.

I was there for the experience.

It was the perfect example of what people want when they travel. An authentic moment they can’t get at home. Something that makes them feel connected, and a little better for being there.

It’s just what the Skift Manifesto – The Future of Travel in 2020 – was about. I am particularly keen on the section covering the “Millennial Mindset Modern Traveler,” and the statement: “The psyche of millennials maps perfectly onto what the modern travelers want from travel products.”

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