Looking back at 2018
Written byThis year, people around the world took Uber to get where they needed to go. Whether it was to the big game with friends, to the chapel to tie the knot, or to see your favorite artist in concert, we hope you enjoyed the ride.
To celebrate our riders, drivers and eaters in 2018, we are looking back at how we used Uber this year.
From the Empire State Building to the Sydney Opera House, we saw just how much Uber riders love to travel. In fact, one jetsetter took Uber rides in 126 cities this year alone! Here are the most popular travel destinations of 2018:
- Empire State Building
- Freedom Tower
- CN Tower
- Arc de Triomphe
- Eiffel Tower
- Burj Khalifa
- Buckingham Palace
- Disneyland
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Sydney Opera House
- The Blue Mosque
- Berlin Wall
- The Vatican
- Christ the Redeemer
- Great Pyramid of Giza
The three countries that clocked the most mileage were the U.S., Brazil, and India – but people didn’t stick to traditional rides. We saw more than 4.1 million miles ridden on JUMP bikes and scooters.
We also took a look at the most popular Eats orders, and we’re making some predictions for next year’s food trends. The power couple toast and avocado reigned supreme, with the highly ‘grammable “goth food” trend close behind. Classic favorites like tacos and wings were still at the top of your list, while poké and sushi also made strong appearances.
The 20 trendiest foods of 2018 were:
- Toast
- Avocado
- Goth food
- Cucumber
- Wings
- Tofu
- Soup
- Celery
- Tuna
- Tacos
- Salmon
- Coconut
- Brown Rice
- Hummus
- Kale
- Seaweed
- Poké
- Sushi
- Sriracha
- Acai
We also took a look at foods that are popping up more frequently in Eats orders, and uncovered a few rising food trends for 2019:
- Clean Eating, Delivered: People aren’t just ordering in Chinese food and pizza anymore. As wellness gets more and more popular, we’ve seen a spike in searches for clean eating staples from meat-alternatives like tofu and seitan, to plant-based foods like bee pollen and edible flowers.
- Fermented Foods: From kimchi to kombucha, more and more people are hopping on the fermented food trend.
- Got Milk? Alternative milk options continue to climb the ranks, with pea milk rising to the top.
Here are the top 20 foods we’re anticipating will be hot in 2019:
- Plant-based foods
- Smoothie bowls
- Pea milk
- Seitan
- Rolled ice cream
- Manaeesh
- Heme
- Keto
- Bulgur
- Pumpkin
- Farro
- Turmeric
- Tofu
- Chia
- Chulpe corn
- Honey
- Vegan
- Quinoa
- Agave
- Bee pollen
And in contrast to those rising in popularity, the following orders might be considered a little “last year” in 2019:
- Brussel sprouts
- Unicorn / rainbow foods
- Aloe vera
- Dragonfruit
- Seaweed
- Acai
- Avocado
- Sushirito
- Millennial pink foods
- Matcha
Thank you for riding, driving and eating with us this year – we can’t wait to be a part of your 2019.