28 Jan 2022’s Travel Trends Will Bring Us Back to Nature. Again.
Posted at 15:07h
in Our planet
Two years have gone since pandemic policies have hijacked our travel plans – but no longer. Looking at the forecasted trends of 2022, this year promises the great comeback of our travel spirit. More than before, we’re looking for peace of mind traveling – which is why nature will likely be big in 2022.
As usual for this time of year, the industry’s top dogs and forecasters have put out their antennae to discover the new year’s travel trends. Their reports are insightful, with Google seeing a rise in ‘life moments’ and Expedia calling ‘22 the year of the GOAT mindset. If anything, their data show that travelers are looking to have meaningful experiences after their lives were put on hold since the start of the pandemic.
From revenge travel to conscious traveling
Of the 24,000 travelers polled by Booking.com, 63% feel like they need to make up for lost vacation time compared to 42% in 2021. So how do you make up for two lost years?
An often mentioned travel trend that emerged last year and will keep growing throughout 2022 is ‘revenge travel’. For three in four of the 800 French travelers interviewed by SiteMinder, the inability to travel fueled an urge to indulge on their next holiday and a willingness to spend at least the same amount (43% or respondents) or more (33%). But the data show there’s more to revenge travel than mindless consumerism.
In fact, revenge travel is about making up for lost time the best way you can. For many, that increasingly involves reconsidering what traveling means to them––and planning their travels more consciously in 2022.
This mindful mindset can change the way we travel in many positive ways. Google sees environmental consciousness play a bigger role in travel decisions. Carbon footprint is an important factor for the travel plans of 50% of travelers. And half of the travelers that booked accommodation or a flight for a life moment said to pick sustainable brands for their travels.
An often mentioned travel trend that emerged last year and will keep growing throughout 2022 is ‘revenge travel’. For three in four of the 800 French travelers interviewed by SiteMinder, the inability to travel fueled an urge to indulge on their next holiday and a willingness to spend at least the same amount (43% or respondents) or more (33%). But the data show there’s more to revenge travel than mindless consumerism.
In fact, revenge travel is about making up for lost time the best way you can. For many, that increasingly involves reconsidering what traveling means to them––and planning their travels more consciously in 2022.
This mindful mindset can change the way we travel in many positive ways. Google sees environmental consciousness play a bigger role in travel decisions. Carbon footprint is an important factor for the travel plans of 50% of travelers. And half of the travelers that booked accommodation or a flight for a life moment said to pick sustainable brands for their travels.
For 58% of respondents at Booking.com, making conscious decisions in ‘22 means spending their money at local communities and businesses they want to see flourish in these economically uncertain times. For the Australian travelers interviewed by G Adventures, that number is 68%.
Emerging travel trend: traveling to improve our wellbeing
These Aussies also said they want time off from their digital devices and social media, and nearly 2/3 say their physical and mental wellbeing is a top priority for their next trip. Expedia’s 12,000 respondents from 12 countries responded similarly, albeit in smaller numbers, with a quarter planning to spend less time on their devices and over a third to focus on mental wellbeing.
It seems we have some healing to do. The media overwhelmingly report a need for travelers to reconnect, both physically and mentally. It’s both telling and unsurprising, then, that wellness travel is bound for a big boom that sees it overtake the global travel demand. But what exactly is wellness travel?
Wellness travel or tourism is defined as travel for the purpose of promoting health and wellbeing through physical, psychological, or spiritual activities. In other words, It’s taking care of your inner and outer self. That includes anything from spas and springs, to cultural immersions and nature retreats.
But labelling certain types of travel as wellness tourism seems a bit arbitrary. After all, mindful traveling does exactly what wellness travel aims at––improving our wellbeing. Over at booking.com, a whopping 79% of travelers believe travel helps their mental and emotional wellbeing more than any other form of selfcare.
It seems we have some healing to do. The media overwhelmingly report a need for travelers to reconnect, both physically and mentally. It’s both telling and unsurprising, then, that wellness travel is bound for a big boom that sees it overtake the global travel demand. But what exactly is wellness travel?
Wellness travel or tourism is defined as travel for the purpose of promoting health and wellbeing through physical, psychological, or spiritual activities. In other words, It’s taking care of your inner and outer self. That includes anything from spas and springs, to cultural immersions and nature retreats.
But labelling certain types of travel as wellness tourism seems a bit arbitrary. After all, mindful traveling does exactly what wellness travel aims at––improving our wellbeing. Over at booking.com, a whopping 79% of travelers believe travel helps their mental and emotional wellbeing more than any other form of selfcare.
We’re heading (back) to nature
That need for reconnection, both physical and spiritual, brings us travelers back to our original playground, nature––because where better to revive our spirits than in the outdoors?
The travel trend of ruralization––of travelers searching out nature-based destinations––seems to be there. According to American Express, over half of travelers are more likely to take an outdoor trip than before the pandemic and nearly half want their next trip to be in nature. Outdoor destinations in the US are on the rise, says flight search engine Kayak, with a 46% increase in search share compared to pre-pandemic 2019. According to Evolve, a holiday hospitality company active in 750 markets, the top destinations this year are linked to nature, sun, sea, and surf.
The travel trend of ruralization––of travelers searching out nature-based destinations––seems to be there. According to American Express, over half of travelers are more likely to take an outdoor trip than before the pandemic and nearly half want their next trip to be in nature. Outdoor destinations in the US are on the rise, says flight search engine Kayak, with a 46% increase in search share compared to pre-pandemic 2019. According to Evolve, a holiday hospitality company active in 750 markets, the top destinations this year are linked to nature, sun, sea, and surf.
The need for outdoor travel isn’t new––it’s been an ongoing camping trend since the start of the pandemic. When borders closed in 2020, the trip travelers made was their local nature. But while those trips might have been fueled by social distancing and the need for ‘space to breathe’, this year looks to be differently motivated.
Purpose and wellness are increasingly important when traveling. So is sustainability and contributing to local communities. All these conscious considerations can’t but guide travelers to natural destinations. If in the past two years we sought nature out of desperation, let 2022 be the year of purposeful nature travel.
Purpose and wellness are increasingly important when traveling. So is sustainability and contributing to local communities. All these conscious considerations can’t but guide travelers to natural destinations. If in the past two years we sought nature out of desperation, let 2022 be the year of purposeful nature travel.