Although going abroad will continue to be challenging for unvaccinated people, for fully-jabbed travelers, many parts of the planet will become more accessible in 2022.
However, the stop-start nature of country openings will make planning difficult – who’d have thought France would close its borders to UK travelers for a few weeks in January 2022, for example?
We are living in an unpredictable era that demands high levels of contingency planning and comprehensive travel insurance.
That said, there is plenty to celebrate and so long as bookings are fully refundable and/or offer free date changes, consumers will be able to go ahead and get some trips in the diary.
Finally, if making more responsible choices is important to you (as it should be) then picking a destination that relies heavily on tourism will mean your money will go towards rebuilding their economy – and giving locals desperately needed income.
Here are three (3) trends defining travel in 2022.
Restriction-free destinations
With booster programmes well underway in many parts of the world, international travel is about to become much easier as countries relax their entry requirements.
If all goes well, destinations such as Australia and New Zealand will soon reopen to tourists after two years of being almost completely closed off.
China, Bhutan, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mongolia and Taiwan could take longer to follow suit but in December 2021, Fiji finally reopened its borders to international travelers so there are indications that this is the direction things are moving in.
Similarly, Vietnam began the process of allowing outsiders with the resumption of flights to the US at the end of last year.
Long-haul reboot
Although many industry experts believe it will take at least another two years for global aviation to return to pre-pandemic levels, long-haul flights are experiencing a revival.
In line with the November 2021 restart of tourism for fully vaxxed travelers to the US, several airlines have been announcing new routes to US cities.
These include Virgin Atlantic from London to Austin, Finnair from Helsinki to Seattle, British Airways from London to Portland (Oregon), and Lufthansa from Munich to San Diego.
Likewise, Qantas flights from Sydney to London and LA began in November 2021.
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Personal development retreats
The last two years have been uniquely gloomy but as we emerge into the sunlight, for many people this will be the year they invest in self-improvement.
As the Great Resignation indicates, millions of people all over the world have been quitting their jobs and seeking new career paths, in many cases launching their businesses and becoming more entrepreneurial.
With this in mind it makes sense that all manner of personal development retreats is popping up around the globe – from Aerial BVI in the British Virgin Islands, which serves as an ‘incubator for positive transformation’, to the Heartbreak hotel in Norfolk, which helps women overcome love loss. continue reading
