2022 Travel Trends

While the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ebb and flow, the travel industry is seeing increased demand for experiences that encourage reconnection, transformation, and wellness, while also remaining mindful of the social and environmental impacts of tourism. Basically, travel in 2022 is shaping up to look and feel like a big deep breath.

Taking Longer Trips

Amidst lockdowns and social distancing, unplugging from our regular routines has enabled many of us to shed a grind mentality and re-connect with our own natural rhythms. In the Before Times, weekend and week-long vacations were the norm, but that timeline has now stretched to two weeks—or even much longer. Rather than packing these extended itineraries with more destinations and activities, though, the overall goal is relaxation, leaving time to focus on local immersion, connections, and creating memories.

Hiking at The Ranch Malibu

Wellness Tourism 

The pandemic experience has reframed self-care as essential to our physical and mental health. It’s also expanded the traditional definition of self-care to include not only pampering, healthy eating, and exercise, but also social connections, sleep, creativity, and nature.

2022 will see increasing demand for wellness-related activities like forest bathing and outdoor yoga; accommodations that offer sleep-promoting perks like soundproofing and circadian lighting; and spas with non-mainstream treatments like cryotherapy, IV drips, and sound healing that promote energy and cell renewal.

Your advisor will help you find a wellness experience that matches your needs, whether it’s the Chenot Espace experience at the One&Only Portnovi, a weeklong reset at The Ranch Malibu, Seabourn’s wellness-program partnership with Dr. Andrew Weil, or simply a day’s worth of relaxing treatments at your hotel’s spa.

Responsible Travel

As we return to the skies and waterways amidst increasing awareness of climate change, 2022 will see heightened mindfulness of travel’s impact on both the environment and human beings. There will be greater interest in traveling responsibly: using greener modes of transport, finding ways to lower our carbon footprint, and booking eco-friendly hotels and resorts that use local foods and beverages, and actively conserve water, electricity, and other resources.

Traveling responsibly (or sustainably) doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get just one towel and won’t see any plastic. It also means avoiding overtourism by going off the beaten path, patronizing hotels and restaurants that help support a local economy, and spending more time in one area so you use less fuel flying or driving back and forth.

Responsible travel also extends to concern for the safety, treatment, and fair compensation of those employed by the travel industry, from cruise ship personnel to wait staff, and tour guides to drivers. Travel in 2022 will focus increasingly on balanced equity and bringing people closer (if only metaphorically, for a while) in a positive spirit of compassion, understanding, and connection.

Journeying at a Slower Pace

For those who’ve missed the simple pleasure of letting a journey unfurl, slower forms of transit are becoming increasingly popular. Belmond’s luxurious trains, such as the British Pullman and Andean Explorer, encourage you to unwind amidst amazing scenery that’s nearly impossible to see any other way. Transatlantic sailings on cruise lines like Oceania and Seabourn enable safely-distanced seafaring in great style, while walking and biking tours provide (literal) on-the-ground opportunities to reconnect with nature.

Exploring Like a Local

Pandemic-benched travelers who’ve channeled their wanderlust into exploring their own home areas are now choosing to explore other destinations from a local perspective.

Advisors are seeing a rise in demand for private villas and homes where travelers can stay for several weeks, trying on a different destination as if they actually live there. Some people continue working remotely from their temporary digs and go exploring in their downtime, while others are simply taking extended vacations. Many luxury home rentals now offer concierge service for easy access to the best local finds for food, fun, and a sense of place.

Another trending option is a staycation in a small hotel for a brief change of scenery in a nearby city, or even just a different part of town. Especially hot are boutique offshoot brands like Montage’s Pendry and Hilton’s Motto, as well as independently-owned brands like Life House and Found Hotels, which seek to connect their guests with local art, design, history, and more.

A private villa at Tryall Club in Jamaica

Multigenerational Family Travel

After a year-and-change’s worth of celebrations via Zoom and FaceTime, many are of us are craving in-person connection with our families. Your advisor would love to arrange your family’s reconnection, designing a wonderful vacation that helps ease all the days and moments missed.

Multigenerational family gatherings at private villas and homes are gaining traction, as they offer kitchen access and the ability to safely distance, as well as—in fully-staffed spots like Tryall Club in Jamaica or Mustique—perks like a butler, driver, chef, and childcare.

Other trending options for these types of trips are family-friendly all-inclusive resorts that offer an intimate feel, such as Antigua’s Curtain Bluff; small-ship ocean and river cruises like Windstar and AmaWaterways; and western dude ranches like The Ranch at Rock Creek.

Culinary Travel

Making your own sourdough starter, experimenting with complex recipes, and growing veggies in the backyard may now seem so 2020, but for many folks, the pandemic experience sparked a true culinary passion. In 2022, travelers will be seeking reconnection with traditional food systems, a sense of indulgence and celebration, and opportunities to discover new ingredients and dishes while learning the stories behind them.

Foodie adventures will be highly coveted this year. Our knowledgeable partners can arrange culinary deep-dives to satisfy all your appetites, such as private winetasting courses, personalized cooking classes in state-of-the-art kitchens, chef-led tours of farmers markets and street food districts, and sought-after tables at Michelin-starred restaurants.

Baja Base Camp with Lindblad Expeditions

Transformational Travel

Being separated from other people and missing out on countless events has left many longing for immersion in authentic community experiences, both near and far. Travelers are now moving up the timelines of their bucket lists, seeking once-in-a-lifetime adventures much sooner than later.

Demand is up for trips that go off the beaten track to nomadic and remote places, and that heighten awareness of international cultures and ecological preservation efforts, all while enabling social connections and providing experts for reassurance. Lindblad Expeditions and Explora Journeys specialize in these sorts of life-changing adventures, offering stylish, eco-friendly, and educational cruises to the farthest reaches of the globe.

No matter which of 2022’s travel trends appeal to you, your Avenue Two Travel advisor can design your ideal trip(s), whether in far-flung locales or close to home. The world still awaits you— whenever and wherever—you feel ready to explore.