Travelers are looking for new ways to experience the world following the pandemic. As destinations reopen their borders to visitors, many vacationers want to put newfound skills to the test, explore the great outdoors or take trips to places they fear will be affected by climate change.
"After months of lockdown, our clients are focused on where they want to go next. They've used this pause to realize personal passions, which has, in turn, inspired their travel choices," explains Geoffrey Kent, founder of luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent (A&K). "One of the main motivators for travel post-pandemic is spending quality time with family and friends. We saw a similar reaction after 9/11 when travelers began to value life experiences over luxury purchases, and I think we are going to see that again after this crisis."
A&K has found that travelers are embracing the outdoors more now, trading big cities for wide-open spaces.
Travelers who want to take advantage of this new trend can enjoy a wide range of A&K adventures in national parks, on safari, underwater and during all seasons. Choose from journeys such as the seven-day Tailor Made Wyoming: Yellowstone Family Adventure, the 10-day Kenya & Tanzania: A Great Migration Safari Adventure or the Finland & Sweden: Adventure Across Lapland which takes place during the winter. Guests can also explore underwater sanctuaries on the South Pacific Voyage: Komodo, Papua & Great Barrier Reef or experience Kenya from a small tented camp at the brand-new Sanctuary Tambarare, opening in 2022.
Edventure is another popular new trend. During the pandemic, many people used their free time to learn a new hobby and now they are taking trips that are related to these new activities, including culinary-themed vacations, birding trips, gardening-related journeys and more.
A&K offers a number of tours that are themed around these popular activities such as Cruising the Enchanted Isles: Scotland, Ireland & England where guests can see the seabird breeding colonies in northwest Europe. The nine-day English Gardens & The Chelsea Flower Show itinerary is perfect for budding gardeners, and the foodies will enjoy the Tailor Made Italy: A Foodie Adventure or the Tailor Made Vietnam: Farm to Fork trips.
A&K has also found that travelers are looking for new frontiers and are seeking out places that no one else is going. This trend likely started pre-pandemic as overtourism began to be an unpopular trend. Destinations such as Saudi Arabia and the South Pole are showing more interest for their lack of tourists.
Those who want to find themselves in the next frontier sooner rather than later can book the eight-day Saudi Arabia: Desert Kingdoms or adventure to the White Continent on the 12-day Emperors & the South Pole.
Climate change is also impacting where people travel. Heatwaves and flooding dominate the news, and travelers are realizing they want to see destinations that may be affected by the transformation of the climate before they change. Polar regions are especially affected by rising sea levels and temperatures, inspiring many to visit now.
Travelers can embark on a journey through the rarely traveled Northwest Passage from western Greenland through the Canadian Arctic to Nome, Alaska, on the 24-day cruise, the Northwest Passage from Greenland to the Bering Sea. On the other side of the globe, professor James McClintock shares stories from his more than 30 years of research into how climate change is affecting penguin rookeries on the Antarctic Peninsula during the Antarctic Cruise Adventure: A Changing Landscape.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
