Revenge travel 2022 trends

While booking travel still feels more uncertain than we’d like, 2022 is set to be the year of the ‘catch-up consumer’, according to ABTA’s list of travel trends. Also dubbed ‘revenge travel’ — our revenge on the past two years of restrictions — the trend sees travellers making up for lost time with a holiday to remember.

From a luxury splurge to a bucket list destination, some trips are marking a milestone, while others are focused on family time, as well as simply grabbing the opportunities that have been denied us since the start of the pandemic.

“We are seeing ‘revenge travel’ quickly emerging as a very notable trend,” says Tom Marchant, co-founder of Black Tomato. “For many, that means going big and booking a bucket list trip, or planning something indulgent and meaningful, with a strong desire to make up for lost time and to compensate for lost trips.”

A recent AMEX Travel Trends survey found the same, with 61 per cent planning to spend more than they normally would on a trip, while research by Forbes discovered that nearly two-fifths of Brits are planning “luxury” holidays, using long-term savings to fund their wanderlust.

In the short term, travellers are looking to Morocco and the Caribbean as well as Europe, while safari bookings across Africa are high on wishlists for 2022 and 2023, according to Black Tomato. So if you’re hoping for an unforgettable escape, we’ve found these memorable getaways.

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Pool on Moskito Island (Photo: Virgin Limited Edition)

Bucket list escape

If the past two years have shown anything, it’s that you need to grab the opportunities with both hands whenever you get the chance — if there’s a trip that’s been on your wishlist for a while, now’s the time to try to make it a reality.

It might be seeing one of the world’s most iconic sites, from the pyramids in Egypt to Machu Picchu in Peru, Angkor Wat in Cambodia or Petra in Jordan, or discovering some of the world’s natural wonders and fascinating wildlife. Tour operators such as Explore have flexible booking conditions, as well as a variety of itineraries worldwide.

Or consider Costa Rica: as well as rainforest, cloudforest and volcanoes, two oceans to explore, plus unspoiled wildlife, you’ll be helping to support more sustainable tourism — the country won the first ever Earthshot Prize award for its work in protecting and restoring nature. Both British Airways and TUI fly to the country from the UK.

Meaningful family travel

It’s the new experiences of travel that many of us have missed during enforced periods at home. So Black Tomato has created a new addition to its holidays, called Field Trip, aimed at families with children aged 12+.

Designed to educate and inspire, these couldn’t be further from a dusty old classroom, featuring some extraordinary immersive experiences and chances to get hands on in destinations worldwide.

Covering eight disciplines from history and the arts to earth sciences, social sciences and environmental conservation, all 64 experiences have sustainability at their heart and are designed to work as part of a bigger itinerary.

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Jaffa (Photo: Black Tomato/Shutterstock)

In Jaffa, the Women’s Narratives in Israel experience includes a meeting with a Christian Arab Israeli woman, looking at the social and cultural significance of everyday rituals and discovering ways stereotypes are being broken.

Or discover the real mysteries of Loch Ness, learn more about archaeology on an excavation site in Egypt, and get hands-on film-making experience in Havana, Cuba. Budding physicists can even gain access to CERN in Switzerland, home to the world’s biggest and most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider.

Rates vary; a tailormade six-day itinerary to Cuba including Field Trip experiences costs from £4,150 per person, excluding international flights.

Animal adventure

When it comes to memorable experiences, a safari should always be on the list — and there are some great African holidays if you’re looking to help support local communities or hoping to escape the crowds into the wild.

In Kenya, Cottar’s Safaris has spent the past year developing new impact experiences, designed to help guests have a positive effect on the biodiversity around the camp as well as on the Maasai community.

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Singita Sweni

The Full Circle Safari stays at four different camps within the 1,500km reserve, including one of only 11 Global Ecosphere Retreats in the world, while learning about conservation projects, such as protecting pangolin. Ten nights costs from £7,840. Book with Aardvark Safaris.

Or for romantic seclusion, Singita Sweni Lodge in Kruger National Park, South Africa, has only seven private suites on the banks of the Sweni River. Each overlooks the water from its location in the trees, floor-to-ceiling glass makes the most of the views, along with a daybed for the chance to sleep under the stars, plus dawn and dusk trips into 33,000 private acres of protected wilderness. From £1,727 per person per night.

Cruise in style

If you’ve missed life at sea during lockdown, there are some great ways to celebrate a return to cruising in 2022, from exciting new ships to adventurous itineraries, and perhaps the most luxurious suite on the ocean waves.

The biggest cruise ship ever built, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas — which can hold nearly 7,000 passengers — is scheduled to start sailing in 2022, costing from £372 for a three-night cruise.

And Disney Cruise Line has its first new ship in 10 years, with Disney Wish joining the fleet, featuring Marvel and Frozen-themed restaurants, plus a hyperspace lounge with views of interstellar traffic inspired by Star Wars. From £1,307 for three nights.

Regent Cruise Splendor Regent Suite (Bedroom)

Regent Suite on Seven Seas Splendor (Photo: Regent Cruises)

For an adventure back here on earth, both Viking and Seabourn are making a new foray into expedition cruising, with Viking Octantis and Seabourn Venture heading off to some of the world’s most remote places, including Antarctica and the Arctic, as well as the Amazon. The two ships even have their own submarines so you can explore below the waves as well.

But if you simply want to indulge yourself, you need the luxurious Regent Suite from Regent Seven Seas. Along with a 270-degree panorama from its huge wraparound veranda on the 14th deck of the line’s newest ship Seven Seas Splendor, it has its own sauna, steam room and unlimited spa treatments, plus personal car with driver and guide in every port — and a price tag of around £50,000 for a seven-day Caribbean cruise.

Blow the budget

When you think of once-in-a-lifetime adventures, there’s nowhere quite like Antarctica, where travel company White Desert has launched its second camp, Wolf’s Fang.

Designed to minimise environmental impact as you explore the world’s most remote continent while still providing a luxurious experience, the six state-of-the-art sleeping tents are individually heated.

Activities makes the most of 24-hour sunlight, ranging from gentle hikes and fat biking to ice climbing with expert guides, followed by cocktails in the ice bar, made with 10,000-year-old glacial ice. You can even fly to the Geographic South Pole, the lowest point on Earth, and visit an Emperor Penguin colony of over 28,000 birds. Priced from £33,000 per person.

Or if you prefer sun, try the latest addition to the luxurious Virgin Limited Edition portfolio. Moskito Island, in the British Virgin Islands, has been 14 years in the making, with two new villa escapes on the exclusive private Caribbean island.

Nine-room Oasis Estate is set on the highest point of the island, with 360-degree views from the rooftop deck, while eight-bedroom Point Estate overlooks the island’s main beach and neighbouring Virgin Gorda from its clifftop location. There are also three smaller villas making up the Branson Estate. Rates from around £12,700 per night, four-night minimum stay.

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