5 minute read

WHAT'S SHAPING TRAVEL IN 2022

Next Article
Tahiti Treats

Tahiti Treats

BY JANICE TOBER

As the world carefully starts to travel again, trends are emerging at a lightningfast pace, redefining what we used to consider the ideal vacation. These days, it’s about authenticity, making genuine connections, giving back, veering off the road well travelled and pursuing passions, whether it’s cooking or spas.

Let’s take a deeper dive into what’s setting the standard for this year with these five travel trends.

BEING MINDFUL OF WELLNESS TRAVEL

Wellness travel has been popular for several years, but now it is moving beyond yoga by the beach and spa time. The focus of those new experiences is on being present in the moment and the newest approach is to practice mindfulness and to savour life.

On Location partner Adams & Butler, for instance, takes guests high above the Arctic Circle to a glampsite in Swedish Lapland. Enjoy hot air ballooning over the white landscape, spend days in an oasis of wellness and fine design, get active with winter activities and then indulge yourself with local gourmet meals. With a glass of wine in hand, relax around the campfire and wait for the perfect moment to go watch the Aurora Borealis.

Aurora Safari Camp

© Aurora Safari Camp

Take the experience to another level with a customized program from Trails of Indochina. In Vietnam, join a multiday retreat program to enhance your inner stillness and brave creative expression, including plant-based full-board meals. If you truly want to immerse yourself in a natural oasis, peacefully isolated from the city, take wellness retreats in Thailand. Or experience Ayurveda, an ancient technique of treatment in Sri Lanka, to revitalize your mind, body and soul through different practices that will guide you to a holistic path to achieve a balanced life.

Yoga in Thailand

SEEKING UNIQUE ACCOMMODATIONS

Luxury travel has moved beyond just posh hotels in popular destinations to include out-of-the-way stays and unique properties. A desire to stay away from crowds is one reason, but another is the longing to find a serene hideaway to calm our overly busy minds.

Looking out over a wintry wonderland atop a mountain is one way to get away from it all. Onefinestay's new Chalet Collection makes finding your own bit of paradise easy. Its curated selections take guests to extraordinary luxury destinations, such as Aspen and Jackson Hole.

Private chalet rental at Jackson Hole

Or consider one of Spain’s Paradores, idyllic stays in some of the country’s finest heritage buildings and unique spaces. Stay at the former 15th-century convent, Parador de Granada, for exclusive access to the grounds of Alhambra after it closes. Or choose the Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada (in the Rioja region), which has housed pilgrims for over 900 years as they traversed the Camino de Santiago.

GIVING BACK WITH MEANINGFUL TRAVEL

Travellers aren’t just getting out of Dodge to escape anymore. They want a trip that is meaningful, one that makes the most of their experiences away from home and leads to personal fulfillment. Today, philanthropic trips, sabbaticals, volunteerism and responsible travel are what world wanderers are looking for to give meaning to a chaotic world.

Traveller volunteering in an African school

They serve to enhance the lives of not only those on the receiving end of a generous spirit, but those who are doing the giving. When your mom told you that it is better to give than receive, she was right. To find the right voluntourism experience for you, talk to your travel advisor who can help create a customized trip that ticks all the boxes.

LIVING LIKE A LOCAL

Travellers seeking for a more authentic experience are digging even deeper, living like a local in some of the world’s greatest and most out-there destinations.

G Adventures’ tour offering, Agriturismo Local Living, lets program participants select a destination and get settled into a home away from home, whether that’s a rural farmhouse in Italy or a rustic lodge in the Amazon. With the help of a local guide, they go undercover in some of the most interesting places to discover life as it’s lived every day. A local guide is there to set up a jam-packed itinerary or will leave it flexible depending on the interests of each traveller.

Enjoying life like a local in Italy

DOING A DEEP DIVE WITH EXPERIENTIAL TRAVEL

Vacationers are no longer content to sit back and let the world go by. Today’s intrepid travellers want to immerse themselves and experience fully every moment of life.

Specializing in small-ship expeditions, Adventure Canada also offers land tours that take travellers beyond the usual offerings. Instead of just listening to throat singers while visiting Nunavut, guests gain a richer, broader appreciation of the performance by learning about the music, art, language and food of the Inuit people. For voyages to Scotland, passengers can do more than sip single malts. They get a comprehensive education on the regional differences in whisky-making throughout the country.

Connecting with Inuit people and culture on an experiential trip

© Adventure Canada

This article is from: