While we didn’t really need a survey to tell us, it comes as no surprise that a recent Airbnb survey revealed that travel is the activity that North Americans have missed the most during the pandemic.
We know that those first trips post-pandemic will be to connect with loved ones, taking travel back to its roots of creating meaningful memories. The old adage, absence makes the heart grow fonder, has proven to be very true where travel is concerned. Our near inability to travel for almost a year has made travel all that much more important to us, and as a result we want our future travel experiences to be more meaningful.
2021 will see a shift towards more authentic experiences and personal connections when it comes to travel, as the pandemic continues to limit mass tourism and affect the industry overall. When travel does return, it will be about connecting with loved ones through more personal experiences, with mass tourism unlikely to return at any scale this year -- if ever. Now before you get too worried, let me explain why we think that this just may be the best thing to ever happen to travel.
Mass travel is really just a different form of isolation—you are anonymous, herded around with other tourists, never really able to experience the people or culture of a community. What we want from travel now is what we’ve been deprived of -- spending meaningful time with our family and friends, and enjoying deeper connections with other human beings.
Additionally, over tourism has had a very real and detrimental effect on many areas. We just have to look at examples like Venice, where within a few short weeks of the pandemic beginning, the waters of the canals began looking clearer and marine life which hadn’t been seen in the city for decades, became visible again. The planet has had a breather, cities are quieter, skies are less polluted and we are now (finally!) seeing a greater push for more sustainable and responsible travel in the future.
In short, the pandemic has reminded us of our priorities in nearly every aspect of our lives, and travel is no exception. From my own perspective, I couldn’t be more thrilled about the changes that we expect to see as travel begins to resume. Our specialty has always been in curating unique, off-the-beaten-path, travel experiences where we are able to experience meaningful connections to our loved ones and the world around us. This is truly where we can best shine for our clients! My love for this style of travel is the very reason that I got into this business!
We all have that bucket list tucked away for our someday – laundry lists of experiences that may include sipping gluhwein while strolling through European Christmas markets, or visiting that small, overseas village in the countryside where our ancestors immigrated from generations ago. Or perhaps you’ve dreamt of sailing along the Croatian coast on a small ship with only your closest friends onboard, or trekking along the Inca trail on a solo pilgrimage. But no matter what your bucket list includes, now is the time to dust that list off and get planning!
Whatever it is that you’ve been longing to do, you’ve most likely already decided that saving that list for someday just doesn’t cut it anymore. After this past year, many of us have learned that we can no longer take that someday for granted, and we’re ready to start making up for lost time as soon as we can! But unlike booking a last-minute deal or the cookie-cutter style tour packages of the past, these meaningful bucket list experiences require a little more planning, and now is really the best time to be making those plans!
In short, the pandemic has reminded us of our priorities in nearly every aspect of our lives, and travel is no exception. From my own perspective, I couldn’t be more thrilled about the changes that we expect to see as travel begins to resume. Our specialty has always been in curating unique, off-the-beaten-path, travel experiences where we are able to experience meaningful connections to our loved ones and the world around us. This is truly where we can best shine for our clients! My love for this style of travel is the very reason that I got into this business!
We all have that bucket list tucked away for our someday – laundry lists of experiences that may include sipping gluhwein while strolling through European Christmas markets, or visiting that small, overseas village in the countryside where our ancestors immigrated from generations ago. Or perhaps you’ve dreamt of sailing along the Croatian coast on a small ship with only your closest friends onboard, or trekking along the Inca trail on a solo pilgrimage. But no matter what your bucket list includes, now is the time to dust that list off and get planning!
Whatever it is that you’ve been longing to do, you’ve most likely already decided that saving that list for someday just doesn’t cut it anymore. After this past year, many of us have learned that we can no longer take that someday for granted, and we’re ready to start making up for lost time as soon as we can! But unlike booking a last-minute deal or the cookie-cutter style tour packages of the past, these meaningful bucket list experiences require a little more planning, and now is really the best time to be making those plans!
No matter what you have in mind, we’re here to help make it happen. Contact us today to start making your dreams come true!