A new report into travel trends suggests that travellers became accustomed to travel’s unpredictability during the pandemic, as many are now embracing this era of unpredictability and are displaying spontaneous behaviour when taking trips.
Over the past two-and-a-half years, the effects of covid forced travellers to be more flexible in their plans and book their trips relatively last minute, some holidaymakers now appear to be taking that trend to the extreme. An attitude of spontaneity and flexibility is emerging as the new norm in travel.
The evidence comes from a recent survey conducted on American travellers by travel metasearch engine Skyscanner, which revealed that more than half (53 %) of American respondents have booked trips to destinations they know nothing about. Still more shocking is the discovery that over half of U.S. participants (56 %) have actually arrived at the airport with no destination in mind!
Pent-up demand and latent frustrations produced by two-plus years of global travel restrictions have led Americans to adopt a more impromptu approach, preferring to make travel arrangements at a moment’s notice.
Among U.S. survey participants, 68% agreed that the pandemic affected their ability to take off on holiday spontaneously, resulting in what has been termed the “revenge travel” trend.
Respected psychologist Emma Kenny consulted with Skyscanner to examine the psychology behind this new trend and the benefits of spontaneous travel. She explained, “One common stress is the decision-making involved in the holiday planning process. This is why forgoing the methodical organization that so often goes hand in hand with a planned holiday and instead choosing to enjoy an impromptu break can be so liberating”
