5 Tips to Make 2022 Your Best Year of Travel Ever

As borders reopen around the globe, a world of possibilities is opening up for travelers. Whether you’ve been hunkered down at home or venturing across continents, 2022 presents a unique set of opportunities for enjoying a bucket-list adventure—or two!—in destinations that, after nearly two years of neglect, are eager to welcome international visitors. Opportunity blossoms in the wake of change—so what are you waiting for? If there was ever a time to get organized to make the most of your vacation time, this is it. Read on and discover five tips to make 2022 your best year of travel ever.

Plan According to Your Passions

With so many different and exciting opportunities for great travel adventures, it can feel overwhelming to narrow down what you want to do and where you want to go. If you’re having trouble getting started, here’s a tip: start with simply asking yourself “What are my passions? What kind of outdoor activities do I love most?” Chances are, there are travel options that are designed for exactly those passions! Do you love to hike? Or do you prefer seeing the world by bike? There are also trips that mix up hiking, biking, and water sports like rafting or kayaking so you can experience a bit of everything. Are you a history buff? There are some great trips that are active yet offer a deeper dive into fascinating historic cultures and events. Are you a food and wine afficionado? Pick a trip that features incredible meals and wine tastings! With so many options out there, don’t settle for anything that doesn’t seem PERFECT for you. A bit of research can go a long ways. Great resources to plan your trip include blogs, travel guides and Top 10 lists. 

Book Early

The pandemic has led to unprecedented pent-up demand for travel, so if there was ever a time to book early, this is it. Especially if you’re planning to travel domestically (like to any of our amazing national parks or regions known for great outdoor adventure opportunities), plan to have hotels and tour operators sell out quickly. Thankfully, airlines and travel companies are offering unprecedented flexibility in their booking policies, meaning that in a lot of cases, booking early is a win-win for the traveler. The earlier you book, the more options you’ll have, with less financial risk involved than ever. Lock your plans in early, then sit back and count down the days until you embark on your epic adventure.

Check out our updated booking policies to see how we’re working to make things easier this year for travelers like you.

Treat Yourself

An important lesson (among many!) these past two years have taught us is that life is precious and we shouldn’t put anything off for a “someday” that might never some. Life is meant to be lived and you can’t take your bank account with you when you go. So get busy using up that stockpile of vacation days because now is the time to go big! And with the possibility of finding famous sights uncharacteristically uncrowded next year, there’s never been a better time to cross a bucket-list destination—or two!—off your list. Remember Mark Twains famous quote:

“Twenty Years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Build Connections – New and Old

If you’re like many of us, you’re eager to reconnect with the family and friends you’ve been missing for a while now. And maybe you’re looking to expand your social circles and start building new relationships too! Travel is an incredible opportunity to do both. When you leave the routine and embark on a travel adventure, you’re not only creating opportunities to connect in meaningful ways with the loved ones who accompany you on the journey, you’re also opening yourself up to meeting new people who likely share your same passions for new horizons, new experiences and new perspectives. The bonds we strengthen and the friendships we begin while traveling are so often some of the most memorable and impactful of our lives. Keep this in mind when choosing where you want to go and who you want to travel with in 2022.  Whether it’s a multi-generational family trip, a private adventure with old friends or a solo journey of discovery, the road ahead is full of exciting possibilities, and choosing the right travel companions will elevate your experience in big ways. 

Make It Active and Get Off the Beaten Path

One thing that we’ve all learned in the past two years is the value of fresh air, wide-open spaces and off-the-beaten-path trails and bike routes. 2022 might be the year to skip the resort for the smaller boutique hotel, pass on the tourist sites in favor of a hike, and opt to travel by bike instead of watching the world go by through a pane of glass. Who knows—you might discover that self-powered, small-scale travel has a special intimacy and richness that’s been missing from your past journeys! That’s what we believe at Backroads, where we’ve been pioneering this style of travel for more than four decades. We’re excited that so many people who are new to active travel are signing up to join us to discover the magic of active travel, especially with our new easygoing Dolce Tempo journeys now making active travel more accessible than ever. As our founder and owner Tom Hale wrote in his blog, these unusual times have shown that our style of travel is more resonant—and necessary—than ever. If you haven’t yet discovered it for yourself, get excited for a whole new world of adventure waiting to be experienced! 

Credit: www.backroads.com