Transformed By Travel

According to a new survey by Exodus Travels (commissioned through OnePoll), 77% of Americans questioned have said they felt more like themselves because of their recent travels, while 80% said that returning to travel in the past 14 months has been good for their soul and for their well-being.

And the same sentiment holds true towards future travels – after the pause on international travel, 80% said they need a vacation in 2023 more than ever before.

The survey canvassed 2,000 Americans who had travelled abroad over the last 14 months.

Not that travel has been easy over the last year or so – changing COVID-19 restrictions forced some respondents to reschedule (37%), while other dealt with lost luggage (35%) or delayed and cancelled flights (31%).

However, the good news is that even of those who faced issues while traveling, 84% said their trip was still completely worth it – and 84% said that, despite any difficulties, they’d happily do it all over again if given the chance.

Andy Crang, Marketing Director for Exodus Travels, said: “To travel and discover, to explore new places, meet new people, encounter different cultures and experience nature’s wild beauty is in our DNA. Television, movies, social media, books… these were all great substitutes while travel was on pause, but for many of us getting out in the world and setting out on new adventures is an intrinsic part of who we are.”

Crang continued: “So, despite some of the challenges that this post-pandemic return to travel has thrown at us — the flight delays and cancellations, lost luggage, long line-ups, etc. — the results of this poll tell us that the joy of 2022 and 2023 travel, and the happiness it brings with it, far outweighs any hiccups we encounter along the way.”

Of the 2,000 Americans polled, 66% stated to have a desire to “revenge travel”  — defined as wanting to travel more, after feeling like they missed out on time and experiences due to the pandemic.

And respondents are making the most of the return to travel; as many travel restrictions have lifted, 57% of those surveyed were able to take a “once-in-a-lifetime” adventure in 2022.

For those who did, this included seeing something or someone who won’t be there in 10 years (22%), using a travel agent to take the stress out of traveling (21%) and traveling to where their family is originally from (21%).

But whether it was a “once-in-a-lifetime” adventure or not, the survey found that Americans were generally positive about any travel experience in the past 14 months.

Go to www.exodustravels.com for more.