Time to spread your wings . . .
From train trips to ‘splurgecations’ at home and abroad, more Kiwis are looking to get away to explore this year, writes
For many of us, the inability to travel during the earlier part of the pandemic served as a reminder of just how important time out from our regular routines can be. In 2022, some of us took our first tentative steps out into the big, wide Covid-challenged world, while others continued to uncover hidden gems in New Zealand’s internationally envied backyard.
Expensive airfares and airport chaos haven’t made travel easy this year, but there are signs we are adapting to the challenges, and seeking out new and potentially better ways of doing things.
Recent research from booking.com, involving more than 24,000 travellers across 32 countries and territories, found that people are far more optimistic about travel in 2023, with 72% of respondents saying they felt travel is always worth it. The mood is shifting, according to the travel platform, from ‘‘hopeful uncertainty to bold adaptability’’.
While some are planning bucket-list breaks to make up for lost time, others are seeking more meaningful and sustainable getaways, in the form of wellness retreats and train trips. Here are seven trends you can expect to see in 2023.
Train travel
The chaos at airports worldwide in 2022 has prompted travellers to seek out more stress-free – and sustainable – forms of travel, and train journeys look set to be among the major beneficiaries.
Lonely Planet spokesperson Chris Zeiher said the travel publication has already seen travellers ‘‘rediscover the joy of train travel’’ en masse, and new services have opened up new possibilities.
‘‘With Eurostar now offering a London to Amsterdam service via Paris and Rotterdam, and the re-introduction of sleeper car trains such as Nightjet, which will access destinations such as Paris, Rome, Milan and Vienna, the romance of European train travel is definitely back,’’ he said.
‘‘Not only is it a much more sustainable way to travel when compared with flights or cruises, it also offers a great way to connect with fellow travellers on the journey, and grant access to destinations you can’t via a plane or boat.’’
New Zealand’s passenger rail network may be much less extensive, but KiwiRail’s Great Journeys of New Zealand deserves that accolade.
The TranzAlpine between Christchurch and Greymouth is considered one of the world’s most scenic train journeys, while the Northern Explorer will whisk you from the City of Sails to Wellywood via the weird limestone formations of Waikato, the volcanic peaks of Tongariro National Park, and New Zealand’s answer to the White Cliffs of Dover in Mangaweka.
New wave wellness
Wellness travel has become one of the fastest growing areas in tourism, with more and more of us using our holidays to chill out and take care of ourselves.
Recent research from Expedia, hotels.com and Vrbo based on traveller data and a survey of thousands of people across 17 countries found that 46% of global travellers are more open to wellness breaks than ever before. But standard retreats no longer always cut the mustard.
The research found that alternative wellness activities such as forest bathing, chakra sessions, boot camps, puppy yoga, laughter therapy and fruit harvesting are becoming more popular than cooking courses and sports trips.
Meanwhile, 44% of respondents to the booking.com survey said they were interested in a meditation or mindfulness getaway in 2023, while 40% were keen to experience a silent retreat.
And 36% said they were tempted by ‘‘experimental wellness’’ getaways involving substances such as cannabis or plant-based psychedelics.
Offering luxury wellness retreats at relatively affordable prices, Bali and Thailand are favourites with Kiwi travellers, but Aotearoa has some excellent options too.
Aro Ha¯ Wellness Retreat in Glenorchy is worldrenowned for transformative retreats that see participants salute the rising sun with vinyasa yoga, walk through sublime sub-alpine scenery, and feast on plant-based cuisine so good it might just convince even die-hard carnivores to become vegetarian.
Other options include Camp Glenorchy Eco Retreat, New Zealand’s first net-positive accommodation provider, and Split Apple Retreat at Kaiteriteri.
The ‘splurge-cation’
With many travellers still wanting to make up for trips lost to the pandemic, bucket-list and luxury escapes look set to be big this year.
House of Travel chief operating officer Brent Thomas says the travel agency is seeing more ‘‘once-in-a-lifetime’’ experiences being booked, along with longer stays.
‘‘Many people are treating themselves and upgrading to premium options.’’
Adam Schwab, co-founder of online travel agency Luxury Escapes, says Fiji and the Cook Islands are firm favourites with Kiwis looking to treat themselves, while Thailand and, increasingly Vietnam, are also popular.
‘‘With two years of travel lost due to Covid, lots of travellers are making up for it in a big way and spoiling themselves by staying at incredible hotels, and making sure they buy the very best experiences while they’re away,’’ Schwab says.
Gourmet food experiences, from cooking classes to dining at Michelin-starred restaurants and newer venues helmed by rising culinary stars, are among the experiences seeing the biggest surges in interest, he says.
Stays inspired by the big – or small – screen
As someone determined to get to Sicily after seeing season two of The White Lotus, I can completely relate to why trips inspired by movies and television shows are expected to be a thing this year.
Research from travel booking platform Expedia found 61% of Kiwis have considered booking a trip to a destination after seeing it in a streamed movie or show, while 21% have already booked.
One in five (20%) said the influence of streaming services on their travel plans had increased over the past 12 months.
Globally, New Zealand was the most coveted destination among those whose travel goals have been inspired by the big or small screens, providing added impetus for those of us lucky enough to call it home to explore it properly.
The most popular destinations for Kiwis inspired by destinations on screen were Hawaii, New York, Paris and Italy.
Cruises
New Zealanders were big cruisers before the pandemic drove us onshore, and it seems we are slowly but surely finding our sea legs again.
House of Travel’s Thomas says ‘‘cruising anywhere is top of the pops right now, but Caribbean cruises seem to be capturing the attention of more Kiwis than usual’’.
Other popular options include P&O themed cruises, Disney Magic at Sea, and Celebrity Edge, which Time magazine included in its 2019 list of the ‘‘greatest places’’ to visit that year.
The latter’s standout feature is a ‘‘magic carpet’’ – a floating platform that can move up and down the ship. Depending on where it is, it could extend the ship’s pool area, offer an open-air dining space, and streamline disembarking.
Road trips
Road trips have been around as long as roads, but many of us have fallen back in love with them during the pandemic, and there is no sign of it fading.
‘‘During the Covid years, many travellers rediscovered the joy and convenience of the road trip, and it is a type of travel that is going to remain on-trend for the short to mid term,’’ Zeiher said.
‘‘Road trips have so many positives, from allowing spontaneity within your itinerary to being able to access smaller and regional centres off the well-worn tourist path.
‘‘They’re also a travel style that adapts well to different configurations of travellers, from family groups, to couples to friendship groups.’’
With plenty of room to roam, Australia, the United States, Canada, and western and central Europe look set to be popular places to hit the road in 2023, Zeiher says.
In New Zealand’s North Island, the Surf, Forgotten World and Pacific Coast highways are popular options.
In the South Island, hit the Southern Scenic Route between Queenstown and Dunedin or, for a mini version, the drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound.
City breaks
After a lengthy period of forced solitude in the earlier part of the pandemic, the city break is set to make a comeback.
Expedia said most of the destinations that have seen the biggest increases in traveller interest for trips between 2021 and 2023 are ‘‘culture-rich cities’’. These include Edinburgh, where artists and performers take to hundreds of stages over three weeks during the city’s famous Fringe Festival; Lisbon, with its pastel-coloured buildings, old-school trams, and haunting fado performances; and Tokyo, with its ancient shrines, modern museums and perennially popular cherry blossom festivities.
Dublin, New York, Sydney, Dubai, Montreal, Munich and Bangkok were among the other cities that had seen surges in interest.
Meanwhile, the booking.com research found that half of global travellers want to experience a complete culture shock in 2023, while 73% are eager for trips that push them ‘‘out of their comfort zone’’.
It seems there will also be plenty of us who ignore travel trends and simply go where we feel like at the time of booking.
‘‘Unsurprisingly, this ‘culture shock’ traveller is also partial to throwing caution to the wind, with three in 10 (28%) wanting to buy a one-way ticket in 2023 and follow their instinct wherever it takes them,’’ the platform reported.