When it Comes to Travel, “Freedom” Is More Powerful than “Revenge”
A year or so ago, the term “revenge travel” made its way into the lexicon, hot on the red-soled heels of the term “revenge shopping,” coined to encapsulate the post-lockdown luxury shopping sprees that were trending in parts of China. At the time, the world had yet to absorb the staggering magnitude of the loss and stillness that would surround so many aspects of our lives as a result of the pandemic, and both of these phrases were, if not cute, then slightly hopeful, mini-snarks against a virus that had not yet revealed its catastrophic longevity.
Although the word “revenge” made me bristle slightly, I was interested in the “travel” part of the phrase, and the possibilities it implied: that people would soon be able to resume their travel plans (or create new ones), and would do so with a “Take that, coronavirus!” attitude. And a surprising percentage of Americans did travel during the height of the pandemic, before vaccinations were widely available. In January 2021, The Points Guy partnered with YouGov to conduct a survey that found only 55% of US adults had not traveled since the onset of the pandemic. Yes, that’s a majority - but it’s a smaller majority than I would have guessed.
Now, though, with the same number of US adults having had at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (54.9% as of this writing, according to the Centers for Disease Control travel aspirations are brightening dramatically for travelers and travel providers. Even with uncertainty about international border and quarantine restrictions, and whether a fully vaccinated person will have easier access to faraway destinations, people are letting their travel hopes come out of hibernation, and starting to plan leisure trips.
Undoubtedly, many of those journeys, regardless of when they happen, will be transformational. Travel stimulates a present-moment mindset that helps us feel fulfilled, and leaves us with the expanded awareness of an even vaster world than we had imagined, and a sense of connection to it. This has been known since at least the 13th century; the poet and scholar Rumi asserted that “travel brings power and love back into your life.”
If all travel is wellness travel, a word like “revenge” doesn’t fit
Earlier this year, freelance writer and New York Times columnist Elaine Glusac suggested, during a Global Wellness Summit (GWS) 2021 wellness trends virtual press event, that all travel may soon become wellness travel. This GWS spotlight trend, “The Year of the Travel Reset,” indicates both that we yearn for travel as a source of regeneration, and that tourism itself may become gentler on the planet. Overtourism and undertourism might become more balanced. Hotels could seek energy-positive operations. This trend also highlights the importance of fresh air and slow travel, both of which indicate that travel with purpose will be what motivates us - as will the desire to leave a place better off than we found it.
In February, travel journalist Ramsey Qubein wrote in this Forbes.com piece that some of the top trending travel motivators are being surrounded by nature, making a positive impact or giving back, and practicing wellness-centric activities.
Last week, author and alternative-medicine advocate Deepak Chopra, in this Bloomberg piece, shared his thoughts on the importance of, and reasons for, wellness travel -- now and in the future. He suggested that spiritual restoration will drive us to seek immersive experiences in nature when traveling, and explained both the emotional and physiological reasons and benefits of doing so. People, he says, are “looking for a reconnection to existence.” Given this potential for awakening and bliss, it’s difficult to even imagine the concept of revenge.
Words matter
With this in mind, travel providers and destinations that infuse nature and the outdoors into guest experiences have an opportunity to create stories that tap into people’s positive hopes for feeling free again. Calls to action should be uplifting, inclusive, and inviting. Words like “rediscover,” “reclaim,” “celebrate,” “freedom,” “invigorate” and “bask,” for example, are infused with potential and positivity. Most importantly, know why your guests are planning travel now, and speak to their deepest desires. If one of your key source markets is large metropolitan areas in the US Northeast, consider that guests are likely looking for expansive, clean-air spaces - and warmth. Create messaging that evokes opportunity and togetherness. After all, the messaging should reflect the experience, and the experience will be marvelous (as will the memories, later).
Imagining travel and then experiencing it is an aspirational flow of energy. This flow has sustained us, this past year, from clinging to our travel memories, to feeling the sparks of hopeful new plans, to the time when we’ll realize those plans and create new memories. The desire to be in different places is an intentional seeking out of joy and awareness, a celebration of freedom. That’s what travel is, and that’s why the word “revenge” has no place in travel.
Help guests relish the present...and anticipate the future
We have lost so much in this pandemic crisis. But I believe we gained a higher consciousness about what truly matters. It’s my hope that where we are now, more than a year after the terms “revenge shopping” and “revenge travel” poked their heads into our collective vocabulary, we are past thoughts of exacting retribution against what’s taken so much from us.
Instead, we can simply choose to seek joy and relish the present with gratitude. We can enjoy “freedom travel” in all its yet-to-be-discovered glory -- and to get people there, we can use fresh, bright, happy words.
After all, wrote 16th century Welsh poet George Herbert, “Living well is the best revenge.”