Kathy Lopez got her sweet travel revenge with ambitious trips to Europe, Asia and Central America last year. But like many Americans, she’s not done.

“Some of my friends are calling it quits or taking long breaks from international travel,” says Lopez, an author from Prescott, Ariz. “Not me.”

The latest Allianz Vacation Confidence Index suggests there are more travellers like her. Consumers spent $214 billion on summer travel, a new record. It turns out they were just getting warmed up.

“We expect that 2024 will set a new record,” says Daniel Durazo, a spokesman for Allianz.

Revenge travel, or taking a vacation to “get back” at COVID for keeping you trapped during a lockdown, was a phenomenon last year. And you’d assume people want to take a break this fall. But they aren’t. 

Many Americans are doubling down on travel. These post-revenge travellers are planning even more exotic trips, going to unexpected places — and potentially getting into all kinds of trouble. I’ll explain in a moment.

Revenge travel was sweet — and now we can’t stop.

Everyone could see the post-pandemic travel surge coming. The travel industry needed business, and travellers needed to get out of town. I hate using the term win-win, but if this wasn’t one, I don’t know what is.

Travel advisors say that while the idea of “revenge” has faded, the appetite for travel is as strong as ever.

“Demand is far exceeding supply in many cases,” says the President of Travel Leaders Group, John Lovell. “We’re seeing tremendous sales volume across all categories of cruise and land products. Even when you factor in higher capacity, this far exceeds our expectations.”

Matt Schuyler, Hilton’s chief brand officer, puts it more bluntly.

“Travel,” he says, “is an unstoppable force.”

Post-revenge travellers are cheap.

According to experts, high travel costs could put a damper on travel demand in an uneven economy.

Chris Cave, CEO of FlightHub Group, says post-revenge travellers are far more budget-conscious than revenge travellers. A recent survey by FlightHub found that 37% of respondents who had to make budget cuts needed to reduce their travel spending. 

“This indicates that while travel enthusiasm may remain high, financial constraints are playing a substantial role in shaping travel choices,” he says.

So, where’s everyone going in the post-revenge travel era? I asked Peter Strebel, RateGain’s president of the Americas. He says some areas are seeing post-revenge solid interest from travellers, including Florida’s Space Coast, Charlotte, Austin, and Washington, D.C. And holiday airline bookings for Thanksgiving and Christmas are already filling up for destinations like Orlando, Miami, and Nashville. In New York, holiday bookings are up 55% from 2019 levels.

But the truth is, we don’t know how post-revenge travel will play out. If the economy perks up, Americans could spend like there’s no tomorrow and head overseas. If not, we’ll always have Orlando. But that’s not the biggest problem.

Post-revenge travellers are throwing caution to the wind.

Here’s what revenge travel looked like for Lopez, the Prescott author. Before all the lockdowns ended, Lopez flew to Europe for a three-week tour of micronations, including Andorra, Liechtenstein and Monaco. 

After that, she visited Tunisia and Malta then made another trip to the Yucatan with her family. She followed that with a trip to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.

Next on the wishlist is Myanmar.

Interestingly, I also tried to get into Myanmar this summer. I was staying within a stone’s throw of the border in Thailand at the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort. You can wade into the Ruak River and be in Myanmar. I asked a hotel employee how to get there, and he said it wasn’t a good idea. Then I read the State Department warning about civil war and armed conflict and thought, “Maybe next time.”

Lopez says she’s going to avoid Myanmar for now, too.

“I heard their prison food isn’t very good,” she jokes.

But post-revenge travel is no joke. What comes next could drain your bank account; if you’re unlucky, it could even kill you.

Post-revenge travel may be dangerous.

So, most travel experts won’t tell you that post-revenge travel could be dangerous in several ways.

The first danger is that you’ll probably regret it if you push forward with a trip without enough money. Taking on debt to feed your travel habit is a terrible idea. Americans already owe a record $1 trillion in credit card debt, and no amount of points or miles can justify adding to it.

But the second danger is that your desire to explore new places will end badly. Lopez and I are both classic post-revenge travellers — we’re looking for a unique experience after knocking almost everything off our bucket lists following the pandemic. And that could land us on the wrong side of the Ruak and in serious trouble.

“People get in security trouble when they are complacent or pay no attention to things that elevate traveller vulnerabilities,” Harding Bush, a former Navy SEAL and the senior manager of Global Rescue’s Security Operations, told me. 

Global Rescue fielded more than 100,000 calls and conducted nearly 2,000 rescue operations for travellers from all kinds of messes last year, and the number of missions is up 36% in 2023. They expect to be even busier post-revenge travel as their members go farther.

Revenge travel was sweet for many Americans, but a post-revenge trip could quickly sour your vacation. Be careful out there.

Elliott’s tips for post-revenge travel.

Are you planning a trip in late 2023 or 2024? Here’s how to avoid the mistakes of other post-revenge travellers.

Safety first.

Bookmark the State Department site and refer to it before you plan your next trip. I also have some expert tips on travel and safety on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

Assume nothing.

In a post-revenge travel environment, some of the rules may not apply. For example, many travel experts told me there’s not much of a shoulder season at popular destinations anymore, at least when it comes to cost savings. Don’t assume you’ll get a deal.

Hire a professional.

Find a travel advisor to help you plan a safe trip and create a realistic budget. You can find a qualified advisor at the American Society of Travel Advisors site.

 

 

 

Written By: Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at chris@elliott.org.

 

 

 

 

 

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