Revenge travel: A post-lockdown trend gaining popularity

The only thing revenge travel and revenge porn have in common is the fact that people are taking revenge, although not against a cheating partner, but rather the Covid-19 virus and lockdown regulations.

A statement released by Corporate Traveller describes revenge travel as a heightened desire to get out and about, spread your wings, explore beautiful new destinations, and make up for lost time.

“It’s about getting ‘revenge’ on the virus and the many unfortunate and unpleasant consequences brought about as a result of lockdown restrictions.”  

South Africans and tourists around the world are finally able to spread their wings and satisfy their wanderlust after being confined to their homes and home soil for the better part of 2020 and 2021.

“The pandemic caused everyone to lose out on the opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest for well over a year, whether that meant having to put much-anticipated adventures on hold or not being able to spend time with loved ones living far away,” said Oz Desai, Corporate Traveller’s general manager.

Tina Edmundson, global brand and marketing officer for Marriott International, told Fortune in a recent interview that the pandemic had made people reprioritise, and travel has risen to the top of the list as many people have developed a new appreciation for travel, while for others travel has taken on a greater meaning and higher importance.

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While revenge travel is mainly leisure oriented, Desai says they are seeing a huge increase in demand for corporate travel, as traveller confidence continues to rise.

According to Vivi Cahyadi Himmel, CEO and co-founder of corporate housing provider AltoVita, which works with large companies worldwide, including Google, adidas and J.P. Morgan, the knock-on impact of revenge travel to business travel is that employees are now open to extended stays, travelling further afield, and looking for a more diverse range of accommodation.

“Bleisure” trips are also on the rise. According to Strators Jet Charters, up to 60% of all business travellers are fitting in “bleisure” trips –  leisure activities when travelling specifically for business purposes, as well as “workations”, where they plan a getaway during which they intend to work remotely and ‘play’ outside of ‘office’ hours.

Desai added that this new travel trend has seen fewer people waiting for the peak holiday season to take leave and get away as the freedom of working remotely allows them to take a workation anytime during the course of the year.

This is not only great for your own pocket, saving money on peak time accommodation prices, it’s also great for accommodation providers’ bottom line as they can now optimise capacity more consistently, as opposed to generating the majority of their income at very specific times throughout the year.

With the increasing cost of petrol and food many South Africans will most likely opt to stay close to home over the festive season to save some money on expensive peak-time accommodation rates. Luckily with the rise of revenge travel there’s no reason why you can’t take your much-needed holiday early next year during off-peak season.