While it has always been a sought-after element in travel booking, the demand for flexibility in travel has become more of a necessity in the past couple years. And, according to the new Expedia study, flexibility tops traveller priorities in 2022.
It shouldn’t be any surprise that flexibility tops traveller priorities after the past couple of years. Both travellers and travel businesses have had to adapt to the fluctuating state of Covid travel. This call to adapt has brought some excellent results for travel, with consumers more aware of their financial protection than ever before, and businesses striving to be more accommodating of the potential for drastic changes.
However, it has also been a tough journey leading to the slightly more organised picture we have of travel in 2022. Through this journey, not only have travellers become more aware their financial protection, but travellers have had to learn the importance of other aspects of holiday contracts. Travellers are more aware of the functionality of travel outside of the fantastic holiday they’re booking, and the travel industry is growing with this demand.
The demand for flexibility in travel is not only beneficial to the traveller in case anything Covid related, or otherwise, should happen, but it has led to consumers discovering and booking with some excellent travel businesses that cater to this demand.
Flexibility Tops Traveller Priorities in Expedia Study
Studies like the Expedia study that have frequented travel media in the past couple years have given the travel industry a lot of great insight into the changing world of travel. While adapting to the changes of the world around us, adapting to the changes in travellers’ attitude is equally important.
It is excellent to see consumer confidence increasing, and to see a greater demand for flexibility, an aspect of travel that has gotten a greater amount of attention in the past year or so.
According to the Expedia study, 81% of people plan to take one or more holidays with family and friends over the course of the next six months. A lot of these people are looking for shorter, quicker doses of adventure, and 78% are interested in frequent shopping trips.
54% of the people who took part in the study claimed they would spend more money on trips and getaways than they would have pre-pandemic. This is probably not a surprise for many, with the demand for travel increasing over the course of so many restrictions. Now that the world is open to travellers on a more stable level, we expect to see a lot of holidays going ahead.
42% of travellers are looking for a more relaxed holiday, according to the Expedia study, in order to help their mental health after the pandemic has been the cause of a lot of mental wellbeing issues over the past couple of years.
59% of those involved in the study claimed they were also more willing to pay extra fees in order to make their travel more sustainable, following the greater awareness that has been building in the past decade, with a focus on the past 5 years.
Through all of this, flexibility tops traveller priorities for trips, whatever the type of traveller, or the type of holiday the consumer intends to take.
Flexibility in Travel is More Available Than Ever
With this great influx of demand for flexibility in travel, there has also been a rise in flexibility offered in travel in response to the fluctuating nature of the pandemic. With consumers more in need of affirmation that they can be confident in their booking, this increase in flexibility is fantastic for consumers and travel businesses alike.
Booking with a good travel agent at the moment is incredibly important for this reason (you can find out more about how to choose a good travel agent in our article). Many travel businesses have adapted their terms in recently months to include protection against the impact of Covid.
These changes include more flexible booking dates, the ability to cancel free of charge if a destination becomes inaccessible before travel, and the ability to move bookings to a different date if restrictions cause problems for the traveller.
Travel businesses have been striving and working hard over the pandemic to provide their clients with complete confidence in their services, and it has caused great results, such as this increased flexibility. With greater consumer confidence through the offer of more flexibility, travel businesses can provide their consumers with fantastic and creative holidays and great service.
By booking with a good travel agent, and the heightened awareness of financial protection in travel, consumers can choose holidays that provide the flexibility they need and travel with complete peace of mind knowing that all the tricky bits are taken care of for them.
The increased awareness of what a consumer needs to pay attention to when they book (such as checking destination requirements on the Foreign Travel Advice page) has also helped travel businesses adapt even more to exactly what their consumers want, as consumers are more likely to ask about specifics like financial protection and requirements instead of just the elements of the holiday itself.
Plus, when a consumer books with a trusted member of Protected Trust Services (PTS), they don’t only have the option of flexible and experienced businesses, but they can relax knowing that they are guaranteed excellent financial protection through PTS.
With our expert travel trust account, complete transparency, and travel businesses that our own passionate travel experts trust, travellers can get the flexibility they need with an efficient system that means their monies can be returned to them swiftly and without hassle if something should happen and they need to cancel or reschedule their holiday.
So, if you’re excited to book a great holiday soon, don’t wait. With a greater amount of flexibility in travel than ever before, there’s no better time to book while holidays are still available. Don’t forget to get in touch with a fantastic member of PTS to book your next getaway. Or, if you’d like assistance choosing one of the lovely PTS members to book with, you can contact PTS directly at 0207 190 9988.
And if you’d like to learn more about your consumer protection with PTS or how the Package Travel Regulations protect your holiday booking, check out our pages and articles.
