"Revenge Travel" Taking Off Since the Pandemic

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023 -- 10:01 AM

(Elizabeth Dohms-Harter, Wisconsin Public Radio) After the COVID-19 pandemic grounded flights and upended travel plans for many, "revenge travel" has been taking off.

And, according to Elizabeth Dohms-Harter with the Wisconsin Public Radio, there’s little sign of it relenting, said Kari Mullikin, president of Bon Voyage World Travel Experts.

"Revenge travel, it is a thing," Mullikin said. "When the rights of travelers for a couple of years (were) taken away, now the world is mostly open and people are wanting to go, go, go. So we are incredibly busy and so are the airlines and the hotels and certain places around the world."

In a conversation with Jill Nadeau on Wisconsin Public Radio's "The Larry Meiller Show," Mullikin said her offices in Waterford and Union Grove were especially busy after COVID-19 travel restrictions lessened and as people wanted to travel with the help of an agent, citing a feeling of security in knowing someone will work on their behalf should issues arise during travel.

"There was so much that you needed to know if you were to travel post-COVID," she said. "I really think that our industry, the travel industry, is really something that people look to today that maybe thought previous to COVID to do on their own."

Mullikin said Europe and Alaska have been popular destination options for travelers since this past summer. Other vacation spots her office has recommended to people looking for less crowded areas include New Zealand, Australia, the South Pacific, South Korea, Canada and Saudi Arabia.

For travelers eyeing trips in 2024, Mullikin said now is the time to begin those plans. For those interested in cruises in popular markets such as Europe and Alaska, she said looking at 2025 isn’t unreasonable.

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