Revenge Travel

The 3 most popular regions in travel intentions in 2021 are:

• Capitale-Nationale-Charlevoix (26%)
• Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean (16%)
• Eastern Townships (15%)

This compares to 44% in 2019 and 35% in 2018 in the pre-pandemic era.

This means that almost twice as many Quebecers are travelling in their own province as before the pandemic. This is mainly due to the limits of movement. But in the last few weeks, Milesopedia has published some good news for travelers.

• End of hotel quarantine for Canadian travellers
• France opens up to Canadians
• Health restrictions eased for tourists in Hawaii

When the borders open and the restrictions gradually disappear, the proportion of Quebecers who intend to stay in Quebec will return to pre-pandemic levels. Certain behavioural profiles are beginning to emerge, according to a Léger Marketing survey.

According to the survey, 9% of respondents are “Euphoric” in nature, and want to live their “post-pandemic” to the fullest.

We also see this on Milesopedia with a clear shift in searches for “travel” credit cards versus those offering cash back. And the issuers are not mistaken in offering incredible welcome offers.

Nevertheless, the explosion of all this repression results in a desire from revenge travelers to:

• Take a longer trip than usual;
• Make several trips in a short period of time;
• Travel in luxury or extravagance with a higher budget;
• Travel with extended family or a group of friends to reconnect;
• Travel to forget ;
• Do the trip of your dreams “because you deserve it”.

Valérie Gosselin, psychologist and supervisor at Clinique Humanimaux explains:

When there is a void, the human being seeks to compensate and go to the other extreme. This imbalance in life and in society pushes us to find harmony and balance. It’s a human reflex.

The period of hardship we endured has affected us all in different ways.

After all the stress, sacrifices and overwork of the past year, you can have an insatiable desire for life. This desire to regain our former composure and make up for lost time is normal.

Moreover, Mrs. Gosselin indicates that:

When we make or own something, we don’t realize its value. We couldn’t control this stop of movements and the pause created by the confinement.

We have been deprived of the freedom to travel, among other things. When you find it again, that’s when you realize there’s an urgency to appreciate what you’ve missed.

The power to go when and how we want has been affected. There is an awareness of the privilege of travel and how much this way of life is appreciated.

In addition, having had COVID-19 or having had a loved one die from this disease may play a role in this frenzy of wanting to leave at all costs.

Every day there is a death toll from the virus, and being confronted with this reality makes you realize how fragile life is. Again, an urgency to live and enjoy life arose.

Now that some semblance of life “as before” is on the horizon, many bookings for catch-up trips can be made. This manic phase following a context of deprivation is normal.

As long as all other areas of life are going normally, there is no problem. It’s normal to react this way because there is a balance to be restored. However, if it is affecting your work, family, money management or other basic needs, it would be best to seek help.

Valérie Gosselin, M.Ps.

In the wake of this resurgence of travel, there are some funny issues that are resurfacing, including a shortage of suitcases south of the border, as reported by our American counterpart, The Points Guy.

But unfortunately there is also a problem with tourist behavior, as reported in Hawaii.

These incidents of rudeness are on the rise (and not just when travelling)! Is it because of the general atmosphere after the lockdown or because of revenge travel ? According to Valérie Gosselin:

It can be a mixture of both. First, the lack of choice during the lockdown and the obligation to adapt to the restrictions created acute unease among the population.

When travelling, reality catches up with travellers. They don’t want anyone to get in their way. They are on a trip, want to have as much fun as possible, want everything to be perfect and don’t want anything to get in the way.

So when a problem occurs on vacation, frustration sets in and discourtesy surfaces.