If you’ve traveled at all in the past year or so, you’ve likely noticed a fascinating collective energy moving through airports, on board trains, and across the ocean: excited, antsy, even a little bit frenzied. The anxious rebound from the travel restrictions of the pandemic were obvious everywhere you looked. Social media feeds were bursting with photographs of everyone in some faraway destination (most often Positano or Lake Como). In nearly every major publication, there were trend pieces about “revenge travel.” Even last year’s aviation fiascos like the meltdowns at Southwest Airlines and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport served to underscore the point: Everyone is traveling again.
All of the above was verified by the results of Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2023, with one pleasant caveat: As frantic as our traveling in the past year appeared to be, most trips were actually about leisure, taking our time, finding relaxation, and using our vacation days. And bucket-list trips. A lot of you went on bucket-list trips. (What do you know that we don’t?)
For more of the highlights and takeaways from this year’s survey, read on. May they invite you to reflect on your own year in travel—and get excited for what’s to come next.
Nearly all of you are traveling for leisure again
After so many years defined by constraints and travel limitations, everyone had many different reasons over the past year to book a trip: about 69% of readers said they went to new-to-them places, and 47% said they returned to a familiar or favorite destination; 61% said they traveled internationally, and 39% said they took local trips. About 43% of respondents said they took trips to see family, but also—trend alert!—23% said they took solo trips, up from 14% in our 2021 survey, making good on their promises to hit the road on their own.
These days, you’re seeking rest and restoration
Speaking of rest, 75% of survey respondents used all of their vacation days in 2022. (Most Americans don’t take enough of their vacation days, so this is nice to see.) Among our readers, 70% said they took trips with the goals of relaxation in mind; 28% specified that wellness was part of their travel intentions.
At the same time, many travelers hit the road (or the air, or sea) to celebrate the excitement of life. Adventure travel was big with 63% of our readers; 38% went on trips to commemorate birthdays, honeymoons, and other celebrations; and group trips among friends took up 38% of your travel. It’s true—there’s nothing like the euphoria of actually getting the entire group chat to Tuscany.
You’re traveling for longer periods of time—and more slowly
In 2022, survey respondents said that they wanted to maximize their future trips, whether by going to places they’d never been before or taking a long, long, long trip. According to this year’s results, that’s exactly what they did. Nearly two in three (65%) took a trip that lasted a week or longer, while 41% traveled for 11 days or more. Roughly one in four took trips lasting over two weeks.
