GROWTH
In some cases, volunteer vacations have even been growing. Projects Abroad, which runs volunteer programs overseas, said bookings were up 20 percent this February from February last year, with some of the travelers recently laid off, but others simply looking for vacations that involve service. Options range from teaching soccer in Moldova for two weeks (US$1,795) to teaching English in Nepal for three months (US$3,295).
For some other travelers, the urge to imbue a trip with a sense of purpose is fulfilled in more personal ways.
“We are getting more requests for trips they can share with family and friends, such as celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary,” said Pamela Lassers, a spokeswoman for Abercrombie & Kent. “They want to rent a villa or a barge in Europe and then invite friends and family to join them. Or plan a private tented safari to celebrate a 50th birthday. Or host a family reunion at a ranch in Colorado.”
Virtuoso’s Return on Life campaign was created in response to a similar trend toward trips that focus on spending time with loved ones.
“I really think people are putting their lives in perspective,” in light of the recession, said Kristi Jones, president of the travel agency network. “There is this need for people to feel reconnected and rejuvenated, but not in a self-indulgent way.”
For Globus, a major tour operator, bookings are down overall, said Steve Born, vice president of marketing, but religious tours, family packages and dream trips like Galapagos cruises “are stronger or on pace with last year.”
Faith-based trips, like pilgrimages to Jerusalem or other places of religious significance are resilient partly because travelers view them as more than just a vacation.
“It’s not a commitment they feel they can break,” Born said.
Globus is also offering another kind of vacation customers may find easy to justify — the fast, affordable trip. The company recently introduced 14 “Guilt-Free Getaways” from four to 10 days each, starting at around US$100 a day — trips “that won’t tax pocketbooks or keep travelers away from their daily responsibilities too long,” its Web site says.
For families limited by school and activity schedules, Born said, the timing of vacations is pretty much predetermined, and even this year “it’s just a matter of where and how.”
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