You’re mad you had to skip your trip to Jamaica with friends. You’re mad you had to cancel your annual cruise. You’re mad you missed out on that family trip to France.

Don’t get mad! Get even. It’s time to plan your revenge travel.

What’s the definition of revenge travel? It refers to the widespread desire to plan big, ambitious trips in 2022 — not the standard beach week or road trip you might have done in years past. People who had to cancel or postpone planned trips in 2020 and 2021 are desperate to travel again, and may have money saved to go farther than before.

The revenge travel trend is especially strong among families, as the approval of COVID-19 vaccinations for children has allayed parents’ fears. “Parents are feeling a sense of urgency they didn’t feel two years ago. We used to say, ‘Oh, we have the rest of our lives to take our kids places.’ That’s changed,” Nicole Wineland-Thomson, the director of Family Expeditions at Thomson Family Adventures, told The New York Times.¹

If you’re ready to plan your own sweet, sweet revenge trip, we have some advice.

Use a travel agent or tour company if you’re going overseas.

Travel in the pandemic era often requires complicated logistics: COVID-19 testing before and after arriving, quarantining while you await test results, and showing proof of vaccination. One misstep could ruin your whole trip.

A travel agent or travel company can smooth the way. They can advise you on COVID-19 restrictions and requirements at your destination, and plan a trip that fits your needs and your comfort level.  

Don’t want to use a travel company? Use our Concierge services (included in select Allianz Travel Insurance plans). While they can’t plan your entire trip for you, Concierge services can answer all kinds of travel-related questions, procure restaurant reservations and event tickets, and provide expert guidance.

Plan your trip purposefully.

Many of us feel desperate to go somewhere, anywhere, as soon as possible. That’s understandable — but your revenge trip will be more meaningful if you give it careful thought. Ask yourself:

• What have you missed most about travel?
• Do you want to return to a place that you love, or explore somewhere new?
• What kinds of memories do you want to make?
• What level of risk are you comfortable with?
• How big is your travel budget?
• What’s your plan B if your travel plans get derailed?

Choose a low-stress destination.

After years of pandemic anxiety, the last thing you need is a dose of travel anxiety. Consider going someplace known for peace, safety and serenity, rather than a high-energy metropolis or crowded tourist area. Frommer’s has released its list of the safest destinations for 2022, which includes Iceland and Costa Rica. Check the U.S. Department of State’s current travel advisories and the CDC’s travel recommendations by destination, so you’re well informed about the risks.

Get your COVID-19 vaccination.

The CDC recommends postponing travel If you’re not yet vaccinated against COVID-19.² Many international destinations now require proof of vaccination, as do cruise ships (with few exceptions).³

Some destinations, such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic, welcome unvaccinated travelers. However, you may still need to show proof of vaccination to enter certain restaurants, businesses and attractions.

Choose the most flexible travel arrangements.

Many people planned their revenge travel around the 2021 holidays — and then the Omicron variant of COVID-19 threw everything for a loop. We just never know what the future holds. So when you’re planning your revenge travel in 2022 and beyond, it’s wise to choose refundable/flexible flights, accommodations and other travel arrangements, even if they cost more.

While travel insurance can reimburse you for certain nonrefundable expenses in covered situations, it can’t cover every possible travel mishap (more on that below). So play defense and look for refundable options when you’re booking your trip, just in case.

Purchase travel insurance as soon as you book your revenge trip.

Your coverage window — that is, the time period for which your trip is protected — begins after you purchase a travel insurance plan. To maximize your coverage window, the best time to buy travel insurance is immediately after you make your travel arrangements.

If an emergency occurs, like a serious illness in your family or a flood in your house, and you haven’t yet purchased travel insurance, then it’s too late. Insurance can’t cover your losses if they’re already occurred, or if they’re easily foreseeable. Shop for plans today! Consider an annual travel insurance plan if you intend to take more than two trips in the next 12 months.

Understand exactly what your travel insurance covers.

To better protect our customers, most of our plans now include the Epidemic Coverage Endorsement, which adds covered reasons to select benefits for certain losses related to COVID-19 and any future epidemic. (Benefits vary by plan and by state of residence, and are not available in all jurisdictions.)

If your plan includes emergency medical and dental benefits and emergency transportation benefits, and also includes the Epidemic Coverage Endorsement, the cost of your medical care and medically necessary transportation can be covered if you fall ill with COVID-19 or another epidemic disease while traveling.

If your plan includes trip cancellation and interruption benefits as well as the Epidemic Coverage Endorsement, trip cancellations and trip interruptions can be covered in certain, specifically named situations, such as:

• You or a traveling companion becomes ill from COVID-19 or another epidemic disease
• A family member becomes ill from COVID-19 or another epidemic disease
• You or a traveling companion are individually quarantined before or during your trip because of exposure to COVID-19 or another epidemic disease

The Epidemic Coverage Endorsement adds coverage in other circumstances as well. Here are a few situations it does not cover:

• Canceling or cutting short a trip because you’re afraid of becoming ill with COVID-19. Let’s say you’ve planned a week-long Caribbean cruise. A few weeks before you leave, you read a news story about another cruise ship that had an outbreak of COVID-19, and you get a little freaked out. Canceling your cruise because you’re anxious is not a covered reason for trip cancellation.

• Canceling a trip because a travel advisory or travel ban has been issued for your destination. If the U.S. Department of State or another entity issues a travel ban or other government-imposed restriction on travel directly or indirectly related to COVID-19, that is generally not a covered reason for canceling a trip.

For more information, please see the Epidemic Coverage Endorsement page in your plan details and read our COVID-19 FAQ or our COVID-19 Coverage Alert.

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