Why Should I Book A Holiday For 2022 Now?

While summer 2021 travel is currently up in the air, we should still be considering the question, ‘should I book a holiday for 2022?’.

We appreciate the most recent update for Portugal has made some travellers wary for this summer, but international travel will open and when it does demand is high. You can also keep up to date on travel updates on the government website.

But perhaps we shouldn’t only be looking at the very near future. Summer 2021 may seem less certain at the moment but booking holidays in advance for 2022 and 2023 is still a very real prospect that we shouldn’t brush aside, and a lot of consumers and travel companies aren’t.

There are many variables, we understand you may just be waiting to see what position we will all be in before you start asking questions like ‘should I book a holiday for 2022’, but we are going to tell you exactly why now is prime time to book yourself a holiday in advance and how to ensure your monies are secure.

Why Should I Book a Holiday for 2022?

Though it may be tempting to wait the uncertainty out and book later, by then you might find you cannot book a holiday at all because they will already be booked. Because it is so far ahead, we cannot make any solid predictions, but with our current efforts, we very much anticipate a lot of progress in 2022 and are already seeing it.

It’s also important to keep in consideration the travel traffic for the future. Because little is certain this summer, a lot of travel companies are planning ahead, and a lot of consumers are booking up for the next couple years in advance, so if you want a holiday in 2022 you need to get booking now.

With seats on flights getting booked rapidly and the roll out of new packages from travel companies, prices may increase the longer you wait, too.

But, as long as you’re booking with a trusted travel agent and booking with flexible rates, booking in advance has virtually no disadvantages (except having to wait so long to go on holiday) since you can reschedule or cancel in certain, Covid-influenced situations, we’ll detail these a bit more shortly.

When it comes down to it, booking ahead for 2022 actually has a lot of logical backing behind it. Travel agents with PTS membership are in the best position for booking in advance at the moment.

The Travel Industry is Changing for the Safer

A change happening most recently includes many travel companies changing their cancellation procedures so that consumers can amend their booking up to 24 hours before it’s start if there is a change to the country’s restrictions. Or, if your country moves to the red list, you also have the option to cancel the holiday.

Done to give travellers more confidence in booking holidays, it’s a great feature and level of protection to be able to lean back on if necessary, and something we recommend you look into when booking a holiday for next year.

Not only this, but more travel companies than ever are now using trust accounts. In short, this means that in 2021, your financial protection is better than ever, and 2022 will be even more so. In the case of Protected Trust Services (PTS) members, you will always be able to call and ask exactly where your money is. So, no matter how rapidly the world and restrictions are changing, your money is secure until you’ve returned safely from your holiday.

Because of Covid and the demand of consumers in 2020, travel is also incredibly safe now. Travel companies ultimately want as many people to be able to travel as possible so that we can return to some sense of normality and enjoy a holiday.

Because of everything that has happened in the past year, ensuring the consumer feels safe and confident travelling with a provider is more important than anything else.

As a result, travel companies are doing everything they can to help consumers feel as protected as possible so that you can enjoy the holidays, we are all passionate about.

Rules are implemented and advised to provide you with financial, legal, and medical protection that includes incidents surrounding the pandemic. Surveys are going out and being reacted to by travel businesses, all looking specifically into what the consumer wants in travel to feel safe.

The travel industry is incredibly well prepared to protect you at the moment. So, as long as you are doing your research into a trusted travel agent and a PTS member with a flexible booking system, your 2022 holiday will be highly protected should anything happen as your departure date approaches.

Limited Capacity

Perhaps not an optimistic reason when you’re asking a question like ‘should I book a holiday for 2022’, but a logical one, is the limited capacity on holidays. While travel companies are planning, preparing holidays, and letting them get booked for 2022 and 2023, and consumers are amending some holidays that they were no longer comfortable taking this year, this means that these holidays are booking out fast.

With people securing holidays for the next few years when things should have calmed down, and the more consumers needing to amend their holidays and reschedule for next year, capacity is becoming substantially reduced on planes, cruises, and popular resorts.

If you wait for things to settle to book, any spaces that aren’t taken will most likely have increased in price. So, it’s important to get secure your holiday now.

At the end of the day, you can always amend or cancel a holiday if something goes wrong when you book with an expert travel agent. If you book with a PTS member, all your monies will be solidly protected vis the PTS independent trust account and ATOL.

More Options Than Ever

Looking past the obvious restrictions on the countries you can go to, the travel industry is becoming more creative and forward-thinking about how we can experience travel and be adventurous in newer, safer ways. As the travel industry adapted through 2021 into 2022, this will only continue to expand.

This includes but is far from limited to:

• Domestic cruises – these are cruises touring the UK in various configurations and with different restrictions. Some are family friendly, some vaccine only etc.
• Train adventures – though it has been done in the past, never quite to this magnitude. You can book a train journey that will take you cross country and allow you to witness the beauty of a country all from the safety of a train carriage.
• Authentic/locally focused trips – There are many small businesses now that offer small, more intimate, historical tours and food tastings etc. Using smaller groups to explore more specific areas and really feel the culture is perfect right now to keep people safe and away from crowds.
• More outdoor experiences – with a rising popularity in open spaces, outdoor experiences have taken the travel industry by storm. This includes more outdoor dining so you can enjoy the fresh air while you eat.

There hasn’t been a better time to step out and book a holiday with all of these new and interesting experiences that weren’t widely offered before, and if crowded places aren’t your thing these experiences are now catered specifically to personal, safe groups or individuals to keep everyone safe and comfortable.

And of course, we can’t forget all the classic holidays and destinations that are still as popular as ever. Seats are booking up, especially for peak dates, so if you’re thinking of booking during peak dates or looking to attend popular destinations for your 2022 holiday, now is the time to grab your space before it’s gone or simply becomes incredibly expensive.

The travel industry is fit to burst, ready to shower consumers in all the adventures we’re ready to give you. There’s never been such a time of joint excitement between consumers and travel service providers than of late, and even if you’re booking for 2022 or 2023, travel companies are passionate about giving you back the freedom of an international holiday.

How Can I Do It Safely?

Above all else it is important that you book with flexible terms and ensure you’re booking with a human being for utmost confidence in your holiday.

Earlier we mentioned the new additions of more flexible cancellation and amendment terms for travellers. It is important at this time that you take advantage of this offer and look for a travel agent that will offer you this and be able to answer your question ‘should I book a holiday for 2022’ in a way that gives you confidence.

With everything being so uncertain, finding the most flexible booking you will give you a lot of confidence in your holiday. This includes things such as:

• Flexible cancellations/amendments – no cancellation or amendment fees, up to 24 hours before etc. (depending on the cause of cancellation/amendment) This may not always be available but chat with your travel agent to discuss your options.
• Trust accounts – especially with PTS, this gives both you and the company better and faster control of your money so you can assure your own peace of mind.
• Package holidays – booking as a package holiday will provide protection under the Package Travel Regulations and the ATOL Scheme where applicable.
• Flexible deposits – this could include a deposit that can be kept and used for the next holiday if this one gets cancelled, refundable deposits, or it could involve booking with a company that doesn’t require a deposit.

Because of this it’s important to ensure you’re provided with all the information necessary so you can confirm that you have the best protected agreement you can. It is also important that you’re booking your holiday with a human being – a knowledgeable travel agent will be invaluable to you right now.

It’s often hard to know exactly what and who you’re dealing with when you book online and without a human voice attached it can be even harder to tell if it’s legitimate. However, it’s very simple to avoid these issues and protect yourself on all fronts by making sure that all your interactions with your booking process are going through a human being, whether over the phone or in a shop. The importance of booking with a human travel agent is incredibly important – when something goes wrong you have your agent at the end of the line.

You can easily get peace of mind while selecting a travel agent by looking for the Protected Trust Services (PTS) logo to ensure they’re a member of our experienced, trusted community.

Now that we’ve answered the question ‘should I book a holiday for 2022?’ with a hearty ‘Yes!’, to be certain that you’re booking with a flexible, protected, and trustworthy travel service, look for a PTS member or contact one of our friendly team by calling 0207 190 9988.

And if you want to learn more about consumer protection in travel or how you’re protected by our independent travel trust account, you can check out our pages.