Travel As Healing

A curated collection of can't-miss news from this week, including 2022 travel trends and more. Sign up to get the TURNER Weekly Download in your inbox.

Travel As Healing

The wellness vacation is nothing new. But the concept of wellness travel is evolving in 2022 thanks to the ongoing pandemic. "The travel experience transformed and became a place to heal [during the pandemic]—from mental, physical, spiritual stress," Chris Kam, the president and chief operating officer of Omnitrak, a Hawaii-based research company that conducts regular national travel surveys, told the New York Times. "People travel for answers now about how to feel better."

Vegan Tourism

Wellness and veganism go hand in hand. And vegan tourism is on the rise this year. "Veganism is more than just a way of eating" says Jason McGregor, owner of Vegan Vacations. "Vegan travel means you will not be faced with any element of your vacation having an adverse action on animal life—no leather chairs in the room, no feather pillows or comforters on the bed, no 'tested on animal' hygiene products in the bathroom and dining options that are designed to support vegan health. The days of only accommodating vegans by removing elements from regular menu items are behind us."

Improving Accessibility

Accessible travel is also growing—but there's still a long way to go. The Guardian takes a look at how Australia is handling the issue. "Lots of accommodation sites want the tick to say they're 'fully accessible', but that's a meaningless phrase," says Dale Reardon, the founder of the accessible travel consultancy Travel For All. "A property perfect for a blind person may be no good for a person in a wheelchair. It's not all about ramps or guide dogs."

There's An App For Everything

The omicron variant has wreaked havoc with travel plans. But some new (and updated) travel-centric apps can make things a bit less stressful. The New York Times has a roundup of apps that can help you "turn award points into a hotel suite, join a ranger for a national park hike, hear the history of the place you're driving through, see the latest Covid-19 travel protocols—to help you tap and swipe your way to what will hopefully be a new year of adventures."

Weekly Moment of Zen

A supercut of Betty White's greatest moments on Golden Girls.