Vacation 2022: Every third person has already booked – these are the trend goals

The Germans’ desire to travel is unbroken. The restrictions that the global corona pandemic brought with it since spring 2020 have made the wanderlust even grow. After all, travel is one of the most popular leisure activities for almost half of German citizens, as a recent survey by the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers shows.

34 percent have already booked a vacation trip for the first half of 2022 or are planning to do so. Which seven goals are in trend, it has HolidayCheck online booking and review portal analyzed among thousands of early bookings in the past few weeks. The result is a mix of some well-known destinations and a few surprises.

But all destinations have one thing in common: They promise warm temperatures and wonderful beaches – and can be reached in just a few hours. The ranking:

1. Vacation on the Turkish Riviera

The most popular destination for April and May is Turkey, more precisely the Turkish south coast. The coastal strip, which stretches for around 250 kilometers along the Mediterranean Sea, is also called the Turkish Riviera. Around 18 percent of all bookings on HolidayCheck are currently in the beach region, behind which the Taurus Mountains, which are up to 3000 meters high, rise.

With temperatures averaging 21 degrees in April and 26 degrees in May, nine to eleven hours of sunshine per day and water temperatures of around 20 degrees, it is the perfect swimming destination for many in spring.

Although the Federal Foreign Office has issued an official travel warning for Egypt for months, the bathing region on the Red Sea is very popular with package tourists. The front runners are the beach holiday classics Hurghada and Safaga, 60 kilometers to the south. That probably has to do with the fact that the two vacation spots can be reached from Germany in just five hours by plane.

From April daytime temperatures of more than 24 degrees, around twelve hours, beckon sunshine and water temperatures over 22 degrees. Not to forget the fantastic underwater world and ideal conditions for water sports such as wind, wing and kite surfing.

The Germans’ favorite island just won’t go out of style. On the contrary. The paradigm shift heralded a few years ago from cheap mass tourism to a noble luxury destination is working and attracting an additional target group. The politically stable location, the different beaches, the mountain landscape and the diversity of culture, sport and relaxation also contribute to the fact that Mallorca will also be very popular with holidaymakers in 2022.

In addition, there are daily temperatures of 20 degrees in April and 23 degrees in May with ten hours of sun per day. For bathing, water temperatures around 17 degrees in spring are only something for die-hard people. From June, however, these rise – up to 27 degrees in August.

Gorges, monasteries, dream beaches: the largest island in Greece is like a continent of its own in Greece – full of superlatives and it even fulfills dreams of the South Seas. Crete’s nature overwhelms with more than 2000 meters high mountains and wild gorges, with long palm beaches and lonely bays.

In the home of the first European high culture, there are 4,000 year old, sensational archaeological sites and monasteries to be admired. Port cities with fortresses, remote mountain villages and hospitable people complete the all-round mix. From May, the 20-degree mark on water and on land will be cracked, the sun shines ten hours every day – the pleasant beach weather begins.

The eastern Canary Island of Fuerteventura ranks fifth among the trend destinations. It is located just 100 kilometers off the coast of Morocco. As the first island in the Canary Archipelago to emerge from the depths of the Atlantic millions of years ago, its landscape is characterized by gently undulating hills and barren vegetation. Almost 150 kilometers of wide and light sandy beaches make them the perfect destination for beach fans who like to have their own personal beach.

But water sports enthusiasts such as windsurfers, wing surfers and kite surfers as well as surfers will find conditions here that are only found in a few places in Europe – from beginners’ waves to big waves to flat water areas and strong wind zones. And all of this in a turquoise sea, the temperature of which does not drop below 18 degrees even in the winter months.

Greener, more mountainous and more contrasting: Gran Canaria is one of Fuerteventura’s six sister islands. Here, too, you can land from Germany in four to five hours by flight in pleasant temperatures all year round.

Due to its almost 2000 meter high mountains, pine forests on volcanic soil and spectacular cliffs in the northwest, the island also has a lot to offer hikers. In addition to different beaches with golden and dark sand or small bays, it can also score with one of the most beautiful city beaches in Europe: Las Canteras is located in the middle of the capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

It is 79 kilometers long and 38 kilometers wide: Greece’s island of gods, Rhodes. Sun god Helios is said to have asked Zeus for the island when dividing his empire and named it after his beautiful wife Rhode. The reality on the island in the far south-east of the country also looks beautiful: 32 beaches have something for every taste – from wide sand dunes in the south to sheltered rocky bays in the west.

The medieval old town of the island’s capital with its huge Grand Master’s Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Small mountain villages alternate with lively beach resorts and strong wind areas, which are an insider tip for experts among wind, wing and kite surfers.