To travel or not to travel … in the midst of a pandemic, the decision is difficult to make. Even when the rules don't prohibit it, we are sometimes reluctant to cross borders. Fear of being stuck in a country, fear of being placed in quarantine, lack of resources, or even a phobia of the PCR test … all of these reasons that keep us away from the sand and the oceans.
In a year of crisis, it was therefore necessary adapt. Because if it is not possible to go abroad, there is no question for the French to stay at home. This is how new ways of traveling were created, starting with local tourism, the majority in the summer of 2020 (even though we could go abroad).
In a study co-conducted in January 2021 by the travel tips platform VoyagesPirates and Babbel, the language learning application, 1,100 French users of VoyagesPirates were asked about their relationship to travel since the health crisis. The study thus deciphers the trends which, born in the time of Covid-19, are likely to continue even post-crisis.
"Wanderlust", the deep desire to travel
At the start of 2021, the observation is the same for everyone: the desire to travel is omnipresent. A desire greatly increased by the epidemic and the inability to travel. Asked about the extent of nostalgia for trips abroad, on a scale of 1 to 100, the French expressed an average value of 86. This need is mainly reflected in the German word fernewh, in other words have the nostalgia for distant lands, or wanderlust, the desire to roam, travel and discover the world.
"Staycation", rediscover the surroundings
This trend is arguably the one we hear the most about. Even if it is imposed to us, the staycation allows us to cope with the crisis more easily, while temporarily meeting our urgent travel needs.
The staycation consists in fact of spend your holidays in your own city and surroundings which allows us to rediscover their beauty. 33% of French people surveyed also consider that staycation allows them to visit places never seen before.
The hashtag staycation is one of the most used on social networks in 2020, and since we don't really have a choice for the moment, the trend is likely to continue, even if it does not make everyone agree: 29% of respondents consider that the real holidays are spent at the foreigner only.
Let's see the bright side: the staycation allows to make savings. Take advantage of the saved fuel and highway budget and use it to sleep in a beautiful hotel where you can enjoy a massage for two or a delicious dinner.
"Urlaub auf Balkonien", travel from his terrace
Coming straight from Germany, this trend consists of furnish your terrace or balcony with furniture and objects reminiscent of dream destinations. Urlaub indeed means vacation and auf Balkonien, on the balcony. In principle, this is the word balkon which is used in German to express the balcony.
Here, the locals have ironically added the particle –nothing, used in German to denote country names (Italian for Italy, Spanien for Spain). Even if it means staying at home, you might as well do it with humor and the Germans have understood that. Arranging your terrace is an occupation to pass the time faster, before you can finally get back to the airports.
"Workation", work from the place of travel
Many French people have a profession that allows them to work abroad, and this, anywhere in the world. The only condition is to be able to adapt your schedules according to the gap for meetings with colleagues (or aperitifs with friends). Some have even "taken advantage" of the Covid to move abroad, since nothing was really holding them back in France.
For others, it is also an opportunity to simply take refuge in the countryside without leaving the country, in larger spaces and especially with a garden. We all remember the images of the rural exodus caused by the announcement of the various confinements, whether in China, France or Italy.
In both cases, you can take the opportunity to visit and discover new landscapes outside of office hours. Sea, mountain, countryside, France or abroad … the possibilities are endless and have convinced one in three French people. It remains to be seen whether the travel-work border is not too opaque, because according to the study 59% of French people oppose this tendency: they do not succeed to differentiate between travel and work.
Warning to "travel shaming "
The coronavirus crisis is preventing travel. For professional reasons, or because they are less financially impacted by the health crisis, some are lucky enough to be able to continue to travel. And that's not really a problem, since at present nothing forbids it (as long as one remains within the European Union).
This is obviously not recommended, and it is above all restrictive : you have to organize yourself to present a negative PCR test on the outward and return journeys, sometimes even respecting a quarantine. As we have seen, it is not very pleasant to walk around with the mask on all day, and there is even less point in going to countries where restaurants and cultural places are closed.
But this is not really enough to allay the anger of Internet users, who also dream of leaving everything and going on vacation. And currently, nothing prevents travelers from sharing their photos and videos on social networks.
Those who venture to do so, bloggers often, receive more than ever, negative feedback. Fortunately, this is a small minority of only 2% according to the study Babbel – VoyagesPirates (but who knows how to be heard). On the contrary, for 79% of French people, seeing paradisiacal landscapes scrolling through Instagram feeds is rather a way of thinking about something else and'escape from everyday life. And for you ?
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