Tis the season of lists. The New York Times, Lonely Planet, Afar Magazine, you name the media and you will find breathless and excited articles extolling the many amazing places that you can and should travel to in 2024. The destinations do look fantastic – alluring, interesting and very tempting. It is good to also see suggestions of top places to travel without flying, or alternate locations to destinations which are suffering from over-tourism. There are articles about the latest travel trends. For example, Condé Nast Travel lists 20 travel trends, some of which seem downright odd, but they give a nice summary:

In 2024, travelers will be putting what’s important to them front and center of their plans, valuing deeper experiences that leave a positive impact, time spent with loved ones, and wellness moments that last well after checkout. We’ll be choosing destinations carefully, slowing it down to enjoy the silence and the stars, indulging in our love of food in new and interesting places, and immersing ourselves in wellness practices that help us live longer.

Also just out are lists of the safest places to travel in 2024. Safety is a big issue, especially for women travelling solo, racialized people and those who face discrimination for their sexual orientation or religion. Canada was just identified in one survey as the world’s safest country to travel this year. How safe is defined has evolved. In past years it might be the absence of terrorist activity or disease. Now a safe destination is considered one where “all types of people can move about freely without discrimination or harassment.”

Travel in Troubled Times

We all know that there is a lot going on right now. The challenges that we and the planet are facing are too overwhelming to list here yet again. The question of travel in troubled times seems to be a topic that I think about with some frequency. In 2023 we posted an article asking if it were safe to travel to Turkey. While every individual must take responsibility for informing themselves and ultimately deciding, we offered some background and our perspectives, which included gentle encouragement to consider a trip there. During the pandemic safety was definitely about health, and I explored some of the ethical, personal and practical considerations in making a decision about a return to travel in 2021. In 2018 Cathy Senecal shared her post on Travelling in Uneasy Times, including some helpful tips on how to prepare in advance and act when on a trip. In 2016 we published a post titled Why Travel to Row Now following a spate of terrorist activities. Here I am again, thinking about this in 2024.

Am I the Only One Thinking About This?

Why am I even thinking about this? Like many other tour operators, our sales are currently tracking well. We are not getting any calls or questions from concerned guests. A google search of “are people afraid to travel in 2024?” revealed very little negative – apparently not something that the travelling public is thinking about. I am right in there too, in the midst of making personal travel plans with friends for Europe this fall.

Articles within the tourism industry are striking a more cautious note. For example, the Canadian Travel Press asked whether the momentum will continue in 2024.  They are ultimately cautiously optimistic but mention many of the same things that I am fussing about. USA Today published its travel predictions acknowledging some of the same concerns. I was pleased to see how realistic and perky the piece was, basically saying that some things will cost more, some things will be harder, some easier, some places best avoided. But get out there, travel and have fun. In late December, Forbes’ travel predictions for 2024 article began with amazement that “Travelers are rushing headfirst into 2024 …  And they are not letting geopolitical risks — or, for that matter, personal risks — slow them down.” Seems that travellers are aware but they are planning further ahead, prioritizing meaningful experiences and apparently buying a lot of insurance. Cancel anytime for any reason insurance is having a moment.

Planning to Travel in 2024

Are we just worn out thinking about all the possible risks and reasons not to travel? Are we just saying screw it, I need a holiday, I am going. Are we just compartmentalizing things, focussing on the trip and ignoring the worries? Or maybe we have been here before – travel weathered the storms of 9/11, SARS and mad cow, Paris terrorist attacks, the pandemic, you name it.

Rick Steeves reminds us that travel can be for good, in fact can become a political act. Rupi Mangat, a wildlife conservation writer based in Kenya says: “Don’t buy into the rhetoric that paints entire countries as ‘unsafe’”. This reminded me of the terrible earthquake in September 2023 which devastated the are area around Marrakesh. Debate raged in the travel community about what the appropriate response was – avoid Morocco or just Marrakesh, be guilty of disaster voyeurism or play a role in rebuilding by bringing in much needed tourism dollars and so on. The discussion was only brief, eclipsed by other issues, challenges, problems in other locations like war in the Middle East and volcanoes erupting in Iceland.

There are things that you can do in addition to buying trip cancellation and travel medical insurance. Check out the experts’ lists of safer destinations. I was happy to see that many Rowing The World destinations made the list, including Canada, Ireland, Portugal and Japan.  You can peruse risk maps or government travel advisories to assess how your potential destination rates and what that might mean for travelling in the country generally or in specific locations. Most national travel advisories seem to use a four-level grading system to identify risk and provide travel advice. The red or worst and fourth rating clearly states “do not travel”, while orange or Level 3 is “non-essential travel not recommended” or “reconsider travel”. Curious if anything had changed for our planned 2024 trip, I checked and Turkey still comes in at Level 2 from both the US and Canada, which is “exercise increased caution”. The British advice is less straightforward with their recommendations stating, “You should remain vigilant, and follow the advice of the local security authorities and/or your tour operator.”

I hope that you are planning to travel in 2024. Carefully, cautiously and well-prepared. The world is a beautiful place. We shouldn’t ignore the challenges facing the world now. In fact, while you are on the road take the time to learn how local people view these problems and what their thoughts on the solutions. There is so much to learn, embrace and enjoy. If you can, do it, travel in troubled times.