The return of dream vacations and bucket list travel

Many people scaled back vacations over the last couple years and now they’re making up for lost opportunities. With COVID-19 travel restrictions down, people are seizing this moment to take their dream vacations.  

Even with inflation in the mix, vacation spending over the summer was expected to be up about 90 percent over the pre-pandemic summer of 2019. On average, Americans were projected to spend over $2,600 per person on summer trips. And, the trips weren’t all domestic. Travel to Europe was up 600 percent over last year, according to insurance company Allianz Partners.

Taking a big trip takes time, money and thorough planning. While everyone has their own idea of what a dream vacation looks like, there are many reasons why now might be the time to take that trip you’ve been thinking about for years. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a travel writer and a travel consultant about what it means to take that dream vacation. They talk about ways to plan an excursion across the world, the rejuvenating feeling you gain from your experience and what's changed with travel in the last few years. 

Guests: 

• Elaine Glusac is the Frugal Traveler columnist for The New York Times.  

• Jenny Mikkelson is the sales director at Travel Beyond in Wayzata.

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.