How to hack travel in the new year

It appears that globally, people are less jittery about travel after three years of disruption, and are making up for lost time and opportunity. Recent Vitality Travel data showed a 268% increase in air travel since 2019. We also know that locally, up to 1,750 of our members are boarding planes daily - or filling 5 planes a day. This despite flight increases due to various factors that that have influenced reduced supply.

So, where are people going?

The recent worldwide travel inspiration list revealed by Conde Nast Traveller includes Cape Town in SA, Piedmont in Italy, Maine in Portland in the US, Qatar and Istanbul, Turkey as some of the trendiest options for travellers to visit for the year.

Vitality Travel trends show similar popular destinations for the upcoming holidays, and that close to 300,000 flights have been booked on the travel platform since March 2022.

For the holiday period, December 2022 to January 2023, the top international destinations for all Vitality Travellers were:

1. London
2. Dubai
3. Sydney
4. Mauritius
5. Geneva and
6. Phuket

And our top local destinations are:

1. Cape Town
2. Johannesburg
3. Durban
4. George and
5. Gqeberha.

This despite ticket prices being higher than ever in South Africa, especially on these popular routes. For example, an average return flight to Cape Town from Johannesburg cost R1,224 in January 2022 versus R1,743 in July 2022. A return flight from Cape Town to Durban increased from R1,139 to R2,099 in the same period.

Vitality members go everywhere

Flight booking discounts make a significant difference in pricing, because Vitality members get up to 75% off six local flights per year, depending on their level of engagement.

A family of three paid R841 for three return flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town. From a total of R10,991 on Lift and FlySafair airlines, they received R3,700 in Vitality discounts and paid the difference in Discovery Miles - our rewards currency earned from exercise, driving well and spending responsibly. Their pay-in was less than a one-way flight on this journey.

International flights are also rewarding:

• Vitality travellers booked a holiday in Zurich, Switzerland this December. Their family of four would have paid R49,364 for their return flights... but with their Vitality travel discounts (R15,850) and using their Discovery Miles to cover the difference, they paid just R14,362 in cash or R3,590 per person.
• A family of three are going to have a white Christmas in the UK. They booked three return flights to London from Johannesburg which would normally cost about R39,000. With their R16,000 Vitality discount, plus R11,200 paid in Discovery Miles, they paid R12,600 or R3,300 per person, in cash.

It's no wonder that Vitality Travellers are on the move. As the travel industry stabilises and moves toward normality, there are ways around making travel work. I hope you will be inspired to #LiveLifeWithVitality and have rewarding travel experiences in 2023.