Epic Journeys

Forget about quick getaways and staycations. It’s time to travel further and longer. Whether it’s a voyage of self-discovery, chasing migrating beasts across vast plains or checking into different port of calls on a luxury cruise ship, be prepared to be away from home for a very long time.

- Goh Hwee Leng

Imagine spending 10 months going round the world to explore the peaks and glaciers of Patagonia, to stay at a secluded safari in Botswana, to dip in the hot springs of Fiji, to get up close with the giant pandas in Chengdu and to shoreline hike in Norway? These days, it would appear that an increasing number of holidaymakers are choosing the path less travelled over much longer periods of time, with trips lasting anything from three months to a year. According to a spokesperson for lifestyle and concierge group Quintessentially (www.quintessentially.com): “There has been a steady increase in three month-plus trips as our clients look to take sabbaticals to disconnect, personally develop and experience the wonders of the world and new cultures. In the last six months, we’ve started to see a notable rise in requests for around-the-world trips as clients want to see and do it all, ticking offtheir bucket list in one immersive journey.”

A spokesperson for luxury travel company andBeyond (www.andbeyond.com) concurs, adding: “There’s been a steady rise in longer holidays to more exotic destinations or far-flung places that are harder to get to, with millennials and luxury consumers alike swapping holidays in popular destinations for trips to unexpected or harder-to-access locations.”

Apart from spending more time away from home, travellers are also becoming more altruistic in their choices, selecting activities and products that are sustainable and looking at ways to reduce the negative environmental effects of their travels.