Indicating interest in travel abroad, Google found that searches for passport appointments have skyrocketed this year, and that international cities are back among the most searched flight destinations.
The Google Flights platform found that five of the top 20 destinations people are searching are European cities: Paris, London, Rome, Athens and Lisbon. Google called it a “striking” trend compared to summer 2021, when Cancun was the only international city on the list.
• Related: American travel to Europe expected to increase sixfold this summer
Looking at searches in the U.S. from January through mid-April for flights departing June through August, Orlando topped the list while Las Vegas and New York were in the top five. Cancun was No. 2, while Paris, at No. 7, was the top European destination.
Surge in passport renewal searches
Searches for passport appointments grew by more than 300% during the first three months of 2022, indicating that people want to go abroad — and perhaps discovered that their passports had expired.
Google found that people are continuing to spend more on travel, with interest in “luxury hotels” above 2019 levels, and “luxury hotels near me” double what it was in early 2019.
Some pandemic trends appear to have staying power: Google found that glamping searches, which first became popular in 2020, continued to surge, with warmer-weather states (Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and Tennessee) the most popular for glamping, according to search data.
• Related: Europe awaits travelers. But are airports ready for a summer surge?
And seven the top 10 summer attractions in the U.S. still include national parks, with Yellowstone and Glacier topping the list, followed by Disney World, which along with Hershey Park and Universal Studios are the three theme parks on the list.
Other trends Google noticed are that searches for “girls trip destinations” are up more than 300%, “good bachelor party ideas” are up more than 200% and “singles cruises” are up more than 250%. Expectant parents are also ready to travel: “best babymoon destinations usa” increased more than 170%.
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