France on finance? Cuba on credit?
Aussies are so desperate to get overseas following two years of travel restrictions, a growing number are borrowing or sourcing finance to pay for their next trip.
High-end travel bookers Luxury Escapes surveyed its members and found nine out of 10 had already booked or are planning to book overseas travel in 2022, now travel corridors are opening up.
In fact, more than a third planned to spend more than they ordinarily would to treat themselves on their next overseas jaunt, the survey of 1200 participants found.
But for some less cashed-up Aussies who have been hit hard financially by the pandemic, coming up with the funds for foreign lands isn't so easy.
A recent survey by consumer comparison site Finder has found a growing number of people keen for adventure and a change of scenery are willing to go into debt for it.
Nearly one in 10 Australian adults or about 1.75 million people plan to fund their overseas flights using buy-now-pay-later services or a personal loan, the survey of more than 1000 people found.
For younger Australians - Millennials and Gen Z - this number is more like 15 per cent.
Twenty per cent of people hoping to travel are planning to pay for it on credit card, the survey found.
As desperate as people are to get away, they should consider their ability to service these loans before they commit, Finder's Amy Bradney-George says.
"A dream vacation is on everyone's minds but before you commit to a large repayment, think about your current and future financial obligations and whether you can afford it," Ms Bradney-George said.
Yet for those who are itching to travel but struggling to afford it at what is already an expensive time of year, finance might be the best way to get people back on planes and the travel industry back on track, she said.
"Having the opportunity to space out repayments can be tempting for people who might not have the cash on hand to pay all at once,.
"For the travel industry, it can also encourage sales after such a tough time."
The Luxury Escapes annual Travel Trends survey found another impact of lockdown was a changed attitude to working away from the office - a long, long way away.
Nearly three quarters of the respondents believed workplaces should offer more flexibility when it comes to travelling while working and more than half said they'd be more inclined to accept a job that allowed them to 'work from anywhere', it said.
"In a world where you can work anywhere, the desire to break up the 9-5 zoom-barrage is ever imminent," the report quoted luxury luggage retailer July co-founder Athan Didaskalou as saying.
"People crave more frequent moments of escape, with a change of perspective as well as location."
Australian Associated Press
