When the COVID-19 pandemic tightened its grip in 2020, Jennifer Hoddevik suspended operations for her company, The Travel Yogi, which offers trips combining yoga and adventure travel. Health concerns and travel restrictions made it impossible for tour operators worldwide to do business.  

But, in August of 2021, The Travel Yogi reopened as Americans fed their pent-up desire to travel. From 2022 to 2023, the company surged and returned to pre-pandemic levels. For 2024 and beyond, Hoddevik expects revenues to climb. 

“I imagine we’ll continue to see growth,” she says. “We won’t see the jump that happened from 2022 to 2023, but we could see 10 to 12 percent year-over-year growth. 

According to the 2024 Adventure Travel Industry Snapshot (produced by the Adventure Travel Trade Association), 85 percent of respondents globally expect their 2024 net profit to be equal to or better than 2023.   

While many people have exhausted their pandemic stimulus money, plenty of dollars still flow into the adventure travel market.  

“We were shut off from the world for a long time,” says Heather Kelley, director of research for the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA). “I think we want to go places, explore, and meet new people.” 

Gear and Apparel Sales 

Over the past two years, adventure travel has been a powerful category for Cumberland Transit, an outdoor specialty store in Nashville, TN.  

“International travel has really picked up,” says store owner Jason Thienel, noting that he’s seen sales increase for popular travel bags like the Patagonia Black Hole Duffel. Cumberland Transit partners with Moon Dance Adventures, a Nashville tour operator offering international adventure trips for middle and high school students. “We sell a lot of gear to them, and many of the kids get a Black Hole Duffel,” says Thienel.

Osprey’s Farpoint and Fairview travel backpacks are also top sellers for Cumberland Transit. “Customers like that these have detachable day packs, which allows them to carry more,” says Thienel. Travelers facing limited overhead storage on planes can stow the main bag overhead and keep the detached day pack in their seats. 

Travel apparel, especially Mountain Hardwear’s Canyon Long Sleeve Shirt, has also picked up steam at Cumberland Transit. This classic lightweight travel piece wicks moisture and dries quickly. “Plus, it’s just a really clean button-up that looks nice,” says Thienel.  

At Jesse Brown’s Outdoors in Charlotte, NC, adventure travelers gravitate toward clothing that protects against sun exposure and bug bites. “We have a lot of customers going to Africa,” says store owner Bill Bartee, adding that he’s served several people gearing up for fly-fishing in Belize.  

Adventure Travel Trends 

Bartee and Thienel agree that more customers are taking big international bucket-list trips. “Over the past two years, two really popular trips have been Machu Picchu and the Camino de Santiago trek,” says Thienel. At Jesse Brown’s, several customers have shopped in preparation to explore the ancient Silk Road trade routes.  

“In 2023, we saw more people doing big adventures, like Patagonia, Vietnam and Cambodia, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka,” says Hoddevik of The Travel Yogi.  

While bucket-list trips drive the market, today’s travelers also seek adventures that support economic, environmental, and cultural sustainability in travel destinations. While some travel companies incorporate carbon offsets and carbon-neutral operations, other tour operators ensure travelers’ dollars benefit local economies.

Hoddevik says her Travel Yogi clients prefer to stay in locally owned accommodations rather than large hotel chains. “They want to know where their dollars are going, and they want their money to go to locals,” she says. 

Over the past two years, Hoddevik has also noticed that more of her clients are women traveling alone. The ATTA’s research has confirmed this trend. “We’ve heard from our community that solo trips are also becoming more popular, especially middle-aged women traveling alone,” says Heather Kelley, the ATTA director of research. “I think women are undergoing a real transformation,” says Kelley. “We want to find ourselves and do what makes us happy.” 

A Focus on Mental Health 

While women are transforming their lives, the greater U.S. population has also shifted its priorities due to the pandemic. Months of isolation and concern for sick loved ones prompted people to pay more attention to their mental health, quality of life, and happiness. “The pandemic was a big time of reassessment,” says Hoddevik, noting that people joining yoga adventures and other wellness trips now prefer programs that address mental health rather than just physical health. “People want time to find some mental space, some time for themselves, to get away from the day-to-day routine,” says Hoddevik. “They’re making this a priority.”  

We’re still discovering the many long-term effects of the pandemic. While it shuttered many parts of society, including whole industries, it has unlocked a desire to experience new things. Whether it’s women traveling solo or people pursuing a bucket-list trip, passionate and curious travelers will provide plenty of fuel to keep the adventure travel market climbing.