Your favourite places in 2022 first appeared in a Dispatch, the updates sent to all Society members. You can join for free here.

---

At this time of year we often like to look ahead and see what adventures the future can hold. In our team alone, there is a wide variety of expeditions coming up, with some Africa trips, an Antarctic cruise and even a possible Kilimanjaro group trip.

But, part of the beauty of this period is a chance to look back and see what has happened over the previous year. It gives an opportunity to see how far we’ve come and get an interesting snapshot of the year and its travels. We thought we would share it with you… and we hope you find it interesting.

Your Favourite Places in 2022

Most popular country – Egypt

A clear winner. Far and away the most popular individual country, with lots of interest in Egyptian travel. We even made a free guide because of the demand. However, this is also slightly skewed given the COP 27 Climate Conference was on, and many of the delegates we helped took advantage of it to do some regional exploration.

Most popular region – Middle East

Again because of Egypt, with Jordan as well benefiting. That being said, it only just pipped East Africa, which was exceedingly popular this year. It will be interesting next year.

Most popular city/town – A dead heat between Cairo and Victoria Falls

Cairo again features here because of Egypt’s popularity and Victoria Falls is often included in both East and Southern Africa itineraries, given its central location.

Most deferred destination – Namibia

Many travellers wanted to visit Namibia, but with interest and demand so high, finding available accommodation proved difficult and as a result, have deferred to 2023.

Most booked destination so far in 2023 – Zimbabwe

A quiet pocket with amazing safari locations. Oops, we’ve said too much.

Most popular style of travel – A mix of Classic & Premium

Many travellers chose to combine travel styles. This allows for immersive experiences with a hint of luxury thrown in, whether it be stunning game lodges or charter flights.

Most requested destination that we don’t organise – India & Sri Lanka.

Maybe one day.

What you’ll see in 2023 – Our travel predictions

Quiet and remote

We are seeing lots of enquiries for people wanting to get off-the-beaten-track, away from crowds and avoiding the busy seasons. We can already see this firsthand from the interest we have received so far destinations such as Zimbabwe. This desire will see people travelling areas like Nyarere and Ruaha in Tanzania (instead of the Serengeti) and also wild places in Zambia, like Kafue or South Luangwa.

Travel hacks

The Okavango Delta is an amazing place, but you do pay for the privilege. Enterprising people have started some amazing camps in the Namibian Zambezi region, the panhandle of Namibia that cuts right across the Okavango river. It’s the same water and ecosystem, but a fraction of the price.

Old favourites

Some areas never go away. You know these names already.

Avoiding the roads

One of the most popular options this past year was people choosing to fly between destinations in East Africa, in places like Kenya, instead of going through the ‘African massage’ of the roads. This also enables a more personalised trip, which is increasingly popular.

Оur Best Reads of 22

One of the most gratifying things about this year was the society feedback about the Dispatch stories we send out. We are always so happy to hear your enjoyment of the stories we tell and love to hear your opinions on any controversial topics we cover. Please keep it up, and we’ll keep writing.

Here are the winners, as judged by your feedback.

Controversial pieces

Uganda or Rwanda – We tried to be as fair and objective as possible but still got plenty of emails from across the world, all with differing opinions. Which kind of proved our point, but whatever.

Crowds, Cameras and Carnage – We had emails from contacts across Africa (who also read the Dispatch), all thanking us for sharing the unvarnished truth. African travel is wonderful, but complex, and there are choices to be made.

Most entertaining pieces

Covid + and in a remote African lodge – This was our most recent, but prompted a lot of emails thanking us for sharing it and wondering about the fate of the patient, his mental health and his spider friend.

The Long Drop – Our first Campfire tale. It takes a twist.

Explorer Stories

Our stories about Sir Ernest Shackleton, Nobu Shirase and Gertrude Bell in particular all seemed to interest you. We have more coming next year on some big names and some quiet achievers.

You can read all our old Dispatches via our Journal, including ones not listed here.