Active-travel specialist Backroads said the company is setting record sales for 2022, with business up more than 100% from 2019, the last full year of travel before the pandemic.
Europe looks to be the most popular travel destination next year, followed by Central and South America and the U.S., Backroads said.
The company made its return to Europe this summer and is operating trips in over a dozen European countries through the fall, including Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. Backroads said it has added departures to meet demand.
International holiday travel is also proving to be popular, with guests booking trips in Peru, Ecuador and Costa Rica, Backroads said. Chile and Argentina are shaping up to be in-demand destinations in early 2022.
In response to higher demand, Backroads has increased office staff by 43% since January, to a total of 160 global office employees. Among the new team members is Avery Hale, the daughter of founder and president Tom Hale; Avery Hale joined the business as director of sales.
In addition to returning office staff, more than 200 field staff have returned to run trips across the U.S. in national parks, California wine country, Oregon, Maine and Vermont.