Sometimes it feels like vacations need to be shoehorned into busy lives. Whether you’re still in the working world or are retired, long trips aren’t always a possibility. That’s why I’m flagging the is-it-a-trend-or-just-coincidence news that two great tour companies have just debuted shorter tours.
Nat Hab Escapes
I’m a big fan of Natural Habitat Adventures (Nat Hab), but many of their conservation-minded nature-focused trips to destinations like the Galapagos, Botswana, Bhutan, and Australia are longer 10- to 12 -day tours. Its three new U.S. national park “Escape” tours all clock in at five days. Moab, Arches & Canyonlands Escape, Grand Canyon & Sedona Escape, Wild Yellowstone Escape still feature plenty of immersive experiences like hiking, wildlife safaris, and dark sky experiences, just in a shorter timeframe. And because they’re U.S. based, travel times for North American travelers is shorter too, making it more possible to do more in less time.
O.A.T. Immersions
Overseas Adventure Tours (O.A.T.) tours trend longer—14 to 30 days—but its just-launched Immersions collection features land and small ship tours eight to 12 days long. The company has created shorter versions of some of its most popular tours with an eye toward maintaining the cultural immersion and depth it’s best known for. Itineraries still feature activities like home-hosted meals and people-to-people experiences, and tour group size is small (8 to 16 travelers per tour) to allow for meaningful interactions. So far, there are seven of these trips, including tours to Costa Rica, Morocco, and Vietnam.
TourScoop takeaway
Not yet a trend but definitely an interesting idea across tour companies, we approve of this move to offer shorter tours that still offer all the benefits of group travel: travel planning, transportation, great guides, and experiences it would be difficult to arrange on your own. It seems possible that as group travel becomes more popular with travelers who have less leisure time available—whether they’re still working full or part time, have other commitments, or are families trying to work within the confines of school holidays—we may start to see more of these shorter trips from companies that have traditionally offered only longer tours.
