Travel has picked up speed again after two summers with a pandemic, but it is still a long way to go before we travel as we did before covid-19.

- 2019 was the last reference year and it was a record year in travel, we have never traveled abroad as much as then and then it plunged.

2021 was the year it came back, but not yet fully, says Per J Andersson.

Towards safe destinations

According to statistics from the travel site Momondo, Swedes' searches for travel have increased by 36 percent on May 17 compared to the same date in 2019, where southern European destinations are a strong trend in the summer of 2022. Spain is the country that Swedes go to most on holiday and so it has seen out for many years.

The Ukraine war will probably also affect how we travel in the future. 

- Above all, it means that tourism moves west, we travel a little less to the east, less to Ukraine's neighbors and more to very well-known, already established destinations that feel safe.

Especially around the Mediterranean, says Per J Andersson.

Small effect of the climate crisis

The climate crisis has also affected.

During the pandemic, we adjusted and got used to making changes in our lifestyle.

- Before the pandemic, the idea was that we would stop flying utopian, but during the shutdowns we did.

It showed us that it was possible to reduce the flights.

People also say that they are willing to change their travel habits, but most do not.

The majority still want to travel abroad as before.

But we still see a small trend, those in the group who want to change increase a little, says Per J Andersson.

Train travel abroad has increased compared to 2019, according to the travel barometer.

The homesteader is here to stay

Travel to metropolitan areas such as Stockholm and Gothenburg decreased during the pandemic, something that has not yet fully recovered.

But instead, travel in nature increased.

- Places like Österlen, Gotland, and some places in the mountains were overcrowded.

This also seems to be the case this year, says Per J Andersson.

- However, a certain percentage of Swedes still do not want to travel abroad, with the pandemic and all the travel rules that it brought with it but also because of the Ukraine war.

All indications are that it will be packed in some iconic places in Sweden this summer, he continues.