People used to book one vacation at a time, now they’ve started ‘trip stacking’

Travel planning usually involves booking a trip to one place at a time. Now a growing number of people are booking two or even three trips over the same travel period in case Covid-related problems ruin their preferred plans.

The trend is called “trip stacking,” and it involves booking a more aggressive trip — say, going abroad or taking a cruise — that is backed up by a trip that’s less likely to be canceled.

By planning multiple trips to different geographic areas, travelers can also pick the trip that suits their comfort level closer to the time of departure.

Trip stacking is “a fairly new trend,” said Misty Belles, managing director at the luxury travel network Virtuoso. She estimates it began between May and June, after vaccinations were being rolled out in the United States, and Europe was starting to reopen.

The trend picked up steam during the summer when new Covid-19 variants started to disrupt travel plans around the globe, said Joshua Bush, CEO of the Pennsylvania-based travel company Avenue Two Travel.

Monica Buchanan Pitrelli www.cnbc.com