With borders open and flight routes reinstated (almost) all over the world, this year will forever be known as the great travel reboot. In 2022, travelers learned how to travel again — exploring new terrain, rediscovering favorite places, and making the most of long layovers. As we end the year on a high, today Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform, looks back over the past year, unpacking all the good that was found along the way, at the trips that were taken and all the stories and memories that were brought back.

Despite over two years of bookmarking and saving holiday ideas, the big return was overwhelming for some - Where should I go first? What should I do next? Recent Tripadvisor research found that 'Relax and Rejuvenate' was the main trip purpose for 50% of travelers globally. It's no wonder that in 2022, Tripadvisor saw travelers searching like never before. The most popular search terms were 'Beach' with 4.8 million searches, 'Resort' with 3.2 million searches and 'Spa' that was searched 1.7 million times.

Travelers were extra adventurous this year - looking to do something wild, wonderful and out of the ordinary to escape their daily routines. Some travelers apparently aren't afraid of anything - this year we saw 1,636 shark-diving experiences booked, 16,563 ziplining tours booked and 47,015 ghost & vampire tour tickets sold.

Guidance and people-powered travel remain at the heart of Tripadvisor's purpose. Without tips, reviews, recommendations and suggestions from people who have been there before, Tripadvisor wouldn't be the invaluable resource that it has become for the millions who visit the platform every month. This year, Tripadvisor saw over 16 million five-bubble reviews written, 22 million helpful votes given and 387,000 forum threads created.

"We love to see our traveler community returning to what they do best - rediscovering the transformative power of travel again, and more importantly, coming together to share with others what they've found," said Hilary Fischer-Groban, Senior Director of Brand Experience at Tripadvisor. "As we carry this momentum into the year ahead, we look forward to celebrating more of the impactful travel stories, incredible first-hand guidance, and thoughtful details you can only find on Tripadvisor."