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As tourism opens up again, Katie Wright debates the pros and cons.

Slowly but surely, travel restrictions are easing – making more countries a viable option for holidaymakers.

And after nearly two years of the pandemic, many of us are raring to make up for lost time, and put our passports to good use in 2022.

But when it comes to travel, is it better to pepper your year with lots of long weekends away, or blow your holiday allowance on one mega trip?

Here, we look at the pros and cons of each…

Keep it short and sweet

If visiting as many countries as possible (and bragging about it on your social media or dating profile) is a priority, minibreaks will help you tick off plenty of destinations.

A weekend away to somewhere like Rome, Brussels or Barcelona is a (mostly) stress-free option. You don’t need to pack a whole lot, the flight is short, and, if you book far enough in advance, you can get some really cheap deals.

Psychologists often talk about anticipatory pleasure – the kind you get from having something in your diary to look forward to – and booking a bunch of mini holidays will keep you going, especially if work (or life in general) is getting you down.

Short breaks are a great way to visit pals in other places or travel with friends, and there’s less chance of arguments when you’re only away for a few days.

You might end up spending more over the course of a year compared to one big trip, but you’re spreading the cost – and you might be able to get cheap last minute deals.

Realistically, there’s only so far you’ll want to venture for a short jaunt, but that might help alleviate the eco-guilt you feel from your frequent flying – plus, there’s less chance of jet lag.

In it for the long haul

If your employer will allow it, or you don’t have a boss to answer to, holidaying for over a week is the pinnacle of forget-about-the-real-world relaxation.

Sometimes you can get home exhausted after a long weekend away – particularly if it’s a boozy city break. An extended vacation gives you time to really chill out, and you don’t feel the pressure to make memories every waking moment. You can lounge like a walrus on the beach for days, safe in the knowledge you’ll still have time to visit that castle, temple or street food market at some point.

If you prefer to get out and explore, you can see a lot more of a place when you’ve got time to island-hop in Greece, backpack around Vietnam or road trip through the USA. While long haul flights are pricier (and more uncomfortable), you can jet all the way to countries where the cost of living is lower, and you might save money while you’re there.

A longer trip is ideal for a solo adventurer, because you’ve got lots of time to make friends and keep your options open, in case you want to switch up your plans and head in the same direction as your new buddies.

Plus, you can jump on cheap trains and buses as you travel around, which might help alleviate some of the guilt of your carbon-intensive flight home.

Make Namibia The Hottest Safari Destination Right Now

Best known for its dramatic landscapes, the southern African country is now attracting visitors with its wildlife, says Sarah Marshall Press Association.

An eruption of feathers rudely awakens the day, sending billowing clouds of rusty, sun-singed dust into the dawn sky. Wings beating frantically in a syncopated rhythm, large flocks of quelea birds shift and shape, creating a strobe effect which is both dazzling and disorientating to any potential predators.

When distances are vast and environments extreme, safety in numbers makes sense.

In Namibia, a sparsely populated, semi-arid expanse with landscapes of cinematic proportions, life seems that little bit larger than anywhere else. Lone oryx are dwarfed by sculpted dunes the colour of cayenne pepper, and the Atlantic-lashed coastline is smudged away by an overpowering, clogging fog.

Dramatic scenery has always been this southern African country’s USP, but now its rich and varied wildlife is getting some airtime too. Historically, most land was used for farming, putting pressure on wildlife by cutting off vital corridors; wide-roaming cheetah, for example, were hit particularly hard.

But following the declaration of Namibia’s independence in 1990, nearly three-quarters of the country is now managed by community conservancies and an increasing number of private landowners are shifting to tourism.

One of last year’s big profile openings was Omaanda Lodge, a first foray into safari by Belgian-born hotelier Arnaud Zannier. An hour’s drive from Nambia’s international entry point Windhoek, the fenced 9,000-hectare private Zannier Reserve neighbours Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary, run by conservationists Marlice and Rudie van Vuuren. The charity’s latest project, the Shiloh Wildlife Sanctuary, was set up by the couple’s friend Angelina Jolie to care for orphaned elephants and rhinos. When the Hollywood actress became aware that adjacent farmland was for sale, she urged the Zannier family to get involved.

A luxurious lodge of 10 hand-thatched, adobe-walled huts is now a vital part of the Naankuse story, with the reserve providing a stepping stone into the wild for rehabilitated animals. But the mountain-fringed savanna also has its permanent residents, who I meet on an afternoon game drive.

Passing a mob of meerkats, who spring from their burrows like a jack-in-the-box, we go in search of “blankets” – the code name used for rhino. Emerging from a camouflage of silver-grey camphor bushes, two pregnant white rhino females make their way to a man-made watering hole.

“One more and we wouldn’t allow you to post that on Instagram,” informs my guide, Jonas, referring to the dangers of geotagging one of Africa’s most endangered animals. The cost of 24-hour security runs into thousands of dollars per month, he tells me, which explains why financial support from the private sector is of growing importance to Namibia’s anti-poaching efforts.

Another company with conservation at its heart, who are also investing heavily in Namibia, is Natural Selection. I visit two of their newest management acquisitions in Etosha Heights, a former hunting concession on the southwest border of Etosha National Park, a sprawling game reserve in the northwest, equal in size to Israel.

Built 10 years ago, Etosha Mountain Lodge is a collection of seven wood-panelled villas hugging a hilltop, with 180-degree views begging to be photographed at every hour of the day. More modern, the revamped 11-chalet Safarihoek features a convivial open-air bar and dining area, with equally splendid panoramas of the plains. Both operate game drives in the 60,000-hectare reserve, and with rates starting from around £200 per night, they offer one of the best value safaris in Africa.

The immediately surrounding acacia scrubland is streaked with brilliant-white calcium carbonate trails and glinting dolomite rocks; it soon leads to grasslands baked blonde by the sun, which beam brightly even on overcast days.

Not far from our early morning explosion of quelea birds, two bat-eared foxes appear from their den, bathed in a buttercup light. We watch them guard their young fervently, chasing off an opportunistic jackal who dares to come too close.

Around us, shepherd’s trees sag with gargantuan sociable weaver nests, which tug at their twiggy crooks and laden the boughs like a leaden toupee; while at our feet, frenetic ground squirrels ricochet like pinballs, calling game over by disappearing into their holes.

No branch or burrow goes to waste; everyone has learned to make use of available resources.

Although fenced to prevent the potential transmission of diseases, there are pockets along the reserve’s 70km border with Etosha, where animals can easily break through. There’s even talk of creating direct access to the park sometime in the future, cutting down the current journey time of 90-minutes each way to the nearest official gate. Although Namibian red tape can be thicker than most.

Besides, there’s enough game in this private area to keep guests amused, minus the self-drive crowds leap-frogging between Etosha’s water holes and with the bonus of being able to drive off-road.

Testing the strength of our 4×4’s tyres, we tussle with dense, thorny acacia bushes to catch glimpses of black rhinos, and we spend hours in the company of laid-back elephants as they shower themselves with dust.

Cats are also pussy-footing around the reserve, scoping out a potential new home. During my stay, a lone male lion makes a kill outside Safarihoek’s photographic hide, his conspicuous drag marks leading us to his lair beneath a bush.

But his snarling behaviour in defence of his hard-earned prey is a reminder that the transition from a hunting lodge to safari camp cannot happen overnight.

That’s especially the case with antelopes, who were the main quarry for hunters. Stocked in large numbers for that very purpose, they still have a dominant presence, but, understandably, many are on high alert.

Sitting still in silence, we watch a herd of muscular eland saunter over the horizon, their hulking, boxy shoulders broader than a team of an NFL American football players. Numbering more than 50, it’s a formidable sight.

Once alerted to our presence, however, they vanish in a storm of dust, hooves thundering louder than a cavalry bidding retreat.

“Trust takes time,” my guide, Matthias, assures me. And in a world fraught with dangers, you need be careful about who you trust.

It’s a survival instinct that keeps Namibia’s wildlife wild.

How to get there

Cox & Kings (coxandkings.co.uk) offer a private self-drive 13 days/10 nights Highlights of Namibia tour from £5,365pp (two sharing), staying at Omaanda Lodge, Etosha Heights Safarihoek Lodge and Etosha Heights Lodge. Price includes international flights from London, car hire, the services of a private guide and some meals.

Is it better to have one big holiday each year or lots of little trips?

As tourism opens up again, Katie Wright debates the pros and cons.

Luxury Lodges And A Conservation Success Story

Make Namibia The Hottest Safari Destination Right Now

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As tourism opens up again, Katie Wright debates the pros and cons.

Make Namibia The Hottest Safari Destination Right Now

Find a Property

Sales

Lettings

Estate Agents

Testimonials

When is your preferred availability? (TICK ALL THAT APPLY)