SABBATICALS: THE NEXT BIG TRAVEL TREND

After seeing a significant rise in bookings for 3-12 month multi-destination trips, Original Travel predicts that sabbaticals will be the next big travel trend

As companies start to recognise the benefits of sabbaticals for staff retention and incentivisation, and more people prioritise a better work/life balance, Original Travel has seen a rise in demand for sabbaticals, organising more and more multi-destination trips between 3 and 12 months in length and worth up to (and sometimes exceeding) £1million.

Once the preserve of academia, where a leave of absence was encouraged for scholarly writing and research, 25% of Fortune's 100 Best Companies To Work For now have a sabbatical policy and ACAS (Britain's leading impartial authority on workplace relationships and effectiveness) outlines guidelines on why employers should offer them*.

The benefits to health and wellbeing (both mental and physical) are multifold and Original Travel's own research into why clients take sabbaticals found that self-improvement/taking time out to reassess (43.6%), to see the world while they could (46.2%) and to combat burn-out/exhaustion (33%) were the most oft-quoted reasons.

Nick Newbury, Co-founder and Director of Original Travel, says: 'we see six common threads when planning a sabbatical itinerary. Clients want to immerse themselves in new and different cultures; get back to nature; spend quality time with loved ones; learn a new skill; put a serious dent in their bucket list or give back and spend some time volunteering.

'They come to Original Travel because they value our logistical expertise - both generally and in sabbaticals in particular - and our destination knowledge. They also trust that they will be well looked after throughout their trip and that we can create truly unforgettable experiences. The team also love working on these trips, because a sabbatical brief gives us a chance to go above and beyond. For one client, we organised for him to dive the sardine run - one of the most amazing spectacles in nature, where millions of migrating sardines are picked off by marine and avian predators - but to do so with an Emmy-award winning camera crew who helped him capture the footage and taught him how to edit them to documentary standards. That's a really exciting trip to plan.'

In response to this trend, Original Travel has launched a comprehensive sabbatical guide, offering practical advice on why to take one, how to ask for time off and inspiration on how to get the most out of the trip. The guide also showcases the benefits of booking with Original Travel, from our 100% carbon footprint offsetting to our network of Concierges who live locally and lend fantastic ground support, facilitating any last-minute changes and troubleshooting.

So what's stopping you? 'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.' Mark Twain may not have said the line he's most famous for, but the sentiment is still a good one.

For a copy of the guide, visit originaltravel.co.uk/brochure

*ACAS guidelines can be found here: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5754

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For more information contact Rebecca Lowe: press@originaltravel.co.uk; 020 3582 4990

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Notes to Editors:

Original Travel specialises in bespoke, tailor-made holidays, crafted by destination experts, to some 80 countries around the world from Anguilla to Zimbabwe. Since its launch in 2003, it has created 50,000 itineraries, each unique and adhering to the company ethos that “Life is in the Detail”.

Original Travel also has its own specialist dive division. Original Diving is the world's only luxury dive travel outfit and is staffed by a team that includes 1 dive instructor, 5 dive masters and a marine biologist. Having completed more than 3,000 dives in over 50 countries, equating to over 100 years' collective diving experience, the team pride themselves on their unparalleled expertise and knowledge of the best dive destinations across the globe.

Original Travel clients enjoy a wealth of additional services they wouldn't find with any other UK tour operator, including:

• Access to a network of 70-plus Concierges who live locally, know their destinations inside and out and are extremely well-connected. They lend fantastic ground support, offering insider recommendations, facilitating any last-minute changes and troubleshooting
• A brace of additional services designed to make departure easier than ever. Every Original Travel client, regardless of whether they're off on a long-weekend to Seville, or a multi-destination sabbatical, will enjoy UK airport meet and greet, fast track UK check-in, fast track UK security*, lounge access and pre-booked flight seats. A great way to start the holiday sooner
• The knowledge that not only will Original Travel offset the carbon footprint of their international flights, but also - in an industry-first - car-hire and other flights (even if booked independently)
• The knowledge that they are contributing to Our Foundation, which supports nearly 100 humanitarian projects in 30 developing countries. To date, nearly £800,000 has been invested to support five key areas: child protection, vocational training, economic development assistance, preservation of cultural and natural heritage and safeguarding the lifestyles of indigenous peoples