Most Expensive Travel Destinations of 2022 Revealed

Most Expensive Travel Destinations of 2022 Revealed

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ST. PETERSBURG Fla., December 14, 2022 —Travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth.com analyzed data from thousands of travelers to determine the world’s most expensive destinations in 2022.

Trips to Africa, Antarctica, and the islands of Oceania cost the most. This year, travelers spent 44% more on trips to these 25 destinations compared to any other countries.

Travelers Spend Over $133 Million on Expensive Destinations Alone, Up Nearly Half from 2021

  • Over 21,000 travelers spent over $133 million to visit the 25 most expensive nations.
  • This year, Squaremouth saw a 57% increase in travelers and 44% increase in spending to expensive destinations compared to 2021.
  • The average individual trip cost to these destinations in 2022 was just over $11,000 – 2.8x more than the average traveler spent this year.

Africa Leads All Continents in Most Expensive Destinations

For the second consecutive year, nearly half of the most expensive trips were to African nations.

  • Congo, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Kenya were the five most expensive African countries to visit.
  • Travel to the Oceania islands increased in 2022, comprising 24% of the most expensive destinations.

Top 10 Most Expensive Destinations of 2022

CountryAverage Trip Cost
Congo$32,400.00
Botswana$17,753.80
Antarctica$17,730.93
Zimbabwe$14,393.87
Tanzania$13,244.88
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands$12,874.45
Marshall Islands$12,405.38
Kenya$11,544.77
Central African Republic$10,651.98
Monaco$10,247.35

Antarctic Travel Continues to Trend Higher in 2022

Antarctica continues to trend as a popular destination more than ever before.

  • Travel to Antarctica in 2022 increased by 134% compared to the previous year.
  • Antarctica is the only destination among the top 10 most expensive travel destinations and the top 2022 holiday season destinations.

Travel Insurance Remains a Good Deal for High Priced Destinations

Comparing costs, travel insurance remains a good, low-cost investment compared to the price of the most expensive trips:

  • The average travel insurance premium for the top 25 most expensive destinations was $717.44. That’s nearly three-times higher than the year’s average travel insurance premium of $242.55.
  • The cost of insuring a trip to the most expensive destinations was only 6.5% of the average trip price.

Methodology: Squaremouth analytics compared travel insurance policy sales for trips being insured between January 1 and November 27, 2022.