Young Norwegians want to travel – Kilroy says Thailand is a popular destination

After saving for months and months during the pandemic, young people want to travel and according to Kilroy Norway, the travel bug is bigger than ever. 

NRK writes that the travel agency Kilroy experienced more demand than ever before during January and February 2020 and all indications showed that the year would be a good year for young travelers.

But in March 2020, everything turned around, and two years of the pandemic have left their mark.

“We had to lay off almost all of our employees. There were times when I was the only one at work,” sales manager in Kilroy Norway, Morten Møllevik says.

The turnover the agency was supposed to get disappeared with the cancellations as the opportunities to travel disappeared. Møllevik describes 2020 as a hibernation for the travel industry.

But with restrictions lifted in many places all over the world, there is again light at the end of the tunnel and times are changing rapidly. Now that it’s possible again, young people want to get out and experience more of the world.

“Many are extremely eager to travel. They have saved money during the pandemic and are ready to travel,” Møllevik says and adds that Thailand, Costa Rica, Maldives, and Sri Lanka are popular destinations.

Amongst the young Norwegians who have caught the travel bug are Maja Løvaas and her friend Silje Rosvold. They are currently five weeks into a two-month trip in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Maldives and to NRk they say that snorkeling with turtles, safaris, and surfing are some of the many things they have already done during the holiday.

Maja Løvaas says that they have both always loved to travel and have known for a long time that they wanted to take such a long trip.

But although the world seems to be opening up again, covid-19 still puts restrictions on traveling and the girls had to change their original route and travel directly to Sri Lanka first instead of the Maldives.

Maja Løvaas explains that because Silje had covid-19 at the end of January, they were denied boarding the plane to the Maldives although she had a recovery certificate.

Nevertheless, the girls are happy to be out of Norway and Maja Løvaas says ‘’traveling during a pandemic has given us some problems with entry, but once you have entered the country it is absolutely fantastic.”