Travel trends for 2025

From seeing spectacles of the natural world to cultivating a more serene state of mind, here's how experts believe we'll choose to spend our time off in the coming year.

Softly, softly

Soft travel means "pared-back" trips with an "inward-looking focus" that prioritises "simplicity, and ease", said Forbes. This encompasses experiences of "basic joy" much like "quality time spent with family" as well as "walking in beautiful surroundings; sleeping under canvas; foraging from the land", said luxury tour operator Original Travel. There are "no gimmicks, no fads, just travel in its purest, most perfect form".

For the long haul

Holidaymakers will be looking to expand their horizons this year, said the Abta Travel Trends report with Asia "set to welcome the biggest year-on-year rise in visitors". Thailand is likely to be the most talked-about tourism destination in 2025, partly due to "set-jetting" (season three of "The White Lotus" TV show out next year is filmed in Koh Samui) and visa-free entry expansion.

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Season two of "Squid Game" is expected to boost interest in South Korea, while "Shogun" has inspired historical tours of Japan.

The future of flying

Personalised flying is a complete contrast to the practice of "rawdogging" – flying without entertainment, eating or drinking, which "will sound like torture" to most people. With AI, in-flight high-speed WiFi and virtual reality, travellers can look forward to a "highly personalised, connected, and immersive experience", said Amadeus Travel Trends.

Many passengers currently watch or listen to content on their own devices, but "airlines are upping the ante" by delivering algorithmic entertainment "tailored to the individual flyer, based on their historic preferences". Delta Air Lines has already rolled out its Delta Sync system for loyalty-scheme members, which "turns seat-back screens into smart TVs" by remembering where users stopped watching, and listing their favourite shows.

Natural phenomena

Travellers will be keen to see breathtaking natural spectacles, from "looking towards dark skies to stargaze" to "heading to the beach to watch sea turtles hatch", according to Expedia Group's latest trend report, Unpack '25. Top of the hot list is the Northern Lights, followed by geological wonder sites like volcanos, geysers and lava fields in Iceland, cranes "dancing" in Japan and the world's highest tides in Canada's Bay of Fundy. Closer to home, starling murmurations in Somerset is a wish-list experience.

Men's health and wellbeing

"Gender norms and expectations" are now becoming "increasingly fluid", and will affect how we travel, said Booking.com's 2025 Travel Predictions. Spa weekends and yoga getaways are popular choices for women, but "men-only retreats focusing on wellbeing and personal growth" are set to become "more prevalent". Almost half of the 27,713 travellers surveyed would encourage a men-only break as a way to escape the "pressures of modern life" – 29% would use such a trip to rest, 23% to prioritise mental health benefits and 14% to address loneliness.