New year, new travel.
Long vs short, group vs solo, intense vs relaxed, faraway vs local. There are plenty of ways to discover the world, and every way brings new ones.
As we change, so does how we travel. Today, we will dive into the top travel trends for 2025. Who knows, maybe you will find a trend that will inspire you to try something new?
Top Travel Trends for 2025:
- Sustainable travel and ecotourism
- Local travel
- Slow travel
- Unplug & disconnect
- Authentic experiences
- Off-the-beaten-path destinations
- Solo travel
- Pop-culture tourism
- Noctourism
- Workation
- Using social media to choose destinations and plan trips
- Using AI for travel planning
1. Sustainable travel and ecotourism
The increased focus on sustainability also finds its share in current travel trends. We more commonly choose sustainable travel and do our best to lessen the impact of our adventures on the environment.
This includes choosing greener means of transport, paying attention to eco-friendly certificates when selecting accommodation, supporting the local economy, or prioritising local travel. Be careful of greenwashing!
2. Local travel
More and more of us are choosing to travel locally. Selecting local gems instead of far-away destinations is more friendly for the environment - and for our bank accounts.
Both reasons sound increasingly appealing to travellers, especially Millennials and Gen Z. Slowly, we are disproving that grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and begin appreciating the grass beneath our feet. And it’s truly a lovely travel trend.
3. Slow travel
Have you heard about this travel trend? Slow travel is about letting go of a packed itinerary, appreciating every moment, and living here and now.
This way, you can create a deeper connection with your destination - integrate into the society, explore new directions, and soak up the local culture.
The priorities shift from striving to see and do as much as possible and stressing over making it to your next admission time, to truly enjoying every stage of the trip.
While adventure travel is still very much popular, more and more people are choosing its opposite. Those who find surviving the daily grind adventurous enough want nothing more than to relax on their holiday.
This travel trend ends the practice of documenting every moment of our trips and posting them on social media. Instead, we set our phones aside and focus on other activities, especially those we don’t normally have enough time for.
And we have many options to facilitate this type of travel! For example, Unplugged offers a range of charming cabins scattered around the UK. Upon arrival, you lock your phone and other devices in a special box and enjoy a peaceful time surrounded by beautiful nature.
They don’t sponsor this article, but we truly love the initiative. Here’s to hoping that soon, we will see it spread to other countries as well!
5. Authentic experiences
As much as we love bringing home €1 magnets, many of us feel a pinch of guilt visiting mainstream souvenir shops.
This is especially true for travel to destinations in areas with traditions and cultures that are very different from what we’re used to. Many modern tourists crave authentic experiences - food prepared by locals, being hosted in family-run bed and breakfasts, and original activities.
Many people supporting this travel trend will choose a cooking class with a local chef over a guided trip to a tourist hotspot or get their souvenirs at a local handicraft workshop rather than a stand on the main street.
6. Off-the-beaten-path destinations
This travel trend is somewhat a continuation of the previous one. In addition to authentic experiences, we increasingly crave original destinations.
Those who are tired of noise and crowds will likely avoid Southeast Asia, where everybody seems to be going in 2025, and head West instead. Such an experience can also be considered more authentic, as seeing everyone posting photos from the same place can drive us to become fed up with it without even going there.
Similarly, you can always find a way to travel off the beaten path, even in popular destinations. Make friends with locals - nobody can avoid crowds and tourists as well as them.
7. Solo travel
Solo travel has been a growing travel trend for a while now. Many of us have decided to stop letting opportunities pass us by as we wait for the perfect travel partner. Others simply enjoy travelling on their own in the first place.
Travel has many benefits and contributes to personal growth. But solo travel speeds up the process - you can learn many things about yourself and develop in ways you wouldn’t suspect if you accept the challenge and embark on a solo trip.
8. Pop-culture tourism
Oftentimes, pop culture trends and travel trends are connected. One of the recent trends in the film industry has been producing adaptations of popular books. This allowed their fans to re-live their favourite stories and add new locations to their travel bucket lists.
There are plenty of special places to choose from: Porto and Edinburgh for Harry Potter, Plaza de España in Seville for Star Wars, New Zealand for Lord of the Rings, and Iceland, Malta, Croatia, or Morocco for the Game of Thrones.
There are also places like New York, which is a true hotspot for die-hard fans of many popular TV series: Friends, Suits, Brooklyn 99, Seinfeld or Sex and the City, just to name a few.
9. Noctourism
Are you familiar with noctourism? If not, add it to your vocabulary, because it’s cooking up to be one of the top travel trends for 2025!
Noctourism is a type of touristic activity happening at night. More and more institutions such as art galleries or museums organise night tours or events happening specifically after dark.
Iceland or Norway are examples of destinations where many people travel specifically for what happens once the sun sets: the Northern lights. Countries which aren’t lucky enough to experience this natural phenomenon make up for it by organising special light shows and spectacles, which attract thousands of tourists.
Another form of noctourism is seeking out remote destinations to admire the night sky uninterrupted by light pollution. Living in a big city, we hardly ever get to see any stars, so a whole new travel trend had to be created for enthusiasts of stargazing.
10. Workation
The rise of remote work has allowed travel enthusiasts to mix business and pleasure. Employees who can work from different countries take advantage of it by enjoying longer trips without worrying about their days off running out.
All they need to do is pack their remote work setup, and they’re good to go! If you can’t count on three weeks off at a time, just mix up working days with vacation days.
Just remember to familiarise yourself with your company policy beforehand. Some employers only allow their employees to work remotely within the country, others have a limit on how many days per year you can spend working from abroad, and others regulate which countries you can and cannot work from.
11. Using social media to choose destinations and plan trips
Not so long ago, we would have probably gone on online forums or search engines to find exciting destinations and create an itinerary. And while this is still the case for some people, many are turning to other sources.
More and more of us use social media to plan our trips. Social media can heavily influence the travelling habits and set new travel trends, or simply serve as a travel planning tool.
Pinterest, Instagram or TikTok are common sources for seeking inspiration, while Facebook groups offer opportunities for finding travel partners, booking trips, or hunting for attractive deals.
12. Using AI for travel planning
AI chatbots have quickly become our personal travel assistants, developing a new travel trend. After all, who would bother figuring out the logistics when you can just ask AI for a detailed travel plan tailored specifically to your needs?
If you create an accurate prompt, an AI chatbot can provide you with a weekly travel plan, as well as recommendations for the best attractions or restaurants.
Just make sure to always double-check the answers. You wouldn’t want to show up at a museum which was supposed to be a highlight of your trip, just to find out AI didn’t know it’s closed on Mondays!
Top travel trends for 2025 include a more sustainable approach to travel, frequent solo trips, forming a deeper connection with the destination, unplugging and slowing down, connecting leisure time with work, experimenting with new types of travel, and using new tools for travel planning.
Don’t hesitate to try out different travel trends and find the ones that work for you. Remember that you don’t have to limit yourself to one travel style - you can travel solo one time, and with your friends the next, or stay at a luxury hotel only to go camping the next time.
We hope our list of 2025 travel trends inspired you to plan your next trip. Do you have any favourite trend? Let us know in the comments!
Feeling inspired? Visit our blog for more career advice! How can you be sure the information we provide is top-notch? We are a group of professionals working with recruiters, career coaches, and HR specialists from all over the world!
Trust our experience and let us help you find a new job in Europe!
Amanda Inácio1w ago
Amazing!!!
Amazing!!!