What’s up for travel in the new year? These travel trends and destinations will influence your overseas adventures in 2025.
Ready to level up your travel game next year? Forget the basic beach vacays and typical locales – it’s time to get adventurous with the hottest travel trends and destinations in 2025. Whether you’re looking for a new country to explore or an excuse to escape the daily grind, the new year has endless possibilities for curious travellers. So grab your passport and discover what’s in store for your wanderlust!
Top travel trends and destinations for 2025
1. Astro adventures continue to soar
This year saw many folks travelling to catch the Northern Lights, and it looks like that ain’t stopping anytime soon. There are four eclipses for travellers to experience in the coming year, taking place in March and September. Beyond stargazing, astro adventurers will also forego standard accommodation in favour of sleeping under the stars and seeking out other dark sky destinations to connect with the universe – minus the technology.
Wanna dive into this trend? When seeking dark skies, move away from the city and towards landscapes with unobstructed views. Lake shores and meadows are recommended options. If you’re able to, go for higher altitudes. These will guarantee clearer skies and better visibility. Don’t forget to check the weather forecast!
2025 travel destinations to visit: Tromsø in Norway, Mauna Kea in Hawaii, Galloway Forest Park in Scotland, and San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.
2. Sports mode, on!
Unless you’re into Formula 1, you might not think sports travel is a thing. But surprise, it totally is – and this tourism sector is one travel trend to pay attention to. 39% of those polled by Skyscanner (Singaporeans make up 29%) say they intend to catch a sporting event at home or overseas in the new year. The reasons cited include entertainment, a feeling of excitement, and getting to witness sporting excellence.
Of course, this isn’t limited to the F1 races. This year alone, plenty of people visited France to bask in the Olympics splendour. More will continue or start to travel for golf championships, tennis tournaments, rugby matches, and beyond. We’re calling 2025 the year of sporting fixtures.
2025 travel destinations to visit: It depends on what you wanna catch! Bahrain, Monaco, Japan, and of course, Singapore are top spots for Formula 1 fun; head to Turin, Italy for the Winter Olympics; or drop by England for the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
3. Culinary class countries
So you’ve binge-watched Culinary Class Wars on Netflix and drooled over the contestants’ creations. Or you have a list of restaurants you wanna hit up when you’re in a travel destination. Well, jet-setters, you’re in luck: culinary experiences and the country’s food scene will heavily influence where you travel. These can range from street food tours to dining at Michelin-starred establishments. According to Ibis and Globetrender’s 2025 report, almost half of its surveyors deem the local culinary scene an important factor in determining travel destinations.
Visitors will also go the distance to find regional treasures. That includes traversing supermarket aisles and hitting up local grocery stores. Travellers are entering a “souven-era” (where visitors centre their getaways around scouting goods not found in Singapore), based on Expedia’s findings between January and August 2024.
2025 travel destinations to visit: Curious about the kunafa chocolate bar going viral on TikTok? You can find those in Dubai. Stop by Paris to visit its Christmas market and learn to bake macarons. Or check out Buenos Aires’ burgeoning food scene.
4. Making detours to lesser-known spots
While travellers continue skipping common tourist hotspots for destination dupes, they will also add lesser-known (and not-so-crowded) places to their itineraries. These sites are either along the way to the final stop or are the visitors’ main holiday locations. Expedia’s trend report notes a surge in flight searches to various “detour destinations”. In fact, 63% of its polled participants said they’re open to visiting such locales on their next trip.
2025 travel destinations to visit: Intending to visit Barcelona? You can add Girona to your list – or eschew the other spot for this one. Travellers can also detour to Santa Barbara along the way to Los Angeles or have a stopover at Brescia before ending at Milan.
5. Solo trips out, multigenerational vacays in
Travelling alone is fun, but in 2025, intergenerational trips will be a key travel trend to watch out for. Research from Booking.com reveals that globetrotters from the Asia-Pacific region are keen to travel with their families in the next months. Most of them see this as an opportunity to bond with their kin whom they might not see as often. The best part? Older generations may splash their cash by paying for the trip. Woohoo!
You’ve heard horror stories about family vacations. So, what’s the secret to a successful holiday? There are a few: the duration should be between four to six days (enough days to relax and have zero travel fatigue), flexible itineraries (group tours are a good consideration), and booking the perfect accommodation (hotels remain the go-to, though there’s increasing interest in unique stays like ryokans and longhouses). That said, don’t assume adventures are only for the young – older folks might be keen to participate, too!
2025 travel destinations to visit: Unsurprisingly, Tokyo and London are perennial favourites. But if you’re looking for other (exciting) options, consider Murcia in Spain, Azerbaijan, or Italy’s Nago-Torbole. Half the fun is discovering and experiencing a new location with your loved ones.
6. It’s all about art and gaming fun
A couple of cultural experiences will change how tourists see the world. Skyscanner’s report mentions that 41% of local travellers want an immersive art experience during their trip and slot that into their itinerary. It’s not just about observing for these folks – they’re keen to engage with the masterpieces and share them on social media.
Meanwhile, video games and conventions will also add another dimension to tourism. Many Singaporeans are inspired to book a trip abroad thanks to their favourite games. Fun fact: some also take their video game consoles on their holidays.
2025 travel destinations to visit: London’s West End district has a cool immersive art experience. Alternatively, visit Hamburg, Abu Dhabi, or Jeddah to check out TeamLab’s gorgeous works. Gamers can book flights to Cologne or San Diego, where annual gaming conventions are held. Psst: into Pokemon? Events related to the anime will take place in Anaheim and San Francisco.
7. Embrace the joy of missing out
In contrast to the fear of missing out, the upcoming year will see more wanderlusters dialling things down several notches by deliberately doing less on their vacays. This means skipping the city and overcrowded destinations for quieter, more secluded spots to unwind and recharge. Vacationers will be able to reconnect with themselves, heal from all sorts of challenges, and increase their resilience, purpose, and longevity.
Besides seeking out wellness activities and retreats, travellers will also partake in cutting-edge experiences like red light therapy, cryotherapy, and stem cell treatments to boost their well-being. An interesting finding by Booking.com is that men-only wellness retreats will become more prevalent in 2025. Goodbye boys’ trips, hello to prioritising mental health for males.
2025 travel destinations to visit: Resorts in the Maldives offer retreats that can help cultivate health and wellness. Other notable spots include Samki Meanchey district on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, the Himalayan foothills, Thailand’s Ko Lipe, and Fiji.
8. Business? Leisure? Why not both!
Previously, going overseas required scheduled dates in advance, applying for leave, and thoroughly enjoying your time away from the office. That traditional vacationing model is left in the dust, replaced by a hybrid arrangement that blends work and pleasure (aka “bleisure travel”). With remote work and digital nomads on the rise, folks will use a few days of annual leave before continuing to stay and work at their chosen destinations. A workcation, if you will.
2025 travel destinations to visit: Everyone knows Bali as a digital native’s paradise. But if you don’t want to trade cities for the beach life, you can visit Bangkok, Melbourne, Amsterdam, and Istanbul.
9. Other 2025 travel trends to take note of
Several prevalent travel behaviours will continue in 2025. One of them is set-jetting, which will be boosted thanks to worldwide smashes like Squid Game 2, The White Lotus, the sequel to Moana, and the real-life adaptation of One Piece. Music tourism also remains popular, with many concerts and festivals lined up for the coming year. More visitors will also be mindful of sustainable practices and green travel.
2025 travel destinations to visit: Set-jetters, prepare to travel to Seoul, Koh Samui, Hawaii, or South Africa in 2025. Keen to experience a music festival abroad? Have fun exploring Berlin for Lollapalooza’s 10th anniversary, Budapest’s Sziget Festival, or Coachella in California.
There you go, jet-setters – travel trends and destinations for your 2025 wanderlust list.
