Where to Go in 2025
Travel trends and places on my radar
Going into the new year, I have very few trips planned. But I remain optimistic that a number of great travel days are ahead in 2025. I’ll take you along the researching, planning, and traveling journeys as they unfold, but in the meantime, I have a ton of amazing trips yet to be recounted. Sneak peek: January is dedicated to one of my favorite Nordic destinations.
But where are other people headed in 2025? I looked at the industry lists to check out the hot locales and trending travel styles for next year. Here’s what I found:
More Adventure
I hinted at this in my travel inspiration post, but we are already seeing a rise in adventure-based trips and traveling over vacationing. According to Hilton, 2025 will be all about maximizing PTO days.
“Traveling focuses on experiencing different cultures, meeting interesting people, and exploring new environments. The pace is fast, with a full itinerary.”
If this resonates with you, you are in the right place. This is my exact travel style. And adventure tourism goes hand-in-hand. It’s all about pushing outside your comfort zone to try new things. As an outside-y kind of girl, this has manifested as Mt. Everest Basecamp Hikes and other trek videos all over my For You Page. We’ll see if I’m ever brave enough to take on that extreme of an adventure.
More Nature
US National Parks are seeing huge surges in tourism. Starting around the pandemic, many parks have hit record visitation numbers in recent years and I don’t think it’ll be slowing down. But as the major parks become more crowded, expect shifts to smaller or more remote parks.
Conde Nast Traveler notes Jackson Hole, WY as a top honeymoon destination (just outside Grand Teton National Park) and predicts Alaska as a major destination in 2025 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Serum Run—commemorated yearly by the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. National Park After Dark did a great episode on this a couple of years ago, btw.
Alaska Airlines has added daily nonstop flights to New York and Princess Cruises has a new 22-day Ultimate Alaska Solstice cruise, which will only fuel the tourism boom to the last frontier. I plan to share all my Alaska travel tips later this year in case you are hopping on this trend, too.
More Off the Beaten Path
Even in more densely populated places like Europe, travelers are looking for less crowded alternatives in 2025.
Slovenia is high on my list. If you need convincing, watch this vlog from one of my favorite YouTubers. Catch me in a hot spring overlooking the Slovenian countryside any day.
Lonely Planet lists Lithuania, Paraguay, Slovokia, and Pittsburgh as some of their Best Destinations for 2025, largely citing fewer crowds, ecotourism, outdoor pursuits, and multi-cultural experiences and food as reasons to visit.
Pittsburgh is one of my favorite underrated destinations, and with its close proximity to Buffalo, I go often. In fact, I went twice in 2024. Keep your eyes peeled for my guide to PGH next year.
Where are you headed in 2025? Any dream destinations? Please, please please share in the comments so I can start planning, too.