Booking Travel in 2025: What Can We Expect?
In the UK, where I’m writing from at the moment, the days are still wet, cold, and very much a daily reminder that we are still in the grips of winter. However, the greyish light turns darker just that little bit later each night and we’re beginning to see the first wee inklings that spring is near. Spring brings with it not just longer days and warmer weather, but also the unofficial start of travel season in Europe which tends to kick into full gear around Easter. So what can you expect when booking your trips this year?
There are countless wonderful ways to explore the world but every year, just like in any other industry, there are certain trends that seem to take over. So, what trends are expected for 2025, how are they projected to impact the tourism industry in the upcoming year, and what will that make travel look like for us tourists.
To better understand why certain trends are forecast for the upcoming year we need to break down why these new trends are coming about. That comes down to us. As we, travel consumers, look for alternative ways to travel, companies and destinations will alter how they market products and services to us. To understand this relationship fully, and breakdown the projected trends for the upcoming year, we need to start by answering three important questions:
1) How are people consuming and purchasing travel in the travelsphere?
2) How are travellers choosing destinations, accommodation, and activities?
3) How are people getting to their destinations?
How are people consuming and purchasing in the travelsphere?
People appear to be looking to spend more time enjoying the whole travel process and spending more quality time in one or a handful of places. This is a major shift from pre-pandemic travel trends where it was more of a ‘tick-off-as-many-places-as-possible-in-as-short-a-time-period-as-possible’ tourism style - think European coach tours where you visit 12 cities in 18 days. I think the pandemic heavily influenced people’s thinking and approach to not just travel but life. More people are realising that if they’re going to their spend hard-earned money on travel then they want to spend it on quality rather than quantity.
How are tourists choosing destinations?
From the research to the time of travel, more consumers are placing sustainability and eco-friendliness at the centre of their travel planning. As tourists, we are caught up in the struggle between desiring to explore our world and keeping it safe and healthy. Tourists are looking to be more conscientious of and are asking themselves relevant questions about:
1) Their chosen destinations - Are they overcrowded? Is over-tourism a problem?
2) Where they stay - Does the accommodation/booking platform I’m using care about sustainability? Is the accommodation I’m choosing contributing to gentrification?
3) Activities - Are they damaging to the local people, flora, fauna, and culture? I’m a being an arsehole by doing a certain activity?
How are people getting to their destinations?
They’re trying to ease off flying by turning to more sustainable options. If you want to do this as well but are struggling with where to start then have a look at these methods*see blog post about travel options/insert internal links to other posts here* I’m excited to see how creative people get with their modes of transportation so if you have travelled in a unique way please share it in the comments section below. The weirder, the better!
So, now that we have a better understanding of how traveller behaviours are changing, let’s take a look at what trends are expected for the year ahead.
1) Ancestry Tourism
2) Solo Travel
3) Extreme Tourism
4) Personalisation/Custom Packages
5) Festivals
6) Green & Sustainable Innovations
Ancestry Tourism
Who doesn’t want to know about their ancestors? The sheer number of television shows, DNA testing businesses, and genealogy websites attests to the popular burning desire to discover where we come from. However, people are going further than research; they are now taking the months or even years of compiled research and turning it into the blueprint for their next holiday. Ancestry tourism is projected to be a major travel trend in the next few years.
It’s an interesting way to partake in more meaningful, conscientious travel – but it will be slow and potentially expensive. Unfortunately, this means that many people simply won’t be able to make the time or afford the costs to do the necessary pre-trip research. If you are in the luckier category of people that can afford the time and costs of ancestry tourism, then I would encourage you to not squander that opportunity. It opens up exploration of locations, cultures, languages, and personal travel experiences that you may have otherwise never thought of partaking in, creating a unique, personalised adventure into the unknown. That’s exactly what travel is all about.
Solo Travel
I want to start talking about this topic in an honest and open fashion. Solo travel is incredible but it is not for everyone. For many demographics of people, travelling solo to certain destinations is simply not a viable or safe option. If you don’t believe me, then you probably aren’t part of a demographic that has to worry about their safety for just existing – congratulations! I mean that with no sense of sarcasm; I wish everyone could have that existence. But, that simply isn’t the world we live in and the one we have a desire to explore.
I wanted to acknowledge this up front and would implore anyone who wishes to travel by themselves to do their research thoroughly, make decisions wisely, and be conscientious when you arrive. I say this not to put people off, derail your travel plans, and shit on your travel dreams but rather to use my years of experience in the travel industry to help people make better, safer travel choices.
With that being said, I find solo travelling to be the ideal way to travel. Please don’t get the wrong idea or image in your head, though. I don’t just like solo travelling because it allows me to more personally connect with a chosen destination or explore more fully the art, history, and culture of a new place. That is all a great part of it, but one of the main reasons I love travelling by myself is more cold and calloused than personalised cultural experiences and exploration - I enjoy solo travelling because I move at a fast pace and my friends and family don’t.
As harsh as it sounds (and I know it does), on more than one occasion I have wanted to leave my travel companions behind as they forget to put their liquids in a clear bag, measured out into 100ml bottles despite being regular flyers; I have wanted to break up with boyfriends who have stopped walking the moment their feet hit the travelators in airports; and I have had near aneurisms watching beloved and respected family members forget that they need their ticket to get on the transport (they themselves booked!) and fumble through their numerous bags committing the Cardinal sin of holding up the queue. It’s a farce and an outrage and I clearly handle it all very well.
One part of travelling on your own is that you are responsible for absolutely everything from booking, to exchanging currency, personal safety, and linguistic skills. On the one hand this means that you can ensure that every aspect of your journey is as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible. On the other hand, it is a lot of research, organisation, and effort, something to weigh up carefully if you’re considering travelling alone.
Another key aspect, and a bit more of a sad one, is that solo travel can get a bit lonely; even as someone who enjoys their own company, there have been moments on trips that would have been enhanced if I could have shared them with friends, family, or partners. Then I remember how many of them like selfies and that thought gets pushed aside.
Extreme Tourism
This one annoys the shit out of me. I think it’s important to be honest with these sorts of things. It’s because I, personally, have a very difficult time understanding how people justify partaking in extreme tourism. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, ‘extreme tourism’ refers to travel that involves going to highly dangerous or forbidden locations and in some cases doing dangerous, illegal, or potentially deadly activities. I understand that there is nothing quite like the rush of adrenaline brought on from high-octane activities such as skydiving, bungee jumping, or climbing Mount Everest, certain types of extreme tourism take things further than this.
The reality is that these risky travel choices can result, and has resulted, in the deaths of some of those who partake in it; two of the more recent stories include the Titan submersible that imploded in 2024 killing everyone aboard and the death of three tourists and injury of four others in a terrorist-claimed market attack in Afghanistan in 2024. If partaking in activities and going to places that are considered high risk is what gets you going then fine, my anger doesn’t stem from what individuals want to do to themselves. That is none of my business.
My anger comes from the domino effect of shit it causes for the friends, family members, loved ones, and locals linked to those tourists who undertake extreme tourism, especially as most travel insurance plans do not cover extreme tourism activities, the cost tends to fall on loved ones or local charities if and when things go wrong. Another underlying reason that I find this particularly galling is that it seems that many of those travelling in this manner are doing so for clout and attention. I find it hard to respect people’s actions when they are done for internet fame and those actions come at the cost of the health, safety, and well-being of others; if you want to get yourself into trouble then do so but please keep other people who didn’t consent to the actions out of it. Despite my personal negative feelings toward extreme travel and it’s lack of sustainability, it seems to be something we will be seeing more of in 2025.
Personalisation and Customisation
Travel is a luxury. And it is a luxury that is becoming more accessible to a wider range of people year upon year. In the post-pandemic world, our urge to get out and explore our world and live life to the fullest heightened – a feeling that is often felt toward anything that is unexpectedly ripped from us for any period of time. However, just as is the case for many others, the global pandemic cost me jobs, my savings, left me with very little, and changed my view on a number of things, particularly travel. So how, years on, is that impacting travel choices?
People are turning to personalised and customised experiences; if we’re going to scrimp and save to afford a holiday then we want that holiday to be as close to our individual idea of perfection as possible. The wonderful thing about customised travel, especially if you’re looking to be conscientious and sustainable, is that every aspect can be tailored to have an eco-friendly or green aspect. It gives us, as consumers, a lot more power from within the tourism industry to demand sustainable changes through our spending choices.
Festivals
Festivals have always been a reason people travel, it’s not a new trend!’, I can hear you yell through the screen. And, dear reader, you are correct.
Food festivals, music festivals, taking-hallucinogenic-drugs-and-burying-your-own-excrement-in-a-hole-in-the-desert festivals, religious festivals, the variety is endless; there really is a festival for every interest and for every occasion. The reason that we can expect to hear more about them as a travel trend in the upcoming year is that it appears tourists are making it their ‘big holiday’. Travel industry experts are expecting more people to forego other holidays with the aim of making the journey to and from certain festivals longer and slower. For some, this may because of finances but for others it may be an attempt to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable. We love to hear it!
Sustainable & Green Innovations
Who fancies travelling on a plane powered by the sun? Or by algae? The future has arrived for science fiction fans. It is weird, wonderful, and the stuff of dreams for many, the stuff of nightmares for others.
Transport providers are realising, funding, and innovating sustainable energy and fuel sources as consumers demand more sustainable travel options. I’m not saying that these companies are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts but I’ll take the pumped up amount of resources and funding being funnelled into alternative fuel sources regardless of the intentions behind it. The biggest expectations are:
Solar Powered Trains – Already successfully implemented in Byron Bay Australia and soon to be seen in Switzerland as of Spring 2025
Battery-powered cruise ships – Norwegian suppliers are at the front of this but big names like Viking and Carnival have both implemented hybrid battery-fuel ships
Alternatives to jet fuel – Including algae which is back on the discussion table in Europe after being scrapped previously and the use of Used Cooking Oil (UCO), already in use but thought to become more commonplace
Whether these alternatives have longevity and become widespread or will prove to be a pipe dream, will remain to be seen. The fact that there are scientists, climate activists, government organisations, and private companies willing to put the time, money, and effort into finding these alternatives gives me a bit of hope. It will be exciting to see how innovative inventors and investors get with sustainable travel this year and into the future.
Wherever you go or however you choose to travel in the upcoming year, happy travels!