2025 Trends in Travel

Travel demand continues to rise an estimated 3% in 2025, representing 9% of this year’s global GDP. 69% of consumers stated they’ll focus more on domestic travel in 2025, and 37% believe that the neighborhood they stay in impacts their vacation experience.

Here are some of the trends going into 2025 separated into macro and micro trends, specifically focusing on US travel. In 2025, people are trading revenge travel coming out of the pandemic to intentional travel in 2025.

#1 Solo & Remote Work Travel

This is becoming more mainstream, particularly among younger generations. Surveys indicate that a significant percentage of Millennials and Gen-Z travelers are planning solo trips, reflecting a desire for personalized and independent travel experiences (Forbes). This is likely a result of the pandemic and global lockdowns making people more comfortable taking these kinds of trips. 76% of Millennials and Gen-Z (compared to 69% of all respondents) say they plan on taking a solo trip (AMEX). 66% of respondents’ trips are centered around self-love and treating themselves in a new city or at a beach/island. 60% intend to take 2+ solo trips. I’d also suspect that remote work goes hand-in-hand with solo travel.

#2 Sustainability

As 2025 approaches, several key trends are shaping the U.S. travel landscape: Sustainable and Responsible Tourism. There is a growing emphasis on eco-friendly travel practices. Travelers are favoring businesses that prioritize environmentally sustainable operations, and destinations are promoting responsible tourism to minimize negative social and environmental impacts.

#3 Multigenerational Travel

Multigenerational Travel – A whopping 77 million Americans are expected to turn 65 over the next 18 years. One-quarter of all leisure travelers are grandparents who, on average, take four or more trips yearly, and 37% of those trips are multigenerational.

According to the Family Travel Association (FTA) U.S. Family Travel Survey, over 50% of parents say they’re planning to travel with both their grandparents and children.

“Kidfluence” – One of the factors driving multigenerational travel is “kidfluence.” Nearly 90% of parents in the U.S. and Europe give kids a say in family vacation destination planning. 34% of U.S. millennial parents give kids full control over the final vacation destination decision.

#4 Avoiding Crowds

63% of travelers said they are likely to visit an off-the-beaten-track destination on their next trip, according to Expedia’s “Unpack ’25,” a travel trend report that surveyed 25,000 respondents from 19 countries. More people will avoid crowds by traveling off-season or shoulder-season according to Forbes. Some dub this as “Quiet life travel” (avoiding crowds).  Pinterest reports a staggering 530% increase in searches for “quiet life” so far this year. Another way of avoiding crowds is dubbed “Destination Dupes”, which has over 400,000 posts on social media. These are under-the-radar destinations that offer similar experiences to larger, busier destinations.

#5 Growth in Travel Agents & Planners for Curated Travel

76% of travel agents report that they are getting more work now than they did pre-pandemic according to Business Insider. Looking at Google Trends, 2024 interest in travel agents reached the same level as in 2005 and has trended up over the past several years.

#6 Demand for Unique and Experiential Travel

This is an overarching theme for the remaining items. Travelers are seeking unique and unforgettable experiences, such as attending major events or exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations. This trend includes wellness tourism, stargazing, sports vacations, and cultural curiosity. My theory is that people want to take pictures and post them on social media to be different.

#7 Wellness Tourism

Travelers are increasingly seeking experiences that promote well-being and longevity. This includes communal activities, hydrotherapy circuits, neuro-fitness programs, and retreats emphasizing outdoor activities and mental health. Specialized programs addressing women’s health are a subset also gaining popularity according to Condé Nast Traveler. Close to 30% of travelers indicate plans to visit a health and wellness destination in the near future. The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness tourism as travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal well-being. This is NOT medical tourism. These are the proactive things we do to maintain a healthy lifestyle, reduce stress, prevent disease, and enhance our well-being. This is what motivates wellness tourism.

Most people will be “secondary wellness travelers” with these two types of wellness travelers:

• Primary wellness traveler: A traveler whose trip or destination choice is primarily motivated by wellness.
• Secondary wellness traveler: A traveler who seeks to maintain wellness while traveling or participates in wellness experiences while taking any type of trip for leisure or business.

Think of what your destination has that can be associated with wellness and spread the word!

#8 Stargazing/Sky Watching

Following the 2024 solar eclipse, more young travelers are looking for destinations that provide optimal stargazing opportunities. One in four Gen Z consumers express interest in traveling for celestial events, and they’re 51% more likely than the average traveler to be interested in a hotel that offers celestial, astrology, or space-themed excursions. If your destination has an offering that has optimal sky watching (it’s dark and easy to see the stars) then it’s worth writing a simple blog post.

#9 Sports Vacations

Tennis & pickleball lead the way here as young travelers build their itineraries. They will target resort destinations that allow them to engage in physical activities, with Millennials holding court, stating they are 80% more likely to plan a vacation around playing tennis and 87% more likely to plan one around playing pickleball. Even if they don’t pack their rackets, tennis remains a big draw for Millennials, who are 73% more likely than the average traveler to attend a tennis tournament while traveling for leisure in 2025. Running and biking vacations have also become more popular. Gen Z and Millennial travelers are expected to seek out clubs as a means of exploration when they travel. 79% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers say they’re more likely to attend a local running club’s event while on vacation and 65% are more likely to say that running a race is a great way to explore a new city. With 42% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers saying they’re more likely to book a hotel near a park or running trail in order to stay active while they’re on vacation, expect travelers to pound the pavement in cities around the world.

#10 Cultural Curiosity

When traveling, 90% of Americans say they want to experience life like locals do according to research from Get Your Guide and Wakefield Research. They want to immerse themselves in local customs, explore the local cuisine, and engage with the people who inhabit those areas. Priceline calls these “Awayborhoods”. They seek a deeper appreciation for the destination, including practicing sustainable travel to preserve the things that make the destination unique. Almost half (45%) are concerned that their travel experiences are not authentic. Millennials particularly worry about experiencing the real deal, as 67% expressed concern about not having an authentic experience, compared to 46% of Gen Z, 40% of Gen X, and only 24% of Boomers. Nearly all travelers surveyed (95%) prefer to spend some time on their trip on new and unique experiences, ideally averaging 3 hours a day. Much of this is also centered around food-focused travel where experiences include curated culinary and agritourism trips.

#11 Short Term Rentals & Home Exchange

Airbnb and VRBO, two giants in the home-sharing landscape, represent a $64 billion market. Together, home-sharing opportunities through both platforms amount to 2.4 million properties and more than 785,000 hosts. The home-sharing market will only continue to grow in 2025. One of the most exciting offshoots of this trend is home exchange. Rather than book hotel rooms or short-term rental properties, travelers are exploring the option of trading homes with friends or vetted strangers to avoid paying for lodging. This saves them thousands of dollars on vacations. The home-exchange trend is growing in popularity — more than 8 million home-swap videos appear on TikTok alone.

HOME SHARING IS PROJECTED TO HAVE A $232 BILLION SHARE OF THE TRAVEL MARKET IN 2027, COMPARED TO A PROJECTED $195 BILLION IN 2025.