2025 Travel Trends: ‘Friend-Finding Tours,’ Private Islands and More

Pelican Press · January 22

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2025 Travel Trends: ‘Friend-Finding Tours,’ Private Islands and More

of 31,000 travelers found that 71 percent of respondents “want to leave the places they visit better than when they arrived.” Eighty-three percent said that sustainable travel is important to them. Now, as travelers wake up to the social effects of tourism, travel businesses are responding in kind, helping visitors maximize the positive — and minimize the negative — impacts of their trips.

The

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platform, for example, has

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in which every guest stay helps fund a local charity.

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offers a “community-powered” accommodation booking platform that connects travelers with independent hosts in more than 30 countries on six continents. Home-swapping platforms like

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offer alternatives for travelers who are looking to avoid some of the negative impacts associated with short-term tourist rentals.

Tour operators are also empowering travelers to engage in difficult social issues in the communities they visit. The nonprofit Abara has three-day “

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” along the United States-Mexico border, with a focus on helping visitors understand the social and human dynamics at play in the region. Telos Group

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of South Africa, the U.S. South, and Ireland and Northern Ireland, with an eye to helping travelers engage in difficult social histories. Organizations like

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,

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and

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have devised walking tours whose guides offer visitors alternative perspectives on social issues in cities like London, Edinburgh, Paris and Rome.

There are also new resources for travelers who want to educate themselves about the social impacts of their travels. The

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offers online classes on responsible travel and other topics; the organization has also recently released a free e-book on

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. The nonprofit Tourism Cares has created a

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that features organizations, accommodations and tours that are designed to have a positive impact on communities and the environment.

Vincie Ho, the executive director of RISE, acknowledges the growing public awareness about tourism’s impacts on communities and the environment, but noted that “the say-do gap is still huge.”

Travelers should be wary of green-washing and “ethics washing,” Ms. Ho said.

“We really need to dig deeper and think critically, and not just be sold on something because a company says they’re doing the right thing,” she said.

Credit…Miriam Martincic

Responding to record cruise demand, major cruise lines will continue to launch new mega-ships this year, with countless over-the-top features and amenities that will appeal to families.

“With every big, splashy new ship launch, we’re seeing even more investment in the family market,” said Colleen McDaniel, editor in chief of the cruise news site

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. “No longer are cabins for five the definition of the ultimate in family-friendliness, but now we’re seeing actual ‘neighborhoods,’ dedicated to families.”

MSC’s largest ship, the World America, will begin sailing out of Miami in April with a family-oriented district packed with water slides, a ropes course, bumper cars, roller rinks and an over-the-water swing. Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, the 250,800-ton sister of the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, will launch from Port Canaveral, Fla., in August. It will have many of Icon’s features: eight “neighborhoods,” six water slides, seven swimming pools and more than 40 dining, drinking and entertainment venues.

Another trend to watch is the evolution of luxury cruises, which have started to resemble the boutique hotel experience. Traditionally, luxury cruising was associated with formality and opulent design, but the products offered on luxury ships today are more subtle, with elevated service and dining in a more relaxed atmosphere.

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the luxury ocean line from MSC Cruises with super-yacht-inspired luxury ships, will sail in the Caribbean and Mediterranean this year.

Cruise lines are not only enlarging their fleets, but are investing heavily in land-based real estate to create exclusive private island and beach club experiences. Royal Caribbean is developing an all-inclusive private beach club in Nassau, the Bahamas, one of its most visited port stops, scheduled to open in December. With more than 17 acres, it will include a family beach, an adult-only beach, a party cove and a V.I.P. area with poolside service.

Carnival Corporation is also investing in a pier extension to develop a private beach in the Celebration Key area on Grand Bahama, which is set to open in July.

Credit…Miriam Martincic

This year, travelers of means will be checking into remote new lodges and upscale all-inclusive resorts, and demanding reasonable prices, relatively speaking.

“The high-end market is responding to three plagues in travel: overpriced, overcrowded and overheated, as in global warming,” said Jack Ezon, who runs the bespoke travel agency

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, based in New York.

Still, big spenders aren’t flinching at high-season rates topping $1,000 a night at cosseting new resorts that prioritize privacy, including

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, set amid sandstone canyons in Saudi Arabia, and

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, with suites built into cliffs on the Greek island of Folegandros in the Cyclades chain.

For those hoping to avoid soaring temperatures, openings in cooler climates also offer seclusion.

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in New Zealand’s Southern Alps sits on a 36,000-acre sheep farm (rates start around $2,200). In the Scottish Highlands,

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will open on a 13,500-acre estate that will require a ferry to reach (rates will start around 1,000 British pounds, or about $1,220).

On the pricing front, several newcomers are adopting a model usually associated with bargain beach vacations — the all-inclusive — minus the bargain. You won’t have to whip out your wallet for every rum punch and sushi roll at the

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in Jamaica, where rooms include overwater bungalows (from around $600 a night). Guests at

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, in Mexico, reach the all-inclusive by a private catamaran shuttle (from about $1,700 a night). In spring, W Hotels will open its first all-inclusive,

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in the Dominican Republic (opening rates from $799 a night).

Bundled rates offer a way to predict costs among an increasingly price-sensitive set of luxury travelers. Many felt gouged by the run up in prices when travel came roaring back post-pandemic and the industry suffered from disruptions, understaffing and supply-chain issues. Now, they want to justify the expense. According to Embark Beyond, when safari lodges in Botswana last year started charging $8,000 a night, the agency’s bookings in the African country fell 35 percent.

The revenge travel mind-set — accompanied by a willingness to pay whatever it costs — is wearing off.

“Luxury travelers are still prioritizing travel, but forgiveness around lack of service or escalating prices in certain destinations has reached this tipping point,” said Misty Belles, the vice president of global public relations for

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, a consortium of high-end travel agencies. “It’s more of a normalization, returning to value for money.”

Credit…Miriam Martincic

In 2025, air passengers will see lounge openings and changes in frequent flier programs, and the number of premium and elite offerings will continue at a steady ascent.

For some travelers, reaching elite frequent flier status will be more costly and challenging.

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has plans to raise its status thresholds, requiring travelers to spend and fly more to get perks like free checked bags and upgrades.

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underway for its loyalty program, moving from a system based on distance traveled and cabin class to a

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hinging on how much travelers spend. Overall, it will be harder than ever for budget travelers to build loyalty with airlines.

Airlines hope to win over customers with new lounges. In late 2025, JetBlue will offer its first

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in New York, at Kennedy International Airport, and in Philadelphia, American Airlines will

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.

Traveler demand for premium flying, whether those roomier seats in economy or all the luxuries in the higher-tier classes,is expected to continue, and airlines hope to meet demand.

Emirates recently rolled out a premium economy cabin on select routes in the United States after

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, and the carrier’s premium cabin will be

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.

In addition to offering new

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, American is expected to

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seating later this year. Alaska Airlines will continue its expansion of

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on more than 200 of its aircraft, eventually adding about a million premium class seats and 250,000 first-class seats. (This means it could be easier to get upgraded.) Even budget carriers, like Southwest Airlines, are

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to expand premium economy cabins and offer seat selection and slightly more legroom. Frontier Airlines plans to introduce

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.

Delta Air Lines recently opened

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in Boston, Los Angeles and New York, with another location in Seattle expected in the spring. The lounges will welcome Delta One ticketholders, select Delta travelers flying first class, and eligible passengers flying first or business class on partnering airlines.

Delta One customers can expect white glove service with personalized assistance and semi-private check-in spaces. At Kennedy Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, these travelers won’t have to set foot in the main security checkpoint. Instead, they’ll use a private security lane that leads them directly to the lounge.

Credit…Miriam Martincic

Have we passed peak vacation connectivity? New data suggests that travelers increasingly want to use their getaways to get away from cellphones and laptops. According to the

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, which surveyed 13,000 adults around the world who plan to travel in the next year, a quarter of respondents say they turn off social media during vacation more than they used to, and a quarter are working harder to avoid responding to calls, texts or emails while traveling.

Tour operators and accommodation providers are listening and offering “digital detox” retreats where travelers opt into an internet-free environment, often in a setting surrounded by nature. A rising number of accommodations feature completely off-the-grid experiences.

In Sardinia, the

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travel agency organizes vacations lasting one to four days with a “zero technology” mantra. Computers, televisions and cameras are forbidden, and when the trip starts, travelers lock their smartphones in a safe deposit box and only receive them at the end of the trip.

Even when phones aren’t locked away, many resorts, particularly high-end brands, have instituted policies strongly discouraging phone use in common areas, as is the case with

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in Mexico and

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in the United States, where “phone free zones” are marked throughout the property. The all-inclusive resort

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, near Puerto Vallarta, offers a detox concierge, who puts guests’ digital devices in a safe and takes away the room’s TV. At the

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, near Playa del Carmen, couples and families are provided with T-shirts that read, “We are digital detoxing,” and a timer in the lobby features the family’s last name and the amount of time that they spent without devices.

For travelers who think a busy resort still sounds too “connected,” some tiny homes and cabins offer a more isolated setting for a digital detox.

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rents off-the-grid cabins in the middle of nature, like a

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about an hour from London, for $620 for three days, that features a phone lockbox, a radio, board games and rain boots in lieu of Wi-Fi (the brand’s website warns that the detox may be punctuated by planes flying overhead).

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offers something similar in Britain, Australia and New Zealand, and in the United States, the accommodations run by

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are spread throughout the country, but Wi-Fi is only available at a few locations.

Credit…Miriam Martincic

Rich Harrington had always wanted to visit Europe, but planning a trip with others felt daunting. “It’s hard enough coordinating dinner out with friends,” he said.

Then Mr. Harrington, a 41-year-old animator from Middletown, Conn., discovered group trips that cater to solo travelers, and in 2023, he traveled with the tour operator

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to Italy, where he said he appreciated being able to focus on the experiences and to share them with others in the group.

Finding a companion whose budget, time off and interests overlap with yours enough to plan a vacation together can be tough. Tour operators are responding with trips that bring solo travelers together to forge connections with one another, while leaving the itinerary and logistics to the professionals.

People are seeking “curated trips that turn into multiday friend-finding events,” said Melissa Biggs Bradley, the founder of

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, a luxury tour operator that offers group trips to destinations like Thailand, South Africa, Namibia, India and Morocco.

The demand is growing. Ms. Biggs Bradley estimated that the number of solo travelers on Indagare tours had quintupled since 2019. And surging interest has led

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, a tour operator that focuses on families, young adults and outdoor enthusiasts, to introduce Solo-ish Adventures, group tours with activities “handpicked for turning strangers into a close-knit crew.” Other operators welcoming individual travelers include

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,

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and

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.

There were some downsides to traveling with a group, Mr. Harrington said, like restricted flight choices, early morning meet-ups and stops he wished were longer. But, he said, he liked having the transportation and activities arranged.

Travel providers often make it easier for participants to break the ice by arranging pretrip video calls and welcome dinners, and it’s not uncommon for people who go on the trip solo to find new friends with whom they end up planning future adventures.

Toni Greenberg, 68, of Reisterstown, Md., who lost her husband about a decade ago, befriended two more recent widows on a 2023 trip to Rome with the tour company

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, and this year, the trio is traveling to Costa Rica together on another Road Scholar trip. “To decide to do your first trip solo takes some guts,” said Ms. Greenberg, but if you are open, “people connect in an unbelievable way.”

Credit…Miriam Martincic

The 2025 forecast on pricing: Mixed. Airfares are up, hotel rates are mostly flat and cruise lines are more likely to waive your gratuities than slash your fare.

Hayley Berg, the chief economist for the travel booking app Hopper, said, “Domestic airfares in 2025 are expected to remain above 2023 and 2024 levels until midyear at least.” She added that prices will likely be up by double digits for spring and summer compared to 2024, when domestic fares were some of the lowest on record.

Among the brights spots are international airfares, according to

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. The travel search company said that prices have recently fallen based on its search results, especially in Asia, where 2025 fares were down 7 percent compared to the same time in 2024, and the Caribbean, down 17 percent.

On the U.S. hotel front, rates, which rose only 1.6 percent in the first 11 months of 2024, according to the hospitality benchmarking firm STR, are expected to grow gradually — below the rate of inflation.

Luxury hotels are doing better than economy hotels, said Jan Freitag, the national director of hospitality analytics at CoStar Group, a commercial real estate market research firm. Guests can expect to see little change in economy rates, which are projected to rise a negligible .2 percent.

When it comes to cruises, strong demand is keeping prices high. Ships are sailing into the new year nearly full. An estimated 34.7 million travelers cruised in 2024, according to the

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, up 9 percent from 2023. Roughly 37 million are expected to cruise this year. The review website

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found rates for summer 2025 cruises between three and 10 days long were up 6 percent on average since last summer.

Cruise ships prefer to offer incentives like prepaid gratuities and shipboard credits over fare cuts, said Jamie Cash, the general manager of

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, a cruise search and review website. “That creates value without creating an addiction to discounts,” Mr. Cash said.

Credit…Miriam Martincic

In 2025, travelers who are reluctant to abandon overcrowded hot spots like
Barcelona and Lisbon and take advantage of the

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— which makes traveling to Europe more affordable for U.S. visitors — are instead striking a balance by booking quieter “detour destinations”: lesser-known places close enough to take a side-trip from a popular city.

Reims, France (near Paris), and Brescia, Italy (near Milan, one of this year’s 52 Places to Go), were among the most popular detour destinations that are seeing an increase in searches on

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. European travel agencies have also seen an uptick in bookings for Montserrat, another 52 Places item, an hour’s train ride from Barcelona; Normandy from Paris; and Sintra from Lisbon.

Following

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, the summer “coolcations” trend continues to rise, with more travelers looking to replace hot southern European destinations like Greece and Portugal with more temperate climates in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

“Noctourism,” or nocturnal travel, is another trend emerging from the desire to escape daytime heat and a growing interest in stargazing and other celestial events like northern lights sightings.

“We are calling 2025 the year of Iceland,” said Jennifer Schwartz, a co-managing partner at

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a New York-based travel company that specializes in Europe. “Although the next full solar eclipse isn’t until 2026, people are paying attention because of the cool climate and ideal location for stargazing.”

Tromsø, Norway, is another prime destination to witness the northern lights that is trending in searches on

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Rail travel continues to grow as an alternative to air travel within Europe, particularly among environmentally conscious travelers and those looking to travel at a slower pace.

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a travel company that specializes in train vacations, says 2025 will be the year of “tailored train trips,” with customers looking for customized itineraries and experiences.

“Rail travel has been growing in popularity over the last several years and is increasingly seen as not just a mode of transportation, but as an integral part of the vacation,” said Frank Marini, president of Railbookers.

Switzerland, Italy, Britain, France and Ireland are among the most popular European destinations for rail vacations this year, the group said.

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