JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, we burst out of lockdowns and border closures with a vengeance. “Revenge travel” was our rallying cry – we went big, we spent big, and we booked those bucket-list trips without a second thought. But that adrenaline-fuelled rush has mellowed.
Now, halfway through 2025, a quieter shift is underway – one that’s more intentional, more personal. Wellness, wonder and a little less Wi-Fi: Here’s how travel is evolving this year.
RELATED: 11 Best Places to Travel in August and September for Culture, Adventure and Tropical Bliss
THE JOY OF MISSING OUT
Forget about FOMO. Now, we actually want to miss out. After all, spending your vacation time trying to get the perfect shot for Instagram can be exhausting – and take away from the joy of experiential travel. As the countermovement to the fear of missing out, JOMO is the joy of missing out – where you’re not documenting every moment on your phone, but simply being more present in the moment.
Annandale Waterfalls may only drop 10 meters, but tucked in Grenada’s lush jungle, its tranquil pool and wild beauty are a reward few travelers uncover—a reminder that the most unforgettable experiences often lie off the beaten path. Photo: Grenada Tourism Authority
This might mean travelling to less “popular” destinations like Grenada or in the off-season (when you might not get those postcard-perfect pictures). Or, it might mean travelling to reconnect with loved ones (or yourself), with no specific itinerary in mind. So it doesn’t matter if you don’t get the perfect selfie at an iconic location. Your phone is turned off, and you’re in the moment. That’s the joy of missing out.
RECOMMENDED: Where to go Next: Grenada
SOFT TRAVEL
Over the past year we saw the rise of “slow” travel, where we take the time to fully immerse ourselves in a destination rather than ticking items off a bucket list. While slow travel is still going strong, it goes hand-in-hand with another trend we’re seeing: soft travel, where we prioritize our health and well-being. Indeed, more than one in five travellers are prioritizing self-discovery or mental health on leisure trips, according to Hilton’s 2025 Trends Report.
Where volcanic fire meets rainforest serenity—Tabacón’s thermal waters are nature’s luxury, straight from Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano. Photo: Tabacón Resort
This goes beyond the typical spa vacation (though we still love a good spa vacation!). Rather, it’s about taking a step back from the stress of our daily lives to embrace simplicity, spontaneity and even “intentional boredom,” where we avoid overstimulation that, in turn, can help to restore depleted energy and creativity. Soft travel is also about serendipity – or going with the flow – where we leave room in our itinerary for those magical travel moments you can’t plan for.
RECOMMENDED: Is Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort The Ultimate Wellness Destination in Costa Rica?
QUIETCATIONS
Sleep tourism has been growing in popularity, with a number of luxury hotels offering sleep retreats and even science-backed programmes to help you rest, recharge and reset through the power of sleep. While that trend will continue, we’re also seeking more than a good night’s sleep: silence. Maybe it’s the physical noise of our daily lives, or maybe it’s the mental noise – being inundated with email, texts, social media – that we’re looking to escape.
Barton Creek Cave, Belize — A sacred Maya site turned quietcation haven, where silence, history and still water offer a rare kind of reset. Photo: Blancaneaux Lodge
That’s where quietcations come in, where we can turn down the volume, cut out distractions and reclaim silence. That could mean different things to different people: maybe it’s going on a digital detox at a wellness hotel; maybe it’s taking the train instead of flying (in a well-appointed private carriage, of course); or maybe it’s heading out into nature, like a dark sky preserve. This craving for silence could be why countries like Belize, Mongolia, Greenland and the “Stans” in Central Asia – with their wide open spaces – have been making their way onto travellers’ wish lists for 2025.
RELATED: Back to Nature: Francis Ford Coppola’s Jungle Retreat in Belize
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED
Maybe it’s a response to overtourism or an extension of the other trends we’re seeing, but there’s more interest in seeking out less-visited destinations. Backlash against over tourism in tourist hotspots like Barcelona is perpetuated, in part, by “selfie tourism” – where tourists visit iconic landmarks for the express purpose of curating photos for social media, rather than immersing themselves in a destination’s history or local culture.
In Appenzell, age-old Swiss traditions like natural yodeling and Talerschwingen thrive more than anywhere else—set between the Alpstein peaks and Lake Constance.
At some of the world’s famous landmarks, this has led to all sorts of issues, from overcrowding to degradation of local infrastructure. Taking the road less travelled means visiting lesser-known parts of the globe that aren’t overrun, say, Appenzellerland in Switzerland, Guyana, Nicaragua or the Northwest Territories, for example – and where you don’t have to book a time slot to visit a fountain or museum. Not only can this help bring back the joy of travel, but it could also be a salve for overtourism.
RECOMMENDED: Places to Stay: Appenzeller Huus, Switzerland, where Swiss wellness, culinary excellence and mountain charm converge.
SPORTS AND ADVENTURE TOURISM
Sometimes we want to do absolutely nothing on vacation, while other times we have a very specific purpose for travel, and it involves doing something we love: whether it’s hiking to remote Himalayan monasteries in Bhutan, visiting White Lotus filming locations in Sicily (part of the set-jetting trend) or taking part in a cultural or sporting event, like an Oasis concert in L.A. or an F1 race in Monaco. Even “extreme” bird-watching makes Lonely Planet’s 2025 travel trends list.
The towering Buddha Dordenma statue rises majestically above Thimphu Valley, Bhutan — a 54-meter golden symbol of peace and enlightenment housing over 125,000 smaller Buddhas within, watching serenely over the land from the lush Kuenselphodrang hills. Photo: Amp Sripimanwat
RECOMMENDED: Inside Bhutan’s mask dancing culture and Royal Academy training
While sports and adventure tourism may seem like the exact opposite of the other trends on this list, like soft travel and quietcations, it often involves being very much in the moment. After all, whether you’re trekking amongst the jagged peaks of Patagonia or searching for the elusive quetzal in the jungles of Guatemala, you’re totally absorbed in something you truly love.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published in early 2025 as a forecast of the year’s top travel trends. Now, halfway through the year, these insights remain as relevant as ever – perhaps even more so, as we watch them unfold across the globe.
