{"id":10193,"date":"2025-01-12T10:45:24","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T14:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=10193"},"modified":"2025-01-12T10:58:55","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T14:58:55","slug":"pack-that-suitcase-sizzling-hot-2025-travel-trends-and-deals-have-landed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=10193","title":{"rendered":"Pack that suitcase\u2014sizzling hot 2025 travel trends (and deals) have landed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A record number of travelers are expected to take to the skies next year, seeking out destinations made popular on TV as well as outlying settings where relaxation is the goal.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Passenger numbers are expected to reach 5.2 billion in 2025, up 6.7% from this year and exceeding the 5 billion mark for the first time, according to a\u00a0forecast<\/a> out this week from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).<\/p>\n

The wanderlust is real \u2014 4 in 10 travelers surveyed by the group said they expect to travel more next year than in 2024, and roughly half said they expect to spend more money to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read on Yahoo Finance<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The National Tour Association members\u00a0project a similar uptick<\/a>\u00a0with two-thirds expecting the number of visitors to their locales to increase next year over 2024.<\/p>\n

Pull out those passports.\u00a0According to Kayak data<\/a>, two-thirds of all flight searches for 2025 travel are for international flights. And Americans are flying further.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsia is the No. 1 trending region,\u201d Kayla Inserra DeLoache, consumer travel trends expert at\u00a0Kayak,\u00a0<\/a>told Yahoo Finance.<\/p>\n

Lower prices, more deals<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Footloose folks are eyeing countries inspired by a movie or TV show they’ve feasted on, per a report by Expedia Group. Or they are spinning a trip around attending a concert by their favorite musician or band. Others want to pay ahead and turn it off with an all-inclusive package. Or they are aiming to turn off and tune out to work puzzles and cook delicious meals with friends and family in a rental home by the sea or in the mountains.<\/p>\n

Whatever your guiding star, chances are you will likely find lower prices and more deals in 2025. International airfare is down 4% for next year, compared to 2024, per Kayak data. Travel to the Caribbean is the cheapest in three years, with airfare down 17% compared to 2024, with some of the best deals to destinations like Dominica and Barbados.<\/p>\n

Flights to Asia are down 7% compared to 2024, DeLoache said. And travelers are exploring beyond big cities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Tokyo remains a popular destination, the spotlight is shifting toward hidden gems like Sapporo and Osaka, which offer a respite from the crowds and chaos of mainstream tourism,\u201d DeLoache said.<\/p>\n

Hotel rates are expected to be on par with this year\u2019s rates \u2014 whether you\u2019re in the US or overseas.<\/p>\n

As for road trips, the\u00a0forecast\u00a0<\/a>for gasoline prices is optimistic, calling for an average of $3.20 a gallon next year, well below the monster $5 plus a gallon back in the summer of 2022, and down slightly from 2024. Rental cars, however, will see price hikes over this year both in the US and internationally, per Kayak.<\/p>\n

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Read more:\u00a0<\/em>Best travel credit cards<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Sizzling 2025 travel trends<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Almost two-thirds of travelers will be taking detours in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese will not be completely off-the-beaten paths, undiscovered spots, but side trips from tried and true destinations,\u201d Melanie Fish, Expedia Group\u2019s travel expert, told Yahoo Finance.<\/p>\n

For example, they will go to Reims, France, as a detour from Paris; Brescia, Italy, as a detour from Milan; or Fukuoka, Japan, as a detour from Tokyo.<\/p>\n

\u201cReims is a side trip you can add on to Paris for a different experience, fewer crowds,\u201d Fish said. \u201cI tell people to look at a map and say \u2018I\u2019m going to destination A, maybe I can add on destination B.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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Annecy, France, a detour from Geneva (Photo by Cliff Hackel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This trend has been gaining traction for tour group travelers too.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe often design our itineraries to use an iconic destination like Santorini, for example, as a draw, but then people on the programs are so happy to go to the lesser-known islands,\u201d Maeve Hartney, chief programs officer at\u00a0Road Scholar<\/a>, told Yahoo Finance. \u201cWe include the thing that draws them in, but then we show them what they actually want to see but didn’t know existed.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Betty Sheets, the out-of-the-way destination is the draw. \u201cI have two exciting Road Scholar trips planned for 2025 \u2014 the Silk Roads and Mongolia,\u201d the Stamford, Conn., resident told Yahoo Finance. \u201cI’m looking forward to getting deeper into Islamic culture and off the beaten road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another sweet spot for vacationers next year will be those all-inclusive getaways. These are not the bottomless margaritas at the swim-up bar or all-you-can-eat buffet rumbas of yesteryear, mind you.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll-inclusives for many, many years had a reputation of being one-size fits all,\u201d Fish said. \u201cBut that mold has been broken. Now we’re seeing ski all-inclusives like the\u00a0Alpinresort ValSaa<\/a> \u2014 Sport & Spa in Saalbach, Austria, adults-only all-inclusives, family-friendly all-inclusives, fine-dining all-inclusives, wellness all-inclusive with sound baths included.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s driving the demand? \u201cI don’t know if these are seen as a really reasonable value and an easy way to vacation, or if it’s the simplicity and less stress being the big part of the appeal,\u201d Fish said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s more than likely a result of life overstimulation. There are so many things competing for our attention from our jobs to our social lives, to our families, to social media that it’s really nice to be able to hit click and have an entire vacation booked and paid for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In other words, \u201cA fly and flop.\u201d<\/p>\n

The joy of missing out<\/strong><\/h2>\n

JOMO travel, or joy of missing out, where families and groups of friends are renting vacation homes to do not a whole lot is on the rise. Roughly 6 in 10 travelers told Expedia they were looking for trips where they’re doing less.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re experiencing the joy of missing out on schedules, missing out on buying tickets, missing out on dinner reservations, missing out on crowded attractions,\u201d Fish said. \u201cThey’re renting whole vacation homes to do puzzles, to cook together, to read books, to just be together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bookings for smaller travel groups such as Road Scholar’s\u00a0Microgroup Programs<\/a>, which comprise a maximum of 12 participants, have soared for next year, Hartney told Yahoo Finance.<\/p>\n

Finally, two-thirds of travelers say movies, streaming services, and TV shows have influenced their travel choices, up 16% from last year, according to Expedia research.<\/p>\n

\u201cA new season of White Lotus is being filmed in Thailand,\u201d Fish said, \u201cand that started piquing people’s interest in Thailand, and the show isn’t even out yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The children\u2019s beloved bear Paddington has a new movie coming out this year and will be going to Peru, so expect interest in Peru to rise, she said. And the new season of Yellowstone has already spiked interest in VRBO vacation home rentals in Montana and Wyoming for 2025.<\/p>\n

Music madness<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras tour opened people’s eyes to tour tourism \u2014 and that will continue to be a driver for travel destinations in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople now realize that they can affordably combine typically cheaper concert tickets in other countries with a trip,\u201d Fish said. \u201c I don’t expect we’re going to see tour tourism at the level of the Eras tour next year, but there will be must-see concerts like the Oasis reunion that fans will probably hit the road to experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

For all you nature lovers, your kind of travel is in vogue. Spots on the radar include synchronous firefly season in the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tenn., in May and June; the Penguin parade on Phillip Island near Melbourne, Australia, or the Northern Lights in the Lapland region of Finland that runs from August through April.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going on safari in Tanzania in January 2025,\u201d Anne Fantacone, who lives in Melbourne, Fla., told Yahoo Finance. \u201cThis is a lifelong dream for my husband, Antonio, and me to see the animal migration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Travel hacks<\/strong><\/h1>\n

If you know where you\u2019d like to travel to and from, set an airfare price tracker. You’ll get an email or text alerting you whenever fares rise or fall. Major travel apps, such as Hopper, Kayak, and Skyscanner, offer fare tracking, as does\u00a0Google Flights<\/a>. You might run a search on Kayak’s \u201cbest time to travel\u201d<\/a>\u00a0tool.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t book too early. If you\u2019re more than six months out from your trip, prices tend to be higher.<\/p>\n

Have a question about retirement? Personal finances? Anything career-related? Click here to drop Kerry Hannon a note.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In general, traveling midweek \u2014 Tuesday or Wednesday \u2014 can help you save on domestic airfare. And take the first flight of the day because disruptions are a reality. As an aside, this year the cheapest month to hit the road was February, according to the Kayak researchers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Frequent flier miles, loyalty hotel rewards, and credit card points can make a huge difference when it comes to affordable or cushier travel. Business class, anyone?<\/span><\/p>\n

A credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees is key if you\u2019re leaving the US. Always ask for your purchases to be charged in the local currency for the best exchange rate.<\/p>\n

My best advice: Give yourself permission to dream of faraway places, do your research, use those points, and pluck your passport out of the drawer for 2025.<\/p>\n

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