As the nights draw in and memories of toes in the sand feel like a distant dream, many of us are starting to fantasize about the trips we want to book for next year. Well, the new Unpack ’25 report has landed to tell us what’s cool - and what’s cliché.
Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo crunched the data and global research to find the travel trends we’ll be gravitating towards for our next trips. Forget tanning oils, now it’s all about prime viewing of an eclipse..
High on the list of our 2025 holiday itineraries will be ‘Detour Destinations’, aka hotspots that aren’t already all over Instagram and feel a bit more off the beaten track. They’re less well-known and less crowded. We don’t want that passé shot of the Eiffel Tower any more. Let’s be honest, what we really want is to create #newcontent no one has liked before.
Expedia found last year’s Detour Destinations (based on percentage increase in flight searches on Expedia) to be Reims in France, which people visited as a detour from Paris, Brescia in Italy, a popular detour from Milan, and Cozumel in Mexico, a detour from party favourite, Cancun.
There’s also been a rise in holiday-makers chasing natural wonders. Say hello to the PhenomenaList! If you loved the recent eclipse, maybe you’re one of the many planning their next excursion around a natural phenomena. Whether it’s stargazing under the Northern Lights or bathing in some geysers, more than ever we want to use our annual leave to enjoy the extraordinary scenes the planet has to offer. Expedia’s report shows that recent eclipses sold out rural, private holiday homes in their path, which set off a wave of travellers going to great lengths to witness these natural beauties.
From the volcanoes, lava fields and black sand beaches in Iceland to getting front row seats to see the bioluminescent plankton at Vero Beach, Florida; ‘Black Sun’ starlings’ migration sighting at Wadden Sea National Park in Denmark is another favourite, as is basking in the International Dark Sky Park Arches National Park in Utah.
Survey data revealed that the top natural phenomena travellers want to experience is seeing the Northern Lights (61%), followed by geological phenomena (30%) like volcanoes, geysers and hot springs.
And if you thought the all-inclusive was reserved for budget family package holidays, honeymooning couples in the Maldives or the blue rinse brigade on a bridge holiday, think again. Because Gen Z have discovered the joy of the breakfast buffet. According to the Expedia report, one-third of Gen Zers say that their perception of all-inclusives has changed for the better, and 42% say that an all-inclusive resort would be their preferred hotel type. They cite minimal stress as the top reason, followed by ease of booking and because it gives them a feeling of luxury. #allinclusive has been trending on TikTok and searches on Hotels.com using the ‘all-inclusive’ filter jumped 60% year over year.
On the other end of the holiday spectrum is JOMO travel – that’s the joy of missing out instead of a fear of it - which includes opting for secluded lakeside lodges, private rentals up a mountain or tucked away beach houses. It’s for those who don’t want to be a part of the hustle and bustle and want peace and tranquillity instead. JOMO travellers are on the rise because people believe it can help improve their mental health and overall well-being.
Based on Vrbo search data, sixty-two percent (62%) of travellers say that JOMO Travel reduces stress and anxiety—and nearly half say it helps them reconnect with loved ones.
The world is changing, and so to are our holiday habits. To think a week in Marbella used to cut it.