The 2025 Travel Trend Guide: What's Hot in the World of Travel This Year

Sure, summer may be the most popular time for a getaway, but this early on in the new year, it feels like everyone is either on a trip already or booking their vacations for the months to come. In the past, we all seemed to adhere to a "one big trip a year" type of schedule, but now, it's becoming more of an "everyone, everywhere, all at once" type of travel landscape. This is shaping up to be a record-breaking year, as more Americans than ever are predicted to head abroad and add several new stamps to their passports. In other words, we're all going places this year. The question is, Where and how?

As a travel-obsessed editor, I study the fashion-person lifestyle like it's my job (well, it basically is), so I'm low-key an expert on where the stylish set is going, staying, and dining right now. With all this intel, I've put together what I'm calling a master list of the biggest travel trends for the year ahead. Up ahead, you'll discover the hottest destinations to head to and several destination "dupes" for places like Ibiza and the Amalfi Coast as well as the luxury railways that are reviving train travel, the wellness retreats A-listers always book, the buzziest fashion and hotel brand collaborations, and so much more. With that, discover the eight biggest travel trends of 2025 that are sure to inspire your next trip and—because this is Who What Wear—the shopping picks to pack for each one.

2025 Travel Trends

1. Retro Railways

POV: The year is 1925, and you're dressed to the nines while eating a five-course dinner aboard a Venice, Italy–bound Pullman train. At least, that's the kind of glamorous and retro appeal that Belmond's suite of trains taps into. The luxury hotel brand recently expanded its portfolio with a series of iconic train lines that includes the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the Royal Scotsman, and the Eastern & Oriental Express.

Fora co-founder Henley Vazquez says, "High-end and retro train travel is definitely a trend we're seeing at Fora. We're hearing travelers that want more of a slow travel experience and/or a refrain from air travel for environmental reasons. Belmond's British Pullman is perfect for those wanting a full Wes Anderson experience, while The Venice Simplon-Orient is very luxe and offers a London-Venice route, stopping in Paris and Verona." As if those routes weren't dripping in Pinterest-worthy visuals enough, Accor will roll out its Dolce Vita line in April with multi-night journeys from Rome to Sicily, Vazquez continues.

2. Destination Dupes

I'll have what they're having. At least, that's the mindset behind one of the fastest-growing trends in the travel space right now. "We've seen an increase in the desire from travelers to take the path less taken," Vazquez shares. "For example, for those who are interested in popular spots like Spain, Italy, or Greece on our 2025 Hot List, we recommend Sardinia, Folegandros, and Formentera. You're still getting Spain, Italy, Greece vibes but more laid-back and with smaller crowds."

While these perennially popular vacation spots are getting even more crowded and expensive as travel continues to explode in the post-pandemic era, the savvier move is to uncover destinations that deliver the same experience without all the hassle. "TikTok remains a powerful influence, delivering rapid-fire clips of destinations previously overlooked," global luxury travel network Virtuoso shared in its 2025 report. "Rather than sticking to well-worn bucket lists, travelers are finding new inspiration in documentaries, books, beloved films, and recommendations from friends and family."

3. One Word: Wellness

The wellness industry as a whole is booming, but according to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism is projected to be valued at $1.3 trillion in 2025, making it the fastest growth rate of any wellness market through 2025. Not only are we traveling more, but now, there's also an emphasis on the trips we take to be restorative and relaxing. "We're seeing people looking to vacation as a chance to cure their burnout, rest, detox, and come home refreshed," Vazquez says.

As for where to get the full wellness treatment, retreats like The Ranch, Miraval, Mii Amo, and Canyon Ranch boast complete mind-body transformations after their stays, which are often for a preset number of nights. Meanwhile, wellness-geared hotel brands like the Six Senses, Aman, and Our Habitas are just a few of many global chains that are curating onsite spa and fitness offerings that make them destinations in their own right for a wellness journey that's done on your own time.

In 2025, Vazquez predicts that we'll continue to see innovation in both hotel minibars, like the CBD creams and electrolytes at the Equinox Hotel, as well as supercharged in-room amenities, like the oxygen canisters at The Little Nell in Aspen for ensuring better sleep at altitude, aromatherapy turndown at Las Ventanas, and sexual wellness minibar purchases at Virgin Hotels. "We are no longer in Pringles territory," she admits.

4. Specialty Sourcing

Another way we'll see travel get more targeted? Shopping. Fashion people are always looking to curate their wardrobes with unique secondhand finds from their travels, and in 2025, we'll the rise of vintage shopping trips that are planned with the exclusive goal of sourcing special and rare pieces from vintage markets abroad. For content creator, Substacker, and vintage designer enthusiast Ro Brahmand, that meant a trip to Amsterdam to source designer labels like Dries Van Noten and Maison Margiela. "It's rare that I travel to a city without visiting a local vintage shop or two, but this is the first time I had planned a trip entirely around sourcing, and it all sort of happened by accident," she shares. It started in a group chat with two of her best friends—Alyson, a stylist, and Olivia, a trend forecaster.

"Amsterdam has an incredible vintage scene, and their local curators have an interesting POV on fashion," she says. "Their prices compared to cities like London and Paris are also a little more palatable." Some of the pieces she filled her suitcase with—including a pair of 2005 Alexander McQueen capris, a 2006 Stone Island shearling jacket, and an incredible Fendi scarf—are proof. She continues, "If we had more time, we would have made a stop in Antwerp. They are meant to also have an incredible collection of vintage and archival designer. [This is] unsurprising since Antwerp has given us designers like Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, [and] Martin Margiela."

5. Going the Extra Mile

Bhutan. Patagonia. Kenya. Going the extra mile is in, according to Fora. "Travelers are flocking to far-flung locales. … These destinations go beyond mere checked boxes on a bucket list. Instead, we're searching for something a little out of the ordinary and off the beaten path," its report reads.

6. Snowcationing

According to Virtuoso, "the 'coolcation' trend shows no signs of slowing down, as more travelers request cold-weather destinations to escape the rising temperatures and avoid crowds." The 2025 evolution is what we're calling the snowcation—basically a glorified ski trip to luxury mountain resorts like Chamonix, Saint Moritz, Aspen, Cortina d'Ampezzo, and Jackson Hole. Considering how much time the A-list crowd has been spending in Aspen this winter and the endless après-ski style inspiration Hailey Bieber and the Jenners are giving us, the cold-weather vacation has never looked better.

Beyond winter ski trips, Virtuoso also reports that exotic cold-weather destinations are, well, heating up: "Antarctica, with its expanding cruise options and pristine, icy landscapes, has surged in popularity, climbing from fifth place last year to second among the top destinations to watch. Norway and Iceland also rank in the top five, reemphasizing the trend toward northern European countries. This shift is largely driven by climate change, with nearly half of advisors reporting that their clients are altering their plans due to its effects. Seventy-eight percent of advisors say clients are opting for shoulder season or off-peak travel, while 76% say they now favor destinations with more moderate weather—up five points from last year."

7. When Worlds Collide

Twenty-twenty-four was the year of the hotel-brand collab, and 2025 is already set to outdo it. Luxury hotels sought to align themselves with the fashion labels that their most stylish guests are interested in, and spoiler alert, it's working. Comme Si teamed up with Amalfi Coast landmark Le Sirenuse on an edit of printed silk pajamas. Frame and Ritz Paris celebrated the latest installment of their beloved partnership, bringing the hotel's cursive logo to luxe cashmere knits. Meanwhile, both The Carlyle and Eden Roc tapped Sporty & Rich for a lineup of socks, baseball hats, nylon shorts, and the like.

8. The Great Outdoors

If you spend any time on the wanderlust side of Pinterest, you know that the Dolomites are having a moment. "Not only do these mountains boast the most spectacular hiking in the Italian Alps, but their verdant valleys and picturesque hillside villages are home to some of the world's best spa hotels, including Aman Rosa Alpina, a small mountain inn turned into a luxury Aman destination, as well as the design-forward and viral property Forestis," shares Fora.