Vacation booking website Booking.com’s annual Travel Predictions have been released and revealed several new travel styles that will define trips next year.
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Buzzwords and neologisms have increasingly defined travel trends in recent years, and 2025 looks to be no different. Vacation booking website Booking.com’s annual Travel Predictions have been released and revealed several new travel styles that will define trips next year.
They include rejecting the norms of expected travel based on age, gender or other stereotypes and using individual journeys to fuel and find personal growth. Here are the predictions for 2025’s biggest travel trends and where to try them out in Europe.
Noctourism: Celestial Happenings, Cooler Climates And Midnight Magic
With space tourism edging ever closer to reality, travelers will be focused on building connections with the universe as they turn to more attainable astro-pursuits in 2025. Ditching the daylight crowds for midnight magic, over half of those surveyed are considering visiting darker sky destinations with starbathing experiences, star guides, once-in-a-lifetime cosmic events and constellation tracking top of the stellar adventure list.
With space tourism edging ever closer to reality, travelers will be focused on building connections with the universe as they turn to more attainable astro-pursuits in 2025.
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Concerns around climate change have also influenced this shift, with half planning to elevate their nighttime pursuits to avoid rising daytime temperatures and one-third preferring to vacation in cooler locations. Top places to try out this trend in Europe include Iceland, Norway and Sweden for northern lights sightings, snow and low light pollution.
The Gate Escape: Airports Will Become The Destination, Not Just A Stop Along The Way
Gone are the days of arriving ‘just in time’ to avoid lingering in crowded lounges post-security, as travelers reframe their 2025 vacation kick-off to embrace a new era of airport entertainment. More than a quarter express an interest in visiting somewhere because of its airport, with 57% curious about airports that offer more unique experiences or facilities.
Seek out sleep pods at London Gatwick and Frankfurt, spas at London Heathrow and Helsinki and a Michelin-starred restaurant at Stuttgart.
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But it’s Gen Z and millennials who will likely set to fuel this trend. Among both, 53% are keen to consider destinations based on their airport, rejecting stressed-out stereotypes in favor of indulgent experiences. Seek out sleep pods at London Gatwick and Frankfurt, spas at London Heathrow and Helsinki and a Michelin-starred restaurant at Stuttgart.
Passport To Longevity: Travel Experiences That Play A Role In Living A Longer, Healthier Life
More than half of American travelers revealed they would pay for a vacation that’s sole purpose was to extend their lifespan and wellbeing. Deep revitalization is a top priority, from body vibration and red-light therapies to cryotherapy and stem cell treatment.
Head to Austria and Switzerland for luxury spa experiences.
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More than half are looking for new wellness activities they can mix into their daily lives as they reconnect with a more balanced version themselves, including learning about timed coffee ingestion and IV therapy. Europe’s top wellness destinations for 2025 include Austria and Switzerland for top tier spas and treatments.
Vintage Voyaging: Travelers will opt for unique, secondhand souvenirs
Vacation wardrobes will get a makeover in 2025, as trendy travelers turn vintage voyagers, hitting thrift stores while on holiday to curate a more sustainable suitcase. Over a third of travelers said they would be interested in buying their vacation wardrobe during their trip rather than before, jumping to 59% of Gen Z, while 55% would visit thrift stores on vacation with nearly three quarters having already bought vintage or second-hand products when abroad.
Head to Paris for the sprawling Saint-Ouen flea market and Bilbao for vintage stores galore.
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No doubt influenced by both cost and climate awareness; this shift isn’t just about style, it’s about staying savvy. With 58% of travelers intending to be thriftier on their trips and 67% tightening budget planning in order to maximize their experiences, finding bargain hidden gems in second-hand stores will become a pivotal part of the adventure in 2025. Head to Paris for the sprawling Saint-Ouen flea market and Bilbao for vintage stores galore.
SKI Trips: Boomers Will Be Spending Not Saving
Booking predicts that baby boomers will not be going in for a restful retirement and will instead be showing the rest of the generations what ‘living their best life’ is all about. ‘SKI’ trips will be on the rise—but not on the slopes—as parents and grandparents flip priorities by Spending Kids’ Inheritance (SKI) instead of squirreling their savings. Two-fifths of surveyed parents would rather spend money on a trip of a lifetime in 2025 than leave an inheritance to their children.
Booking predicts that baby boomers will not be going in for a restful retirement and will instead be showing the rest of the generations what ‘living their best life’ is all about.
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This trend does have an altruistic side, too, as older relatives look to splash the cash among their families, helping the younger generations through the cost of living crisis by paying for their next vacation. While the majority of those surveyed admitted that their parents had already paid for their vacations or part of their vacations since being an adult, boomers are likely to influence an uptick thanks to the 77% who are happy to pay for their children and 81% who are happy to pay for their grandchildren when booking their next trip.
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