As a travel writer and editor, I’m fascinated by why and where people travel. Over the last few years, there has been a significant shift. Travelers are focusing less on trip to-do lists and more on how they feel during travel. As a result, we are more thoughtful than ever in booking trips, looking for experiences focused on connections, curiosity, joy and awe. Here are five major 2025 travel trends, from luxury legacy trips to mood boarding, plus where to go to experience the feeling of wonder only travel can spark.
THE TREND: Legacy Family Vacations
As Gen Z begins having children, the industry may see seven generations traveling simultaneously in 2025. Legacy travel, which brings all these age groups together to celebrate and reconnect, is becoming more popular.
The Dominican Republic, a diverse Caribbean country just two hours from Miami, offers the exclusive-use experiences legacy travelers are requesting. Located on its own north coast private peninsula, ÀNI Dominican Republic (from $16,000 per night for six suites) accommodates up to 28 guests with a team of over 30 staff creating the most luxurious and private vacations for groups of family and friends. A stay includes complimentary babysitting, children’s activities like kite making and face painting, spa treatments and beach butler service.
The St. Regis Cap Cana Resort (from $699 per night) debuts in 2025 with more than 200 luxurious rooms, including family-friendly suites and swim-out options, multiple restaurants and a sophisticated spa. Eden Roc Cap Cana (from $850 per night), where family-friendly programming includes private pizza-making classes, has unveiled new villas this year, including a serene six-bedroom sanctuary with private access to two natural cenotes.
THE TREND: Mood Boarding
Travelers are increasingly interested in more intentional travel to address deeper emotional needs, known as “mood boarding.” Intoxicating Marrakech, Morocco, is a soul-satisfying backdrop for a trip with friends, significant others or solo.
El Fenn (from $436 per night), the creative sanctuary at the edge of the city’s bustling medina, has announced retreats in honor of its 20th anniversary, including Discover Color With Sophie Robinson, December 3 to 6, 2024, and January 24 to 27, 2025, geared toward design lovers. The British interiors expert and podcast host will introduce guests to Marrakech artisans and makers and share her “black book” for finding everything from vintage furniture to tiles, textiles to lighting. Participants will also meet with the creative team behind El Fenn to learn how they created the hotel’s vibrant aesthetic.
New hotels include Park Hyatt Marrakech (from $391 per night) and Rosemary (from $274 per night), a pastel-hued riad restored by a Belgian artist. United has announced new direct flights beginning this fall from New York, making it easier than ever to reach the “Red City.” While visiting the YSL Museum or taking a class at Royal Mansour Marrakech’s (from $1,525 per night) new cooking school surrounded by palace-like gardens, visitors will feel transported and inspired.
THE TREND: Destination Dupes
Destination dupes are places that are just as trip-worthy as their tried-and-true doppelgängers but offer more economical pricing and fewer crowds. Travelers looking for an alternative to Paris with top-notch dining and repurposed palace hotels should try Vienna.
Next year marks the 200th anniversary of famed Viennese composer Johann Strauss II’s birth, and the city is planning a yearlong celebration with concerts and special exhibitions. Vienna’s restaurant scene includes everything from Japanese-Austrian fusion to three Michelin-starred temples of gastronomy. In January, Michelin will publish a new country edition for Austria, including Vienna.
The new Almanac Palais Vienna (from $492 per night), set in a pair of 19th-century former palaces overlooking verdant Stadtpark, has introduced an all-Austrian art collection and exclusive experiences for art lovers. Works by Hermann Nitsch and Gustav Klimt — the first time a Klimt has ever been displayed at a hotel — are on view. All Almanac guests receive complimentary admission to the Belvedere Museums and Palaces Belvedere 21 contemporary art museum. In more hotel news, the hip Hoxton Vienna (from $130 per night) opened in a midcentury modern building this spring, and Mandarin Oriental will bring its fine service to Vienna’s First District in 2025. December is a festive time to visit Vienna, a time when Christmas markets sell arts, crafts and gingerbread-like cookies and ball season is in swing.
THE TREND: The Coolcation
Travel to cooler climates is on the rise as people look for destinations with moderate temperatures. British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, where highs are around 70°F in the summer, checks all the boxes for travelers looking for natural beauty and wild luxury.
Secluded Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge (from $2,180 per night), open from May to September, can be reached only by seaplane or boat. The UNESCO-listed Clayoquot Sound Biosphere surrounds the property’s 25 white canvas tents. The lodge offers such a high level of service that it became one of 10 North American hotels to be awarded three Michelin keys in September.
On the rocky shores of the Tofino Inlet, Tofino Resort + Marina (from $189 per night) facilitates a connection to nature with a new remote kayaking experience and a wood-fired floating sauna 25 minutes from the resort by boat. The new Moon Jelly Bathhouse is an even more immersive floating spa experience where guests can swim with the harmless moon jellyfish often found in the Clayoquot Sound waters before warming up in saltwater seaweed hot tubs.
A new addition to the island’s more protected east coast, Naturally Pacific Resort (from $189 per night) offers comfortable coastal- inspired guest rooms, a spa, a golf course and wildlife excursions to see grizzly bears and whales.
THE TREND: The Once-in-a-Lifetime Trip
According to experts, requests for high-end travel to exotic destinations are spiking. A string of luxury hotel openings, a new expressway and rebounding tiger populations are making Jaipur more appealing than ever in 2025.
The white marble Raffles Jaipur (from $600 per night), which opened in July, is a fitting addition to a city known for its opulent city palace complex. The classic meets contemporary Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur is set to open in early 2025. An hour’s drive from Jaipur in the Aravalli Mountains, the intimate Anopura Hotel (from $309 per night) has expanded this year with seven new suites, a new yoga deck and an Ayurvedic spa on a five-acre farm.
Ranthambore National Park, once the hunting grounds of Jaipur’s maharajas, has seen a 25 percent increase in its tiger population in recent years thanks to conservation efforts. The government is planning to extend the Ranthambore tiger corridor to give these majestic cats more room to roam. Expeditions to view tigers in the park can be arranged through expert outfitters like Micato Safaris, which also facilitates transportation and luxury accommodations for clients.
