Where to Next? Travel Trends for 2025

With the new year upon us, we’re looking forward to a fresh series of adventures. That much is always true, but tastes and trends in the travel world change often. What are the tours that will capture people’s curiosity in 2025?

We asked our clients for feedback while also keeping on top of industry trends. As members of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), we’re connected to some of the most passionate, experienced travel experts in the business. When we checked their Travel Trends for 2025, it was gratifying—our offerings for the year ahead align with what you, the traveler, and the experts are saying you’d most like to explore next.

Using the article linked above as our reference, we’ve highlighted some tours we think speak to trend-setting travelers.

“Play Tourism Takes Over”

As the ATTA points out in their blog, “play tourism” is a synonym for experiential travel. Essentially, travelers are looking for varied ways to engage with the culture and landscape around them beyond simply snapping a photo at each landmark. We think direct and active participation makes tours more memorable, and incorporate elements of play tourism into all our offerings.

Our Snorkeling and Kayaking Palau tour is a prime example. The tiny island of Palau in the South Pacific is one of the travel world’s better-kept secrets, boasting quadruple the reef diversity of the Caribbean. This tour provides two ways to experience an extraordinary ecosystem—padding through the mangroves and caves above the waterline, and then diving beneath it to explore further. Palua’s unique geology led to the creation of saltwater lakes, one of which is home to thousands of stingless jellyfish. This evolutionary accident makes an utterly spellbinding swimming experience that leaves even seasoned divers in awe. In our opinion it has to be one of most playful experiences out there.

“The Outdoor Economy Grows”

The ATTA points out that the outdoor segment of travel is experiencing significant growth—and if outdoor trekking is in this year, we were definitely doing it before it was cool. A healthy, invigorating physical challenge wakes up the mind and body, making it easier to immerse yourself in the moment.

The Patagonia Hiking Journey is one of our several Argentina tours that offers deep outdoor immersion. In the vast sweep of Patagonia are countless sights to awaken your sense of wonder and fire your imagination. Explore glaciers, rivers, and forests in the shadow of towering Fitz Roy Mountain. Keep your eyes out for wildlife too, like the Patagonian penguins you’ll meet if you add on the Argentina: Ushuaia & Tierra del Fuego National Park extension.

Patagonia is breathtaking, but we might just as easily have selected any tour from our Hiking & Walking or Trekking sections— one of our Nepal hiking tours perhaps, or maybe you’ll prefer to stroll among the stone trulli houses of Alberobello on the Discovering Puglia Italy walking tour.

“Detour Destinations and Coolcations”

Overtourism and sweltering summers are unfortunate realities of the 21^st century, and savvy travellers are looking to avoid the crowds while staying cool. Fortunately our journeys have taken us around the world, and we have a balance of tropical and temperate destinations on our menu. At the same time, our local guides are passionate travelers themselves and always try to steer their guests towards meaningful, authentic experiences off the beaten path.

Our Norway hiking tour exploring the Western Fjords a northern experience that won’t leave you sweating at a standstill. Instead, if you break a sweat it will be because you’ve ascended to get a better view of Geirangerfjord, a UNSECO world heritage site where waterfalls stream between rocky peaks to the cool waters far below.

You may also have heard that Slovenia is often passed over by tourists looking to “play the hits” of Europe—which is a shame in one sense, because Slovenia is an incredibly green and rewarding destination. On the hand, you won’t be jostling for a view if you join our Slovenia hiking tour of Julian Alps to the coast

“Nature’s Greatest Shows”

The ATTA notes that 2024’s solar eclipse was proof positive that natural phenomenon can draw a crowd. Better yet, research indicates that 2025 will be a banner year for the northern lights.

This moment in the solar cycle will make appearances of Aurora Borealis more frequent, and there’s nowhere better in the world to see them than Iceland. It just so happens we offer an Iceland hiking tour which emphasizes the majestic Northern Lights in the Arctic sky as well as the hot springs and waterfalls of the countryside.

If you’re seeking something a little more earthbound, consider our Great Migration Tanzania safari. Here it’s the Big Five—that’s rhino, lion, elephant, leopard, and buffalo—who put on the show, among other African wildlife crossing the wide Serengeti. Eco-consciousness is another major trend of the year, and seeing the diversity of life here is a surefire way to learn about conservation and reaffirm respect for the natural world while having an unforgettably good time.