Travel is ever evolving. There are always new stays and experiences entering the zeitgeist, and over the years, people’s expectations of what makes an ideal trip continue to shift, too. To stay ahead of the curve, we like to keep our fingers on the pulse and observe what’s brewing on the horizon for the future of travel.
From hybrid trips that combine land and water to cultural experiences for all the family, we’ve identified the travel trends we expect to be big in 2025. Our specialists have also outlined the key destinations and trip ideas for helping you embrace each trend.
1. Exploring with expert guides
Hiking an Icelandic caldera with a volcanologist, wandering through ancient ruins with an archaeologist, or visiting sacred sites with a Māori... We’ve noticed more people are wanting to spend time with guides who have professional or personal expertise in the areas they’re interested in. Audley has spent decades curating a wide-ranging network of these experts and experiences, to help you form a more intimate connection with your destination.
Our recommended trip ideas
2. A hybrid trip of two halves
Whether it’s crossing off multiple destinations in one go, exploring contrasting interests in a single trip, or embarking on an adventure that combines time on land and water, variety is a key theme for 2025. By mixing and matching experiences, you’ll get a more rounded view of your destination as you explore it from different perspectives, can vary the pace of your trip, and might even discover a new-found passion.
Our recommended trip ideas
3. Cultural trips created for your family
We’re seeing more of you wanting to plan family trips that balance fun and adventure with on-the-ground learning that the classroom alone can’t achieve, whether that’s bringing history to life or connecting with different cultures. We can help select experiences and stays to suit the whole family, no matter the age range, giving your children moments of wide-eyed wonder that last well after you return home.
Our recommended trip ideas
4. Planning ahead for cosmic sights
The great, wheeling cycles of the cosmos rarely come into alignment. And, more often than not, only a select few get to bear witness to these unusual spectacles, which Mother Nature often puts on in remote, hard-to-reach locales. While we always encourage forward planning to ensure you get the best choice of stays and experiences, getting a front-row seat to natural phenomena means you’ll need to put things in place even sooner for the solar eclipse passing over Spain and Iceland in 2026.
Our recommended trip ideas
5. Following the locals, not the crowds
Visiting a destination’s well-known attractions is great for the camera roll (or reel). But, people are increasingly finding that it’s in those lesser-known, often remote places that you’re likely to experience more authentic encounters that elevate your trip. That’s nothing new for us — our specialists spend time getting to know their destinations as the locals do so they can plan a trip that blends icons with hidden highlights, allowing you to get to know your destination on a deeper level.
Our recommended trip ideas
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