

25 travel trends to change your life in 2025
Take a leap into the future with this year’s hottest innovations: From the awesome powers of AI to new-wave wellness, these fresh ideas will change the way you travel
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New year, new travel plans—it’s that time when we all start dreaming of where to go and what to do over the next 12 months. And we’re here to help you make this your best travel year yet. From exciting new direct flights to clever tricks that will make getting there quicker, easier and far less stressful, read on to count down our 25 predictions for how travel will change in 2025, compiled by Expedia Magazine’s expert contributors and staffers.
The best new travel tech
Travel journalist and host of the podcast AI-Curious Jeff Wilser rounds up the latest gadgets, from time-saving smart assistants to self-driving cars
01 AI personal travel assistants—and more
Analyzing flights. Managing bookings. Tweaking your itinerary. Finding that perfect tapas spot that’s near your hotel but also has a rooftop view for sunset. Soon, the hours you spend planning your trip could be delegated to your personalized, AI-powered travel assistant—like Expedia’s Romie, which learns your quirks and gets smarter over time.

02 Clear airport security in 10 seconds flat
On arrival at LAX from an international flight, you’ll see a sign of a woman’s smiling face and the message, “Say hello to the new face of speed and security,” as “biometric facial comparison is providing a more seamless travel experience.” The sign is accurate—security is a breeze. This type of software is rolling out across the globe, slashing paperwork and time wasted in lines. When Singapore’s Changi Airport adopted the tech, for example, they found passengers could clear immigration in 10 seconds.

03 Self-driving tours
After years of hype, self-driving cars are finally here—in cities like San Francisco, Austin, and Phoenix—and they’re pulling double duty as tour guides. On this Silicon Valley tour, for example, a driverless car whisks you around the sights of San Francisco almost like an amusement park ride.
04 Flying air taxis—really
We’re still a long way from the flying cars of The Jetsons, but 2025 should see early adoption of “electric vertical takeoff and landing” (eVTOL) vehicles, aka air taxis. The aviation startup Joby, for example, is near final FAA approval for its working prototype—which has six electric propellors, is 100 times quieter than a helicopter, and can shuttle four passengers from Manhattan to JFK airport in seven minutes flat.
05 Staff top tip: A tech solution for an old problem
“I’ve tried every jet-lag hack out there,” says Rachel Sullivan, Expedia’s Executive Creative Director of Editorial. “The Timeshifter app is one that truly works.” Designed to help travelers adjust to new time zones by providing personalized plans for using bright light, melatonin, and caffeine to tweak the sleep cycle, you can try the Timeshifter app here.
Health & wellness retreats, 2025-style
06 Next-level digital detoxes
As the world of tech continues to accelerate at speed, the appetite for digital detoxing is growing just as fast, writes Issy von Simson, wellness travel expert and former editor in chief of Condé Nast Traveller. And these days it involves far more than just handing over screens at check-in. The forward-thinking have a committed approach, going properly off-grid to a purely analog environment. At Eremito in Umbria, there are no televisions, no Wi-Fi or cell-phone signal (which means no cheating), and instead a distraction-free, almost monastic focus on self-care and silence.
07 Bite-sized pilgrimages
This desire for a slower pace is also emerging with modern pilgrimages: Wellness trips centered around scenic historic or spiritual walks. Putting one foot in front of the other becomes a methodical, meditative experience. The most epic of all, of course, is the Camino Way in Galicia, northern Spain. Base yourself at blissful A Quinta da Agua from which you can access the route for day excursions.
08 Alfresco fitness
Outdoor fitness has gained such popularity that every kind of practice is shifting out into the fresh air, whatever the weather. In Utah, The Lodge at Blue Sky sets up aerial yoga deep in the forest, silent hikes in the Wasatch Mountains, Pilates on the deck, private fly-fishing trips to local rivers, and creek-side dips in cold spring-water tubs.
09 Staff top tip: Solving travel anxiety
“I’ve finally faced up to my fear of flying with an immersive course at an airport—a life-changing experience I recommend to anyone,” says Justin Quirk, Associate Creative Director, Expedia Editorial. Read about Justin’s experience on the British Airways Flying with Confidence course here.
10 Hot-and-cold wellness
The concept of hot-and-cold therapy is certainly not new, but the circulation-boosting, inflammation-reducing benefits of contrast wellness (as it’s known) are becoming more accessible. The German practice of Kneipp therapy, for instance—walking through knee-deep, pebble-bottomed pools of alternating freezing and piping-hot water—now appears in many global spas, including the phenomenal Euphoria in Greece.
11 Sci-fi spas that help you live longer
“Bio-hacking programs” promising to boost longevity are on the rise, and Six Senses has long been at the front line. Six Senses Kaplankaya in Turkiyë has a sci-fi-like spa where medical experts create bespoke, diagnostics-led plans that incorporate cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and hypoxic interval training, all designed to help regenerate cells, increase the body’s performance and efficiency, and sharpen the mind. For 2025, health certainly continues to be the new wealth.
Why everyone’s going to the Gulf
Jenny Southan, editor and founder of travel trends forecasting agency Globetrender, on ways the Gulf States are at the cutting edge of travel
12 Mind-bending museums
It may not be possible to predict the future, but travel to some of the Gulf States in the Middle East right now and you’ll get a glimpse. Start at Dubai’s inspiring Museum of the Future, where among the futuristic exhibits you will come face to face with Ameca, a hyperrealistic robot that displays real facial expressions when it converses.
13 A hot new destination for art lovers
In neighboring Abu Dhabi, four new world-leading galleries and museums, including the Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, will open alongside the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the next couple of years.


14 Brave new buildings
Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia, developers have a blank slate (and plenty of funds), resulting in some truly architecturally audacious hotels. Although its desert and mountainous terrain might appear inhospitable, architects have taken them as an opportunity: Red Sea Global’s stunning Desert Rock Resort is being built directly into the rock face, with glass-fronted rooms facing out of the cliffs. The destination is also investing heavily in “zero-carbon” infrastructure: Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, which opened in May 2024 on a private island in the Red Sea, is one of a rising number of new luxury resorts powered entirely by the sun.
15 Synthetic skiing
In a country like Saudi, winter sports may sound inconceivable—but synthetic skiing is on the way. In the mountains near Neom, where temperatures can drop below zero, developers are laying 22 miles (36 kilometers) of ski slopes enhanced with artificial snow as part of the otherworldly Trojena resort. Visitors will be able to stay in futuristic hotels from Raffles, Anantara and Marriott International.
Travel faster, better, happier
Travel expert and Expedia Magazine columnist Fiona Kerr reveals the new routes and innovations that will make your journey smoother in 2025
16 Planning made simpler
Expedia’s Trip Planner, our feature that lets you keep track of all your travel plans, continues to evolve. Save and compare your favorite destinations, hotels, activities and more, then share with friends or family to comment, vote and collaborate—so no more convoluted group chats. You can even import external bookings, while U.S. users of Expedia’s iOS app can also use Itinerary Builder, which leverages AI to suggest day-by-day recommendations for your trip, from restaurant bookings to sightseeing. Watch this space for more developments to come in 2025.

Simplify your plans with Trip Planner
Easily save, collaborate and book—all your travel plans in one place
17 Whizzier Wi-Fi
In the sky, Wi-Fi wars are speeding up with the arrival of free Starlink on board. Hawaiian and Qatar have already launched SpaceX’s satellite-enabled internet at 35,000 feet—fast enough to live stream TV and movies—with Air France, Air New Zealand and United set to roll it out over the coming year.

18 Hop to it: Remarkable new routes
While major U.S. flight carriers will all be adding fresh routes to vacation favorite Italy this summer, United is taking off to some more off-the-beaten-track spots. The airline is debuting new flights to the capitals of Mongolia, Senegal—and even Greenland, where a new international airport has just opened in Nuuk, meaning that the country’s icy wilderness will only be a four-hour hop from the United States.
19 Staff top tip: Try a “cool-cation”
These new routes will help you book vacations that aren’t about chasing the sun—much the opposite, says Expedia Magazine editor Kate Bussmann. “After a sweltering beach vacation last summer, I’ve decided that 2025 is the year of the cold-climate vacation, or ‘cool-cation.’ A trip to cooler climes suits our outdoorsy family much better, and Scandinavia is high on the list right now.”

20 An upgrade for Delta
2025 sees Delta celebrate its centenary with a cabin overhaul across its entire fleet. The update will include memory-foam seat cushions and mood lighting that matches different phases of the flight, including sunset-inspired sleep times.
21 New lounges to love
Back on the ground, slick new airport lounges touch down from Virgin Atlantic at LAX (with Clubhouse cocktails and “The Royal Box” VIP booth), as well as JetBlue at JFK and Boston (a first from the airline).
22 A push for accessibility for all
Finally, could this be the year that aircraft accessibility becomes a long-overdue priority? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expects safety approvals for wheelchair spaces in cabins by the end of 2025, while Delta has already partnered with Air4All to develop accessible seat designs and bathrooms. American Airlines also recently introduced autonomous wheelchairs to transport passengers to and from gates, and United has begun adding braille signage to cabins—important progress in making sure air travel truly is for everyone.
Hot on the green travel scene: New eco advances
23 Hotels where less is more
Forward-thinking hotels are now cheerfully transparent about amenities they don’t offer as standard for eco reasons, writes sustainability and slow travel expert Anna Hart. Next time you check in, you might not find disposable slippers, mini toiletries, plastic-bottled water—or even a TV. Instead, we’re seeing glass water carafes on the nightstand, full-sized refillable bath products, and iPads available on request. And some stays are taking their sustainable policies even further: At the Wood Hotel in Skellefteå, Sweden, guests are nudged not just to reuse their towels, but to opt out of daily room cleaning altogether.
24 Zero-waste cocktails? Cheers to that
If “plant-based” was 2024’s buzzword, 2025’s new one is “zero-waste,” spotted on bar menus at environment-forward hotels such as 1Hotels group. Harriet’s Rooftop Bar at 1Hotel Brooklyn Bridge offers zero-waste daiquiris, cleverly using zested lime, coconut-water-based syrup, and dehydrated lime wheels so there’s no wasted citrus, plus innovative freezing methods to minimize ice waste.
25 Responsible travel apps
Every so often, an app comes along that transforms how we travel. Here are three: For conscious travelers who want to support the right businesses, Prince Harry’s Travalyst—with Expedia as a partner—collates information about their sustainable credentials. Everywhere Is Queer maps queer-owned and allied businesses all over the world. And if you’re heading to Japan, pack your reusable water bottle and download Mymizu to help you locate water fountains or eco-friendly cafés that offer free refills.

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