6 Hot Travel Trends For 2025 And Beyond

“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future!” The remark is credited to Niels Bohr, the Nobel laureate in Physics and father of the atomic model. But looking back at 2024 it is possible to see some of the trends that are shaping travel.

Today’s Travel Is All About Women

It might sound like a Taylor Swift song but travel today is ‘all about the girls.’ Indeed, women’s dominance of travel is both startling and ubiquitous.

According to Condor Ferries, 64% of travelers worldwide are female, while only 36% are male. The company estimated that $125 billion would be spent by women on travel in 2023.

The average U.S. traveler is a 47-year-old woman. Some 75% of those who take cultural, adventure or nature trips are women, like the groups I saw sloth-spotting in Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. Despite possible dangers, 86% of women state that they are not afraid to travel. And whether women travel with their partners, their families, friends, solo or in groups, 80% of all travel decisions are made by women.

The only way this trend will reverse is if men decide to get off the couch and see the world.

Luxurious Cruise Ships Got Bigger—and Smaller—in 2024

Like airlines, cruise ships made a big comeback in 2024. Most of the noise was about a new breed of giants like the ‘city at sea,’ Royal Caribbean’s 20-deck, 248,663 gross tonnage Icon of the Sean. The behemoth, reportedly designed primarily for Millennial families, can carry up to 7,600 passengers, along with 2,350 crew.

But small was beautiful too, with well-equipped yet intimate new ships like the Regent Seven Seas Grandeur and the EXPLORA I, each targeting less than 1000 passengers.

Launched last December, the Grandeur is a luxury cruise ship designed for just 746 people. Aimed at the luxury traveler willing to pay for a superior travel experience, the Grandeur is the sixth ship in Regent’s fleet, each designed for no more than 750 passengers. Regent is a wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Lines.

The EXPLORA I can accommodate 922 passengers, each housed in an oceanfront suite. For the EXPLORA, another important number is 1.32 to 1. This represents the crew to passenger ratio, showing the line’s commitment to passenger service.

Low-fare Airlines Won’t Go Away

Everyone loves a bargain, but bargain fares were in short supply in 2024, as stubborn inflation continued to roar through the airline business. In November, airline fares were up 4.7%, compared with a year earlier, according to U.S. government figures. That compares to just a 0.3 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in November.

Still, a few low-cost airlines like Allegiant, Avelo, Norse Atlantic, Ryanair and Play kept things relatively honest. In May, Norse Atlantic launched non-stop LAX to Paris service starting at $239, on their large, comfortable Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Play offers flights to and through Iceland to Europe; a one way from Baltimore to Paris through April is $176 this week.

Avelo, launched in the teeth of the COVID pandemic, not only flies to 26 U.S. states and Mexico and Jamaica, but ranks number one in on-time performance, with the lowest flight cancellation rate in the industry. Avelo is currently running a 35% off sale through December 29.

Fuel-efficient Aircraft Open New Routes

New long-range narrow body aircraft are starting to pioneer new airline routes, if not yet lowering prices. The Spanish carrier Iberia was the first to put the new Airbus A321XLR into service this year. The “XLR” designation stands for ‘extremely long range.’ This twinjet, single aisle aircraft certainly fits the bill, offering a range of up to 4,700nm. That’s 15% more than the current A321LR. Airbus says the A321XLR has 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft.

After starting with familiarization hops in Europe, Iberia launched the first passenger A321XLR route between Madrid and Boston on November 14, a 3400-mile jaunt. In January 2025, 3800-mile flights to Washington Dulles will begin, presumably to be followed by flights to Latin America.

Aer Lingus will use the A321XLR as a “route opener,” for the first nonstop flight between Dublin to Nashville, Tennessee. Starting in April, an A321XLR aircraft will make the 3900-mile trip four times weekly. Icelandair may use their A321XLR to fly to the U.S. West Coast from Iceland.

However, Project Sunrise from Qantas, the longest flights in the world, won’t arrive until 2026. Another long-range Airbus plane, a modified A350-1000, will make the 9938-mile flight from Sydney to New York. Are you up for sitting on a plane for 19 hours?

Luxury Travel On The Upswing

Luxury travel was a $239 billion business in 2023. McKinsey predicts it will grow to $391 billion by 2028.

Luxury travel is growing fast, as younger people are choosing to spend more. And the trend is for luxury travelers to seek unique and fulfilling experiences at their destination. McKinsey says these new luxury travelers might splurge on special occasions, prefer visibly branded luxury, demand value for their money, and value loyalty program points and benefits.

For example, The Four Seasons luxury hotel chain has chosen to enhance the appeal of its properties by focusing on fine dining. Potential visitors can choose from hotels with a total of 34 Michelin stars for their restaurants.

What is driving the growth in such luxury travel? A key factor is the sharp rise in people around the world with a net worth of between $1 million and $30 million. In the U.S. alone, 22 million people (6.6% of the population) were worth over $1 million in 2023.

Yet some 35% of luxury travelers have a net worth of under $1 million but are willing to spend ‘like millionaires.’ These aspiring luxury travelers, with net worths of between $100,000 and $1 million, are younger and increasingly willing to spend larger shares of their wealth on upscale travel.

Travel Dreamers Bring New Ideas Like Live-Aboard Superyachts

While the EVTOL “flying car’ has yet to make a commercial appearance, and interest in space tourism seems to have slowed, the travel industry continues to attract dreamers with crazy ideas. Case in point; you can put in an order for a luxury suite on the live-aboard superyacht “Ulyssia.’

Suites start at $10 million. And unlike a traditional cruise, you and your fellow passengers will eventually get to vote on your destinations. Get your deposition now, while the ship is being built for you and other pioneer families.