These Are Going to Be the Most Popular Travel Destinations in 2025

The Top 10 Detour Destinations of 2025

In 2025, Expedia Group expects vacations to be less about the most frequented tourist destinations and more about the worthwhile detours beyond their borders.

“Expedia’s destinations of the year are near popular hotspots, making them ideal day trips while also being attractive as main attractions,” the report reveals. “In the hunt for the less crowded and less well-known, 63% of consumers say they are likely to visit a Detour Destination on their next trip.”

Think you might be one of them? Explore the top 10 Detour Destinations of 2025, below.

• Reims, France (detour from Paris)
• Brescia, Italy (detour from Milan)
• Cozumel, Mexico (detour from Cancun)
• Santa Barbara, California, USA (detour from Los Angeles)
• Waikato, New Zealand (detour from Auckland)
• Girona, Spain (detour from Barcelona)
• Fukuoka, Japan (detour from Tokyo)
• Abu Dhabi, UAE (detour from Dubai)
• Krabi, Thailand (detour from Phuket)
• Canmore, Alberta, Canada (detour from Calgary)

The Top 10 Phenomena-Inspired Travel Destinations

If your idea of a memorable vacation marries relaxation with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, you may want to hop on the phenomena-inspired travel bandwagon. According to Expedia Group, tons of travelers sought out stunning vacation homes to witness the total solar eclipse along its path of totality in 2024, and that trend is expected to continue into 2025, with travel lovers booking itineraries in cities where awe-inspiring natural events occur.

“Survey data revealed that the Northern Lights are the top phenomenon travelers want to see, followed by geological phenomena like volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs,” the report reveals. “Eighty percent of travelers say it’s important to stay in a place that offers prime viewing for these natural wonders, so it’s no surprise that private vacation homes in secluded or rural destinations are ideal for phenomena-seekers.”

Sounds like your ideal vacation? Ahead, explore Vrbo’s top 10 Phenomena-Inspired Travel Destinations.

• International Dark Sky Park – Arches National Park, Utah
• Synchronous firefly season – Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, TN
• Penguin parade – Phillip Island near Melbourne, Australia
• Bioluminescent plankton – Vero Beach, Florida
• “Black Sun” starlings’ migration – Wadden Sea National Park, Denmark
• Ballet of Japanese cranes – Hokkaido, Japan
• Highest tides in the world, walk on the ocean floor – Bay of Fundy, Canada
• Starling murmurations – Somerset, U.K.
• Volcanoes, lava fields and black sand beaches – Reykjavík, Iceland
• Northern Lights – Lapland region, Finland

The Top 5 Set-Jetting Destinations

Meanwhile, if you’re a TV buff, Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo rounded up the top five destinations worth making a trip to in 2025, based on the most popular shows of the year.

“Travelers keep turning to the screen for trip inspiration,” the report reveals. “Since Expedia Group identified Set-Jetting as a travel behavior in 2022, the trend continues to grow. Two-thirds of travelers say movies, streaming services, and TV shows have influenced their travel choices, a 16 percent increase from last year.”

Not sure which show should inspire your 2025 trip(s)? Consider the five set-jetting destinations below.

• Dubai inspired by “The Real Housewives of Dubai”
• Montana and Wyoming inspired by “Yellowstone”
• New York City inspired by “And Just Like That…”
• Cape Town inspired by “One Piece”
• Scotland inspired by “The Traitors”

For more travel ideas, check out the full Unpack ’25 Trend Report, where you can explore One-Click Trips, JOMO Travel, the Hotel Restaurant Renaissance, and more.

Rebecca Norris is a full-time freelance writer living in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Over the past 10+ years, she’s heavily covered a range of lifestyle topics, including travel, home, beauty, style, wellness, and celebrity news. She is a graduate of George Mason University, where she earned a B.A. in Media: Production, Consumption, and Critique, along with a minor in Electronic Journalism. When she’s not writing, she can be found strolling with her Jack-Chi, Cash, sipping iced matcha lattes, indulging in delicious cuisine, perusing farmer’s markets and antique sales, collecting colored glass, getting lost within the pages of a book, and exploring new bucket-list cities.