Travel will be more expensive in 2025, one expert says — the reason why may surprise you

Prices are ready for take off.

The Points Guy recently revealed its travel trends report for 2025 — and it’s not looking good for your wallet.

“What continues to be true, however, is that travelers are just as enthusiastic as ever to discover new corners of the globe — but with a renewed focus on getting value for their money (and miles) and the opportunity to explore their interests and passions,” the report says.

While people are focused on getting the best bang for their buck, it doesn’t mean they’ll be spending less.

Travel is expected to be more expensive next year.

In 2024, more than 3 million passengers checked through the Transportation Security Administration twice— a new record.

Perhaps surprisingly, airfare isn’t what’s expected to drive up travel expenses.

“Airfares are actually gonna be about flat to start the year,” The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly told “Good Morning America.”

“It’s not airfare where people need to look at when planning that full trip cost,” Kelly revealed. “Lodging has gone up dramatically.”

The Points Guy report found that lodging has soared 10% since 2019 while airfare has actually gone down 6% in that time.

But almost every other aspect of travel has increased as inflation rates drove up expenses in some areas, and general travel costs are higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic, according to Statista.

About 31% of people said it was too expensive to travel this year, up from 24% in 2023, according to a Deloitte 2024 summer travel survey.

Yet people did take more trips and spend more money on them throughout the year. They’re even vacationing for longer.

The average length of a trip jumped from 4½ days in 2020 to 5½ days in 2024 — plus, those who booked a trip to Europe or Africa stayed two to three days longer.

And many people did take long flights — especially Gen Z and millennials.

Adults ages 18 to 41 were just as likely to book an international flight as they were to fly domestically while the same was not true for their elders.

No matter where they go, people favor authentic experiences and living in the lap of luxury — especially those young jet-setters.

Nearly half of Gen Z admitted they would rather save money on flights — like booking a layover — to splurge on what to do when they finally make it to their destination, whether it involves authentic experiences, culture, novelty or history, McKinsey reported.

However, after years of terrible flight mishaps with delays and cancellations, travelers should be cautious when booking cheaper flights or layovers.

The new 2024 AirHelp Score reveals the best- and worst-performing airlines, based on customer complaints, on-time arrival and departure data, plus feedback from passengers from over 54 countries on the quality of food, comfort and crew service from January through October.

Tunisair was rated the worst airline in the world, ranked at the bottom of the list at No. 109, while Brussels Airlines was rated the best company to book your travel.

For domestic travel, United Airlines and American Airlines topped the roster.