In 2024, we splurged on bucket list destinations, embarked on scenic journeys on luxury sleeper trains and chased the Northern Lights in Iceland and Norway. So how will we be travelling in 2025? British Airways Holidays has analysed its own customer research and teamed with YouGov for a survey to identify the five trends shaping travel in 2025.
Taste hunting
Did you hit ‘save’ on a video of a little restaurant on a remote island in Greece so you can remember to book a table come summer? Well, you’re not the only one.
More than ever, our travel behaviour is fuelled by social media; 41% of travellers say they have been inspired by social media to try a specific restaurant or dish abroad.
Of course, for the majority of UK travellers food has always been an important factor in choosing their holiday destination, but the trend has moved fine dining into a social media-fuelled treasure hunt. Holidaymakers are now crafting entire itineraries around viral dishes, quirky convenience store snacks and street food sensations.
Paperback-packers
The survey revealed that 56% of respondents who read for leisure buy books at the airport and we get it: there’s something about treating yourself to a coffee and a new paperback once you’ve gone through security.
For 33% of those aged 18-24 and 35% of those aged 25-34, the novel they have chosen to read for leisure on their trip is either set in, or offers a direct connection with, the destination of their holiday. (Think Emma Straub’s The Vacationers, which is set in Mallorca; and Lucy Clarke’s One Of The Girls, which unfolds on the Greek island of Hydra.)
Reading is an essential part of a holiday
Whether it’s a bestseller, a classic or a novel inspired by a destination, 53% of travellers who read for leisure agree that reading is an essential part of a holiday. More impressively, 90% of UK adults who read more on holiday versus at home are likely to complete a full book on holiday versus normal daily life.
Trivial pursuits
With 70% of British Airways Holidays customers saying they ‘like to come back from holiday having learnt something new’ cultivating our existing hobbies or discovering new ones has become a significant factor when we’re considering where to go on holiday in 2025.
Whether you’re thinking about brushing up on your padel skills in Portugal or joining a pasta masterclass in Italy, the survey shows that 32% of UK travellers are likely to book a hotel or resort specifically for its activities, experiences or sports facilities.
Trad holidays
Do you just want to eat, drink and lie in the sun when you go on holiday? Do you want to participate in activities that are organised for you? Or do you simply like the thought of removing the stress of booking all the individual components of a holiday?
Whatever your reason, traditional all-inclusive holidays (aka effortless, stress-free escapes at a pre-determined price point) are making a fully fledged comeback, with 62% of UK adults planning to go away like the prospect of an all-inclusive holiday in 2025.
Traditional all-inclusive holidays are back
Trip collectives
For 42% of Brits, spending time away with friends or family is their main motivation for travel – and 71% of adults who plan to go on holiday in 2025 are planning to synchronise their holidays with other friends or families.
That being said, the way we’re travelling with our nearest and dearest has moved on from traditional group travel, where one booking covers everyone, to ‘trip collectives’, a trend that sees individuals, couples or families make separate reservations but coordinate stays at the same hotel or resort simultaneously.
