Even though it is the middle of winter, many people’s thoughts are already turning to summer holidays.
Recently, TikTok videos have gone viral, offering tips for workers on how to turn two days of annual leave into five-day holidays or hide the fact that they are away from home during meetings to extend their time off and travel opportunities.
Last summer, tourism rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic but, in some cases, developed negative aspects due to over-tourism and poor traveller behaviour.
In the new year, travellers seem to be shifting towards a different style of holiday, opting for longer stays at a single destination and finding ways to maximise time away from work and home.
According to the 2025 Travel Outlook report by Skift Research, travel companies are expecting a 24% increase in trips compared to 2024. Globally, long-haul leisure travel stands out as the most popular type of trip, surpassing weekend getaways and road trips. Skift has described 2025 as the “year of long-haul escapes,” particularly in countries like China, India, and Germany. In the United States, one-quarter of respondents said they plan to take major holidays abroad or even to other continents, although slightly more expect to take shorter trips.
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Slowing down for better experiences
Julia Carter, founder of luxury travel company Craft Travel, explained that travellers are moving away from the frenzy of taking photos at overcrowded tourist attractions or iconic hotels just to say they’ve been there. Instead, they increasingly recognise that a destination truly comes to life when you slow down and immerse yourself in the experience.
This trend of slowing down translates into an average trip length of about two weeks for luxury travellers, according to the Luxury Travel Report by Zicasso, another high-end travel planning company. Brian Tan, Zicasso’s founder and CEO, told the BBC that the average trip length has steadily risen to 13.5 days, with more travellers opting for tailored trips focused on a single destination. This allows them to explore a culture more deeply, rather than hopping between multiple countries.
Work and leisure combined
As people search for quiet cafés or scenic views between meetings, Skift’s report highlights the rise of “blended travel” – trips that combine work and leisure, often referred to as “bleisure.”
India leads the way in this trend, with 92% of respondents planning to travel in this way, followed by China (84%), Germany (79%), and both the US and the UK at 72%.
Top global destinations
For general travel in 2025, top destinations for US travellers include England, Japan, Paris, Italy, and Mexico, according to Skift. UK residents are hoping to visit Dubai, Paris, Italy, Spain, and the US.
Strategic holiday planning
Strategic holiday planning to align annual leave with public holidays has become a popular trend on social media. Videos detail the best days for employees to travel in 2025, helping them maximise holiday time without using excessive annual leave.
While this may feel like a new idea, it has been a common practice in countries like Greece for decades.
Also read: Winter getaways to 7 mountain villages in Cyprus
Photo source: The points guy
Source: moneyreview.gr
