Go into 2025 knowing how to plan, prep and book like a boss. We analyzed millions of searches to uncover the insights that will impact your trips in the new year. From an up-and-coming region to some unexpected deals, read on for the travel trends that will define 2025.
2025 at a glance.
International trips are #winning.
We’ll hit you with the good news first. According to KAYAK data, international airfare is down 3% compared to 2024 and more than ¾ of 2025 flight searches are for trips abroad. Now the bad news: domestic airfare will hit a 4-year high in 2025 with a 19% increase compared to last year. Womp womp.
But what about those per diem costs? More good news: hotel rates in Canada are 10% lower than in 2024 and international stays are only up 3%. As for road trips, unfortunately rental cars are seeing a 5 and 2% hike in international and domestic rates, respectively. Good thing you can set Price Alerts to track car prices.
Palm trees for less.
Drumroll please…🥁 Travel to the Caribbean is the cheapest we’ve seen in THREE (yes 3) years. Overall, expect to see airfares down 5% compared to 2024.
Want to know exactly where to get a deal? These Caribbean cities are seeing our biggest airfare drops compared to last year.
Africa is hot to go.
Africa is the #1 trending region in 2025 with a 9% year-over-year increase in interest compared to 2024 (and whopping 40% increase compared to 2023). Big on trends? Three of our top 10 trending destinations for 2025 are in Africa.
Marrakech, Morocco
Interest is up 64%
At the crossroads of Arabic, Andalusian, Mediterranean and Berber culture, the cuisine of Marrakech is rich and flavorful. Try traditional dishes like tagine and pastilla, then shop til you drop in any of the city’s traditional open markets.
Johannesburg, South Africa
Interest is up 29%
Learn about Jo’burg’s complex history by visiting one the city’s many museums or monuments or embrace its natural beauty by hiking The Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve.
Casablanca, Morocco
Interest is up 18%
As Morocco’s largest city, Casablanca has a little something for everyone. Catch some rays at beaches like Ain Diab, visit one of the world’s largest mosques or dine in style on the Corniche.
KAYAK’s top trending destinations.
To round out our trending destinations list, we’re seeing several off-the-beaten-path destinations bubble to the top. Travelers are trading cities like Lisbon for Funchal in Vietnam and Cape Town for Johannesburg in South Africa.
More hot takes.
Business class is having a moment.
Interest in business class travel is up 6% compared to 2024 while costs are down 5%. More leg room for less? We’ll take it.
There is no best time to book anymore.
We have to say it: if you find a great deal at any point in the planning process, book it. Don’t wait for that elusive “sweet spot”. But if we had to give you a ballpark, our data shows that if you’re more than six months out from your trip, prices tend to be higher. So while we understand the urge to book early-on, we don’t recommend booking more than six months ahead.
As you get closer to the date of departure, week-to-week price changes tend to be pretty nominal. To make you feel better though, set a Price Alert. It’ll track airfare for you and tell you when it’s the right time to book.
The stuff our legal team wants you to know (aka methodology).
For costs of travel, KAYAK considered flight, hotel and rental car rates for the same search and travel dates stated above. For year over year comparisons, the same search dates in 2023 and travel dates in 2024 were used.
KAYAK considered regional flight interest to the Caribbean for searches on our platform between 5/1 and 10/31/2024 for travel between 1/1 and 12/31/2025. For year-over-year and year-over-two-year airfare changes, the same search dates in 2023 for travel dates in 2024 and the same search dates in 2022 for travel dates in 2023 were used. Deal destinations were identified using the same search dates in 2023 for travel dates in 2024 as a comparison to the original search and travel dates. Savings are on average and are not guaranteed.
To identify Africa as a trending region, KAYAK considered flight destinations by region with the greatest year-over-year increase in search interest using searches on our platform between 5/1 and 10/31/2024 for travel between 1/1 and 12/31/2025. For year-over-year comparisons, the same search dates in 2023 and travel dates in 2024 were used.
To identify the top trending destinations, the same search and travel dates were used to identify destinations with the greatest year-over-year increase in flight interest.
For business class flight data, KAYAK considered class-level flight searches on our platform between between 5/1 and 10/31/2024 for travel between 1/1 and 12/31/2025 compared to the same search dates in 2023 for travel dates in 2024. Savings are on average and are not guaranteed.
For best time to book data, KAYAK considered historical searches on our platform for the travel period between 10/1/2023 – 9/31/2024 for searches between 0 and 51 weeks before the travel date from a US origin to any destination. The best time to book was determined by looking at average round-trip, economy airfare for weeks out from travel.
