June 3, 2025 – Atlanta – WorldVia Travel Group, a leading collection of travel companies in the United States, has announced its top travel trend predictions for Summer 2025. From experience-driven vacations and climate-conscious getaways to star-chasing adventures, WorldVia’s Summer 2025 travel trends highlight the latest developments and changes in the travel industry.
Jason Block, chief executive officer of WorldVia, has outlined five emerging travel trends set to define Summer 2025. The following trends explore the latest consumer preferences, highlight evolving trip-planning behaviors, and help travel advisors stay ahead of the curve this summer season.
1.) Purposeful and Experience-driven Journeys: Travelers continue to want more than just a fly-and-flop vacation. Their appetite for authentic experiences, cultural immersion, personal growth and opportunities to connect with destinations on a deeper level is ravenous.
“This desire goes beyond the Instagram moments,” said Block. “In fact, there is a growing audible backlash against the cookie cutter, staged Instagram-style trip. More and more people, though certainly not all, are looking for travel experiences that actually enrich their lives.”
This shift reflects a growing awareness of travel’s impact and a move toward personal fulfillment and creating lasting memories over simply collecting passport stamps.
2.) “Star Chasing” Tourism: One of the most dramatic shifts in travel planning is “star chasing,” travelers building entire trips around concerts, sporting events and cultural phenomena.
“This trend is particularly strong among younger travelers, especially Gen Z women,” Block noted. “The convergence of pent-up demand for live experiences and social media’s amplification of FOMO (fear of missing out) has created a perfect storm for event-based tourism.”
3.) Maximalist Travel: Consider this the anti-trend to the growth the travel industry is seeing in experience-driven travel. A growing segment of travelers, many of them solo travelers, are looking to get every last item they can checked off of each destination’s highlight list.
“Maximalists want to do it all, see it all and taste it all. They want to explore the known cities and visit new offbeat locales,” said Block. “They want to see all of the big sights, and take in the local cuisine, and they’re doing it in fast-paced, high-intensity trips.”
Many Maximalists are utilizing customizable tour packages to capture as many memories as they can during their trip.
4.) “Coolcations” – Climate-conscious Summer Getaways: The travel industry is seeing a rise in demand for destinations with milder summer climates as the environment is seeing a rise in global temperatures.
This year, there is a spike in non-traditional summer “hotspots,” with many travelers heading north. Popular destinations include Scandinavia, Iceland, Ireland and Scotland.
“This trend is directly linked to climate change concerns, with searches for ‘cooler holidays’ increasing by 300% in the past year,” Block explained. “Domestic destinations like Alaska, Maine and Montana are also trending as travelers seek more comfortable climates for summer adventures.”
5.) Value-conscious Exploration: With economic uncertainty on the rise, American travelers are increasingly seeking value for their travel dollars. Travelers are looking for affordable lodging options that still offer amazing locations and high comfort and cruise and tour packages with great inclusions.
“This is a trend that every travel advisor should welcome, because it is where we shine! Value-consciousness doesn’t mean spending less necessarily. It means ensuring every travel dollar is delivering an enjoyable and memorable experience,” said Block. “Professional travel advisors fill this important need. Whether a 3-day cruise or a multi-week FIT trek across the globe, sell value!”
WorldVia Travel Network travel agents and advisors, as well as prospective host agency members, can find additional resources and guidance for Summer 2025 travel planning at www.worldviatravelnetwork.com.
Consumers interested in discovering new destinations, packages and planning assistance for Summer 2025 can visit www.worldvia.com. Future travelers can also connect with a WorldVia Travel Network advisor for exceptional trip planning and personalized support.
About WorldVia Travel Group:
WorldVia Travel Group is a collection of leading travel companies in the United States with a spirited and longstanding commitment to delivering unmatched services, assets and support to its members, clients and partners – including independent travel agent and advisor entrepreneurs, corporate partners and humanitarian organizations – through the company’s two primary divisions: WorldVia, which operates the company’s host agency, and the consumer travel website, worldvia.com. WorldVia’s mission