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 international boom to some unexpected deals, read on for the travel trends that will define 2025.
2025 at a glance.
International trips are #winning.
Wander far, spend less: US → Asia.
Drumroll please…🥁. Travel to Asia is the cheapest we’ve seen in THREE (yes, 3) years. Asia has been our number one trending region for several years in a row now, so we love to see it. Overall, expect to see airfares down 7% compared to 2024.
Want to know exactly where to go to get a deal? These spots in Asia are seeing our biggest drops in airfare compared to last year:
H-O-T T-O-K-YO: Japan is Hot 2 Go.
According to our list, Japan is seeing plenty of deals. Which works because our search data shows that interest in going to Japan is up 11% compared to 2024 and airfare is down 5%. To top it off, Tokyo is the most-searched international destination of 2025. It’s also expected to be the #1 trending destination for Spring Break 2025, so expect to see a lot of Mt. Fuji in the background of your friend’s photos this year. Care about being on trend? Three of our top 10 trending destinations for 2025 are in Japan.
1#
Sapporo, Japan
Interest is up 31%
Interest is up 31%
Few Japanese cities can match Sapporo’s energetic festival schedule. Whether it be the Snow Festival in February or the Yosakoi Soran Festival in June, you’re sure to find something fun to do here.
2#
Osaka, Japan
Interest is up 12%
As Japan’s gastronomic capital, Osaka’s informal city motto is “eat until you drop.” Check out spots like Chibo, Imai Honten and Shoubentango-tei for your slice of foodie heaven.
3#
Tokyo, Japan
Interest is up 11%
There’s something for everyone in Tokyo. Mash buttons on vintage video game consoles at Super Potato, shop in Shibuya, or relax in one of the many exquisite Japanese gardens.
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 Ho Chi Minh for Da Nang in Vietnam and Lima for Cusco in Peru.
More hot takes.
Airfare to the Caribbean is gettin’ low. 📉
Like Asia, travel to the Caribbean is the cheapest we’ve seen in 3 years with airfare down 17% compared to 2024. Expect to see drops in airfare to these destinations.
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 6-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 flight prices for you and tell you when it’s the right time to book.
Our cheapest month to travel in 2024 was February.
Looking to take a cheap vacation? Set your sights on the month of love with these destinations seeing a drop in price.
The stuff our legal team wants you to know. (aka methodology)
For flight interest, KAYAK considered the search share of international versus domestic flights for searches between 5/1 and 10/31/2024 for travel between 1/1 and 12/31/2025.
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 Asia 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 Japan as a trending country, KAYAK first identified flight destinations 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 Tokyo as our most popular international destination of the year, KAYAK considered destinations with the most searches on our platform for the same search and travel dates noted above. For Spring Break interest, the same search dates in 2024 for travel between 3/1 – 4/30/2025 vs search dates in 2023 for travel between 3/1-4/30/2024 were used.
For Caribbean data, KAYAK considered flight interest to the Cribbean based on 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.
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.
For the cheapest month to travel, KAYAK considered average airfare by month of travel in 2024 for searches on our platform between 5/1 and 10/31/2023. Deal destinations are those with the greatest year over year percent drop in average airfare for travel during the month of February. Savings are on average and are not guaranteed.
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.