The new traveller is not simply asking, “Where should I go next?” The more important question is becoming, “What do I want to experience when I get there?”
Travel is moving beyond sightseeing and conventional holiday checklists. Travellers are increasingly looking for authentic experiences, quieter destinations, personalised itineraries, wellness, flexibility and meaningful connections with the places they visit.
The shift is visible in the Expedia Group 2025 Traveler Value Index, which surveyed more than 11,000 consumers across 11 global markets. The report found that 88% of respondents planned to take a leisure trip in the following 12 months, while 50% said travel had become more important to them than it was five years earlier. At the same time, 58% expected to become more price-conscious, highlighting a traveller who remains eager to explore but is becoming more selective about value.
Research from Booking.com points in a similar direction. Its 2025 Travel Predictions identified growing interest in authentic experiences, less crowded destinations, wellness and travel that creates a stronger connection with local communities.
Together, these findings reveal a traveller who is changing not just where they go, but what they expect from the journey.
Experiences Are Replacing Checklists
For years, travel marketing revolved around landmarks: see the monument, visit the museum, take the photograph and move on.
That model is gradually giving way to more immersive experiences.
Travellers are increasingly interested in local food, traditional crafts, neighbourhoods, cultural encounters and nature-based activities. A cooking class with a local family or a walk through an artisan community can feel more memorable than simply visiting another tourist attraction.
Expedia Group’s travel trends research found that 63% of consumers were likely to visit a less-known and less-crowded destination.
For destinations and travel companies, this creates an opportunity to promote experiences that reveal the character of a place rather than simply its most photographed attractions.
Personalisation Is Becoming Part of the Journey
The modern traveller does not necessarily want the most popular itinerary. They want an itinerary that fits their interests, budget and pace.
A solo traveller looking for adventure, a family searching for convenience and a couple planning a wellness escape may visit the same destination but have completely different expectations.
Artificial intelligence is making this kind of personalisation easier. Travel platforms can increasingly use preferences and behaviour to suggest destinations, activities and itineraries that are more relevant to individual travellers.
But the value of technology lies in what it enables. The best travel technology should make planning feel simpler and more personal, rather than turning the journey into another complicated digital process.
The Appeal of Quieter Destinations
Overcrowding can diminish the very experience travellers are seeking.
This is helping drive interest in lesser-known destinations, smaller towns and alternatives located away from established tourist centres.
The appeal is not simply about avoiding crowds. Travellers can also discover local culture, spend more time in one place and experience a slower pace.
For destination marketers, this means there is an opportunity to tell stories about what lies beyond the obvious tourist route.
A nearby village, heritage town, craft cluster or nature trail could become the next travel discovery when presented effectively.
Wellness Is Becoming a Way of Travelling
Wellness travel is also expanding beyond traditional spa retreats.
For some travellers, wellness means yoga, meditation or fitness. For others, it means hiking through the mountains, spending time in nature, sleeping better or disconnecting from constant notifications.
The result is a broader understanding of wellness in which the destination itself becomes part of the rejuvenation.
Hotels, resorts and destinations can respond by creating experiences around nature, sleep, nutrition, mindfulness and slow travel rather than treating wellness as an additional facility.
Value Matters More Than the Lowest Price
Being price-conscious does not necessarily mean choosing the cheapest option.
The Expedia Group 2025 Traveler Value Index found that although 58% of consumers expected to become more price-conscious, three-quarters were willing to pay more for accommodation with better reviews.
That distinction is increasingly important for the travel industry.
Travellers are looking for value, reliability and confidence. A slightly more expensive hotel with strong reviews, a convenient location and a better overall experience may be more attractive than the cheapest available room.
For travel brands, this means trust can be a stronger selling point than discounts alone.
Clear information, authentic reviews, transparent pricing and credible experiences can influence purchase decisions.
Social Media Is Becoming the New Travel Brochure
Travel inspiration increasingly starts on a screen.
A short video, creator recommendation, restaurant post or unexpected destination can transform an unfamiliar place into someone’s next holiday idea.
According to Expedia Group’s 2025 Traveler Value Index, 61% of travellers use social media for travel inspiration, compared with 35% in 2022. The report also found that 73% said influencer recommendations had influenced their decision to book a trip or travel component.
This is changing the role of travel marketing.
Travellers increasingly want to see what a destination feels like, not just what it looks like. Authentic videos, first-person experiences and useful local insights can therefore be more persuasive than highly polished promotional imagery alone.
Flexibility Is the New Convenience
The boundaries between business, leisure and personal travel are becoming less rigid.
Bleisure trips, workations, extended stays and spontaneous breaks are creating new travel patterns. People may add a few days to a business trip, work remotely from a holiday destination or turn a short break into a longer stay.
That makes flexibility increasingly valuable.
Easy modifications, adaptable itineraries, convenient connectivity and accommodation suited to different lengths of stay can make a significant difference to the overall travel experience.
The new traveller wants options without unnecessary friction.
Sustainability Needs to Be Visible
Sustainability is becoming less about a label and more about the actual impact of travel.
Travellers increasingly want to understand whether their spending benefits local communities, whether local culture is respected and whether tourism is putting unnecessary pressure on destinations.
That makes responsible travel a potential differentiator for hotels, tour operators and destinations.
Supporting local businesses, promoting community-led experiences and encouraging visitors to explore beyond overcrowded hotspots can create a more balanced tourism ecosystem.
For brands, the lesson is simple: sustainability claims need to be backed by visible actions and transparent practices.
What This Means for Travel Brands
The changing traveller presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the travel industry.
Hotels can move beyond selling rooms to selling experiences. Destinations can promote lesser-known attractions alongside iconic landmarks. Travel companies can use AI to personalise recommendations. Marketers can focus more heavily on authentic storytelling and creator-led content.
Most importantly, brands need to understand that travellers are increasingly buying how a trip makes them feel, rather than simply buying a destination.
The strongest travel brands will therefore be those that can combine convenience with authenticity, technology with human connection and discovery with responsibility.
The New Travel Equation
The new traveller is not necessarily looking for more travel. They are looking for better travel.
They want personalisation without complexity, technology without losing the human touch, discovery without overcrowding and convenience without sacrificing authenticity.
The data points in the same direction: travel remains a priority, but travellers are becoming more thoughtful about where they spend, what they experience and what they take away from the journey.
For the travel industry, the question is no longer simply:
“Where do you want to go?”
It is becoming:
“What do you want to experience, and how do you want to feel when you return?”
That may be the real definition of the new traveller—and the future of travel.