Top Travel Destinations for 2025
A New Year brings new adventures. As 2024 winds down, we’re looking ahead to 2025 to fuel our wanderlust and jump-start our vacation planning.
They say the early bird gets the worm, and the best hotel deals, too. With a bit of foresight, savvy travelers can have first pick of their favorite oceanfront suites, historic walking tours, and the best food crawls in the city. Not to mention, a planned vacation gives a bit of motivation when the New Year cheer has dimmed.
So, where to? We dig into on-the-ground insight from our hotels and resorts, pull from travel trends, and bring imagination to present the best vacation spots for 2025, from 8,000-year-old desert mountains to sandy beach towns on Massachusetts’ coast.
| Table of Contents 1. Monterey Bay 2. Cape Cod 3. El Paso 4. Washington, D.C. 5. Frederick |
Go on a ‘Reset Retreat’ in California
A whopping 62 percent of American travelers say they feel more mindful about their overall health and well-being than ever before.¹ Beyond spa treatments and yoga classes, vacationers are looking for a “reset retreat,” a place where they can zen out in nature, treat their bodies right, and recharge their batteries.
Mindful travelers find scenic serenity at The Sanctuary Beach Resort, a laid-back luxury escape on the California coast in Monterey Bay. Surrounded by the ocean and dreamy sand dunes, The Sanctuary is a picturesque place to hit the reset button (even Forbes says so).
Practice ‘grounding’ with your toes in the sand, read a book by the bonfire, or join a nature walk through Marina Dunes Preserve. Newly renovated, The Sanctuary offers daily holistic wellness activities, too: stretching and mobility classes, healing sound baths, energizing yoga flows, and chakra-aligning Reiki journeys, to name a few.
The beachside resort has also introduced The Renewal Studio & Spa, an on-site destination for ocean-inspired spa treatments. After a lazy beach day, hydrate your skin with their signature Marina Reset facial layered with fresh seaweed, vitamin C serum, and low-level LED light therapy. Feeling tense from all that desk time? Opt for a deep-pressure Sports Massage or healing hot stones to melt sore muscles. New technology furthers healing, like the Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy mat with electromagnetic waves to stimulate the body’s natural recovery process.
Top it off with a soul-nourishing meal at Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette, a fiery seafood restaurant nestled on the beach. Bay scallop ceviche and garlicky clams for dinner, with a bottle of Cali-grown cabernet, perhaps? (Wellness is all about balance, after all…)
All this and more await at The Sanctuary Beach Resort, a short drive from Big Sur hikes, exciting downtown bars, and famous foodie tours by Moss Landing, perfect for a well-rounded reset.
See the Stars on Cape Cod
Across the way in Massachusetts, nature and serenity are met with a dash of nostalgia on Cape Cod, a coastal peninsula with beautiful beaches, charming village streets, and easygoing activities for every age.
For travelers who yearn to slow down, Cape Cod offers blissful beach days and breathtaking scenery that’s home to some incredible wildlife. In fact, the Cape is one of the world’s best destinations for whale watching, especially from June through September!
At Sea Crest Beach Resort, the Upper Cape’s only beachfront resort, nature is everywhere you look; even the cottages are surrounded by sand dunes. This hidden gem is great for stargazing, too. The Cape has some of the darkest night skies on the eastern seaboard, making it a top-rated spot for astronomic adventures. With four eclipses on the horizon for 2025, Cape Cod may be the perfect vantage point.
Of course, there’s plenty to do besides the beach. Visit the Wellfleet Drive-In for an old-school movie, or tee off from a famous oceanfront golf course. Scope out saltwater taffy in Cape Cod’s classic candy stores, or eat your way through Streetscape – Sea Crest’s on-site eateries – for quintessential New England favorites: beachside lobster rolls at The Hatch, ice cream sundaes at Captain Scoops, and famous clam chowder with a side of ocean views at The Lantern Room, open all year round.
Channel Your Inner Cowboy in El Paso
Cowboy culture is all the rage these days. Even Beyoncé has a country album! America’s fascination with the Wild West runs deep and seems more fervent than ever. Younger generations are especially into the trend; a reported 63 percent of travelers ages 18 to 24 are fans of ‘cowboy core.’ ²
For an unconventional cowboy vacation, consider El Paso, Texas. Teetering on the edge of West Texas and New Mexico, this unique city has hazy desert mountains and loads of cowboy history. In fact, El Paso is known as the “boot capital of the world.” Cowboy cobblers have been stitching up specialty boots here for decades, transforming leather and alligator skin into wearable works of art.
On the hunt for a unique pair? Follow in Taylor Swift’s footsteps at Rocketbuster, one of El Paso’s famous shops for handmade custom kicks. Show them off horseback riding through the Chihuahuan Desert, or take a road trip to Marfa, Texas, where real-life cowboys brush shoulders with blue-chip art collectors. Don’t miss the Old El Paso City Jail, where Billy The Kid famously tricked his way into prison to free his friend.
The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park is equally as thrilling as its El Paso hometown. Inside this MICHELIN Key hotel is Elizabeth Taylor’s old penthouse, a rooftop lounge with mountain views, and the largest agave spirit collection in all of North America. An El Paso visit is incomplete without some Mexican food, and The Plaza has some of the city’s best at Ámbar Restaurante, where smoke and flame impart big flavor to tacos carnitas and mole poblano duck. Wash it all down with a rare Tequila sipper, and you’ve got a Texas vacation for the books.
Get Some Culture – and Some Sleep – in Washington, D.C.
Culture has long been a motivator for travel, and 2025 looks poised to stay the course with 49% of travelers citing culture as the most important factor in choosing a vacation spot. ³
Washington, D.C. makes an excellent choice for culture-loving travelers, not only for its political history and iconic architecture, but also for its world-renowned museums and diverse culinary scene. Art enthusiasts will especially love D.C.’s newer immersive art exhibits, including ARTECHOUSE and Claude Monet: The Immersive Experience, where Monet’s Impressionist masterpieces come to life with 360° digital art projections.
But stacked itineraries can turn vacation into work. In the year ahead, moms are turning the page to more-balanced travels that prioritize rest, and cultural pursuits. Recent studies show moms want more self-care in their 2025 vacation plans, and 72% of moms with young kids say they’re most excited to sleep on vacation.⁴
The Morrow Hotel is here to help. A pocket of respite in the heart of D.C., The Morrow Hotel is a posh hideaway with a focus on mind-body wellness. When it comes to a good night’s sleep, The Morrow is ultra-prepared. Browse their self-care menu for customizable pillows, sleepy tea elixirs, in-room spa kits, and even eucalyptus to hang from your shower. On-site programs further promote rest and relaxation, like mat Pilates and Barre fitness, crafty floral workshops, and a locally-loved Trap Yoga flow.
Live Your Small-Town Fantasy in Frederick
Have you ever wished to vacation in a Hallmark movie set? You’re not alone. As more American travelers seek out relaxation, small towns are seeing an uptick in popularity. Boomers frequently visit small towns for their comfort and community feel. Even young travelers are “townsizing” their 2025 vacations, choosing cozy small towns over big-city stays like a Nancy Meyers character. ⁵
Frederick, Maryland is an hour outside of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., away from the hustle and bustle but no less rich with history and buzz, a perfect choice to live out your small-town fantasies. Visit Civil War sites known to George Washington and Frederick Douglass, stroll through 18th-century gardens, or bike around the downtown area, where you’ll find a bit of boutique shopping and minor league baseball.
For your small-town adventure, consider a hotel that’s just as charming and under the radar. Visitation Hotel, a brand-new hotel with 200 years of history, takes root in one of Frederick’s most recognized landmarks that dates back to 1824 as a cloistered monastery, and later, a renowned academic institution.
Reimagined as Visitation Hotel, this architectural gem now plays host to curious travelers from all over the world and takes care of them with brand-new amenities, including a state-of-the-art fitness center and cozy cafe. Guests and Frederick locals can also enjoy the hotel’s new restaurant, Wye Oak Tavern, helmed by Executive Chef Bryan Voltaggio, a James Beard semi-finalist with a penchant for culinary art.
Looking for even more travel inspo for 2025 vacations? Explore Independent Collection’s blog archive, or visit Our Hotels & Resorts to discover more one-of-a-kind experiences.
¹https://www.skyscanner.com/travel-trends/wellness
²https://www.skyscanner.com/travel-trends/cowboy-core