INSIDE THE FUTURE OF LUXURY TRAVEL WITH VIRTUOSO & GLOBETRENDER’S 2025 TREND WATCH
Virtuoso, the world’s leading luxury and experiential travel network, has teamed up with trend forecasters Globetrender to reveal their Luxury Travel Trend Watch: 2025. Drawing on data from Virtuoso’s 2024 Brand & Travel Tracker Survey, which tapped into the preferences of their high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, the report highlights seven key trends that will shape the future of luxury travel. From “Silver Bullet Wellness” to “F**k-It Lists,” here’s what’s on the horizon for the world’s elite travellers.
Silver Bullet Wellness: The Future of Holistic Health Escapes
Wellness tourism is booming, with an annual growth rate of 16.6 percent, set to hit £1.6 trillion by 2027, according to the Global Wellness Institute. Enter Silver Bullet Wellness, a rising trend where affluent travellers are trading in traditional spa treatments for science-backed, life-enhancing therapies. Addressing insomnia, cognitive decline, and disease prevention, these tailored wellness retreats are taking personalised health to the next level.
Countries like Switzerland, Spain, Germany, and Thailand are at the forefront, offering curated mind-body transformations. Take a trip to Aleenta Retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for monk-level meditation, or head to Germany’s Buchinger Wilhelmi for genetic testing. High-end travellers are returning home not just pampered but “rewired,” after indulging in longevity-focused treatments like menopause therapy at Amilla Maldives or “quantum healing” at Abu Dhabi’s Kintsugi Space. Wellness travel has never been more serious.
F**k-It Lists: Carpe Diem Travel
The classic bucket list is getting a revamp. Welcome to the era of F**k-It Lists—unplanned, impulsive adventures that champion spontaneity over long-term dream trips. As consumers continue to favour experiences over material goods, this “live in the moment” philosophy is redefining luxury travel. Think yacht charters, first-class flights, and private jets as a way to scratch that spontaneous itch.
But it’s not just about indulgence; it’s about pushing boundaries. From tagging hammerhead sharks in Costa Rica to exploring canyons in Utah or even participating in a psychedelic ceremony, these experiences push travellers out of their comfort zones. Companies like Pelorus offer supercar road trips, while Based on a True Story creates scripted, immersive adventures for their clients, including surprise kidnappings and pirate treasure hunts. This trend is for the adventurous elite who are determined to squeeze every ounce of thrill out of life.
Mood Boarding: Designing Travel with Emotional Impact
Most of us pick destinations based on what we want to see or do, but what about how we want to feel? That’s where Mood Boarding comes in. This growing trend focuses on matching itineraries to emotional needs, aiming to provide a deeper sense of fulfilment during travel. It’s about understanding the psychology of travel—whether that’s needing to feel connected, at peace, or rejuvenated.
Luxury travel designers are honing this skill. Philippe Brown of Brown + Hudson uses psychometric questionnaires to gauge travellers’ psychological preferences, crafting bespoke journeys that go beyond the ordinary. Meanwhile, companies like Black Tomato launched experiences in 2023 designed to evoke lasting emotional impact, such as a candlelit dinner inside an Icelandic volcano. It’s not about the destination anymore—it’s about how travel transforms you.
XZ Beta Travel: Multi-Generational Escapes for the TikTok Age
As Beta Babies (the children of Gen Z) arrive, 2025 will see a never-before-seen travel dynamic: seven generations on the move, from the Matures to Generation Alpha. XZ Beta Travel focuses on Gen Z parents travelling with their Gen X grandparents, with the latter often footing the bill. This trend is driven by Gen Z’s growing influence—set to make up 27 percent of the global workforce by 2025—and their aspirational travel desires.
Luxury hotels are responding, creating family-friendly experiences like the Shangri-La Hong Kong’s redesigned floors for Beta Babies and Gen Alpha, complete with whimsical treehouses and submarine-themed rooms. In the Italian Dolomites, Sonnwies resort caters exclusively to families, offering child-specific wellness activities like chocolate massages and an onsite zoo. Travel is evolving, and luxury brands are adapting to accommodate this emerging multi-generational demographic.
Wander Women: Solo Female Travel on the Rise
The future is female—especially when it comes to travel. Wander Women marks the rise of independent travel among women, with solo female adventurers, particularly those over 50, leading the charge. Virtuoso reports that 71 percent of their solo travellers are women, with a large portion of them widowed, separated, or divorced. This is a demographic with a newfound zest for discovery, unencumbered by traditional ties.
Travel brands are reacting in kind. AmaWaterways has removed single supplements for solo cruisers, and A Small World has launched a dedicated cruise line for women aged 55+. Meanwhile, Intrepid Travel is offering women-only tours to destinations like Saudi Arabia, featuring unique experiences such as visiting women’s homes and female-only beaches. With the rise of female-focused experiences like “babymoons” and wellness retreats, this trend is set to redefine how women explore the world.
Memoirs in Motion: Cinematic Travel for the Instagram Age
Everyone’s a star, or at least they want to be. Enter Memoirs in Motion, a trend where luxury travellers hire professional film crews to document their vacations, turning their trips into full-scale cinematic productions. Unlike Set-Jetting—where travellers visit famous movie locations—this trend is about creating your own movie, with you in the starring role.
Luxury brands like Cookson Adventures offer bespoke cinematography packages, starting at £13,000, capturing clients’ travels in an Attenborough-esque style. From social media reels to full documentaries, these projects cater to the Instagram-hungry elite. Other companies, such as Joro Experiences, offer even grander productions, with budgets soaring into the hundreds of thousands. In 2025, travel memories will be less about the selfies and more about professionally curated cinematic legacies.
Racketeering: The Sporty Side of Luxury
For the athletically inclined, Racketeering—the rise of racket sports like tennis, pickleball, and padel—is taking luxury travel by storm. Thanks to the surge of interest driven by the 2024 film Challengers, elite travellers are increasingly seeking out racket sport-themed vacations. Resorts are stepping up with state-of-the-art courts, high-profile tournaments, and celebrity partnerships.
From the legendary Marbella Club, where Padel took off in Europe, to Richard Branson’s Necker Cup tennis tournament, luxury destinations are going all-in on this trend. Crystal Cruises even offers onboard pickleball and padel courts, and top resorts like Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in France have launched branded tennis partnerships. Whether it’s a beachside game or a private tournament, luxury travellers are getting sporty in style.
The Future of Luxury Travel
The Luxury Travel Trend Watch: 2025 paints a compelling picture of where high-end travel is heading. From emotional journeys and multi-generational escapes to cinematic productions and spontaneous thrills, the future is about more than just destinations—it’s about how travel can transform lives. Virtuoso and Globetrender’s partnership sheds light on the shifting desires of luxury travellers, and in 2025, one thing is certain: the journey will be as extraordinary as the destination.
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