Slowcation is one of the biggest travel trends for 2025, according to a study by the American organization Future Partners. This type of vacation involves “immersing yourself” in the destination and avoiding the most popular places and tourist routes.
In December, the Future Partners organization presented the results of a survey conducted on a sample of over 4,000 people. Americans. Respondents were asked about their travel preferences in 2025 and asked to indicate which of the mentioned trends was the most attractive to them. It turns out that most people – 57 percent – chose “slowcations” holidays.
Slowcation – what is it?
The authors of the study define slowcations as quiet and engaging trips in which we focus primarily on their quality. They involve “deeply connecting with the place” where we are by spending longer time there and engaging in the life of the local community, local culture and environment.
Also called “slow travel” or “slow tourism”, slowcation is a response to the phenomenon of mass tourism. Unlike using attractions designed specifically for tourists, it involves looking for authenticity in the place we are visiting and focusing on rest instead of hastily visiting the most important points on the map. The purpose of such holidays is mainly to de-stress, relax and “immerse yourself” in the destination – emphasizes the “Smarter Travel” website.
According to Forbes magazine, this travel trend began a few years before the coronavirus pandemic and has since become rapidly popular. According to tourism industry experts, slow travel has the advantage that it can be practiced almost anywhere in the world. In an interview with the magazine, Yves Marceau from the G Adventures travel agency noted that this travel philosophy can be brought to any trip, and “the first step is to be curious and feel a connection with the destination.” According to him, this may involve, for example, spending time abroad as if it were a local resident.
– Slow travel is not only about taking your time in the places you visit, but also about immersing yourself in them with the intention of having more meaningful experiences off the main tourist routes – she said in an interview with Forbes. Christa Adams, author of the blog “The Spirited Explorer”. “This involves spending more time getting to know your destination rather than checking things off your to-do list,” she added. According to her, this type of traveling may involve, for example, “enjoying coffee and people watching, trying local cuisine, walking through interesting neighborhoods and not taking your travel plan too seriously.”
Future Partners, Forbes, Smarter Travel
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