Exploring deeper and family first: Our travel New Year’s resolutions for 2025
Going solo, seeking out the less-obvious patches of Europe and being more flexible when it comes to holiday plans – here are The Independent travel team’s pledges for for coming year
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Your support makes all the difference.We’re getting tantalisingly close to that time for year again. We’ve reflected on all that 2024 has brought us, and are dreaming up plans – and promises – for the 12 months ahead just as we're about to pin up a new calendar.
And yes, despite our best intentions, much of what we say we'll do (or, in some cases, won't do) will be failed and forgotten as we face the harsh realities of January's to-do lists, but a new year is still the time to at least try and approach life a little differently. This applies to travel, too – after all, getting out there is about more than just ticking off destinations.
Members of The Independent's travel team have tasked themselves with setting resolutions for 2025, from taking less trips but staying away longer to putting family at the forefront. Now's the time to come up with your own – and safe travels over the next year.
Read more: We’ve been all over the world in 2024 – these places were our favourites
See more solo
Next year will be a year of flights for one as I step out of my comfort zone and see more of the world solo. Sorry to my freelance – and very hardworking – friends with serious jobs, but I’ll largely be leaving behind complicated WhatsApp availability polls to milk my precious annual leave days for all they have to offer me. Although I don’t think I’d thrive on a beach-based fly-and-flop alone, sans cards or suncream partner, big-hitting and lesser-known city breaks are calling, with Copenhagen back on the cards for summer. The city I found so enchanting in winter apparently comes alive when the sun is out, as Porto does in autumn and Edinburgh come Christmas. Elsewhere, Eurostar Snap tickets look promising for affordable long weekends in Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam, and I may even brave a bike rental to explore on two wheels. Hello, window seat, new faces and both sides of the bed. Natalie Wilson
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De-rating travel in Europe
Tourism in Europe has become overheated. For better experiences and lower impact, we need to tone down our demand for iconic destinations and travel more gently to places where tourists remain most welcome (which, thankfully, is most of them). In 2025 I resolve to delve more deeply into Europe’s less-obvious corners, seeking rewards from nature and culture – and also hoping to meet some friendly locals. Being a tourist in Rome at Easter (especially in Jubilee year) or in Mallorca in August is likely to be a less-than-perfect experience for visitors as well as residents. But overtourism is not likely to be a problem in March in the west of Ireland. I adore one-day hikes and I am told MacGIllicuddy Reeks on the Ring of Kerry is a classic.
In continental Europe, I am a big fan of Germany but have still not managed to visit the whole country. I will track down a couple of locations that look like high-scoring Scrabble targets: Quedlinburg and Xanten. And in the Czech Republic, I will seek out the towns of Tabor and Ustek, both described as film sets, but in May: the ideal month in so much of Europe to enjoy continental delights. Simon Calder
Fewer trips – but stay longer
The end of 2024 for me was a mad rush of travel, bouncing from Bali to Thailand to Japan – all of which were wonderful, but made me realise that so much is missed when travelling at speed. I’ve long been an advocate for taking time to get to know a place and really get under its skin, so in 2025 I’m going to take my own advice and slow right down. Rather than booking lots of short trips, my aim is to take far fewer and to spend longer in each destination, giving myself the chance to explore deeper, really get to know the culture and meet more people. Annabel Grossman
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Family first
I love travelling alone. I like wandering around unencumbered by little more than my phone and a notebook, stopping in little coffee shops whenever the mood takes me, closing down an evening as the last one in a bar. But, as much as I expect to swashbuckle in 2025, having a little boy means I think – finally – I need to be a less selfish and lean into family travel. Less slinging cocktails, more baby wrapped in a sling. Less early hours watching live blues, more flights watching Bluey. Of course, my goal is for true family travel. That doesn't mean where children want to go and where parents are dragged along. I want to find that underexplored city but chart it with a baby in tow. Decent, authentic food need not be foregone because the youngster isn't ready for the citrusy tang of ceviche of the sour-spicy boldness of som tam; the boy's got to expand that palate somehow from rusks and scrambled eggs. Who knows, come next December, maybe I'll be a fully fledged Dadfluencer? Benjamin Parker
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Be less organised
My travel resolution for 2025 is to be less organised. While that may seem counterproductive, I have found there is such as thing as over-planning a trip. When I have taken city breaks, I have been stringent in compiling a very detailed itinerary, blocking out where to be, what to do and when. While I may not ditch my meticulous research into how the trains work in other countries, or have a restaurant or two pre-booked to avoid disappointment, some of the best experiences I’ve had have been stumbling upon something while there – be it a cafe only known to the locals or a museum I had not thought of visiting ahead of time. For someone as regimented as me, I am opting to at least try and be a bit more carefree and spontaneous in 2025. Amelia Neath
Live (and dine) like the locals
From chocolate or waffles in Belgium or a delicious pastel de nata in Portugal, my resolution is to buy local. Forget the big brands or stalls that try to sell you local delicacies as you arrive at an airport or cruise port, I often find the sweetest treats are found if you go off the beaten track and find a thriving local bar or café. Marc Shoffman
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