The Best Places to Travel in 2025

A new year is a beautiful thing for devoted travelers: A blank calendar begs to be inked with departures to parts unknown. At Virtuoso, we’re on the case, polling our travel advisors and industry contacts for their on-the-rise, get-there-first vacation spots that deserve a slot on 2025 agendas.

Dominica

The wild child of the eastern Caribbean, Dominica holds a lake that boils and a reef that bubbles, evidence of the geothermal activity around the tiny, mountainous island. In contrast with the manicured tropics of the Bahamas or Grand Cayman, “Nature Island” offers an adrenaline-packed alternative for those seeking some under-the-radar adventure where their friends haven’t been, according to Virtuoso advisor Katy Chadwell. In 2025, a new marine reserve will protect Dominica’s resident sperm whales, and a cable car will open access to Boiling Lake for those unable (or not in the mood) to make the strenuous six-hour hike.

Stockholm Archipelago

Mild when other destinations are sweltering, the Nordics are turning into summer’s newest must-visit. “There’s so much depth – you can find adventure, but you still have culture, history, and an elevated experience of fine dining and architecture,” says travel advisor Christy Menzies, who touts Sweden to travelers looking beyond the usual summer suspects. Opening this November, the Stockholm Archipelago Trail offers a new way to explore the capital city’s islands – more than 30,000, offering quick escapes into nature close to the capital. The 170-mile hiking trail crosses 21 islands linked by public ferries.

West Papua, Indonesia

Indonesia recently dropped its visa requirements for American visitors, making Bali’s beaches easier to hit. But next year, explorers can go farther, reaching the remote and biodiverse province of West Papua with new voyages from Aqua Expeditions. “People are loving the adventure of traveling to more-distant areas of the world, and West Papua is difficult to reach,” says Esther Fraser, a Virtuoso advisor. Calling at areas only reachable by ship, the sailings include swims with 40-foot whale sharks, rainforest hikes to spot rare birds of paradise, and speedboat river excursions to traditional Asmat villages for encounters with members of one of Papua’s largest tribes, renowned for their spiritual rituals and intricate wood carvings.

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Virtuoso, The Magazine (U.S./Canada edition).