21 Jan 2025
- Explore Worldwide reports best year of sales in 43-year history for 2023-4
- Explore's travel trends for 2025 include: extended sabbaticals, literary-inspired holidays and the search for dark skies
- New tours for this year include Ghana, Rwanda, South Korea, Scandinavia and Upgraded trips in Namibia, Uzbekistan and Georgia & Armenia
- B Corp Certified, Explore's recently published Purpose Paper reported 8% reduction in carbon intensity (footprint per person per night) last year
Adventure Travel on the up
Specialist tour operator Explore Worldwide closed another record-breaking year end of October 2024 and got off to a storming start with its Black Friday Sale, which ran from 25th November to 2nd December. The sale's closing day saw the company's biggest single-day's revenue in its 43-year history.
The sale, which saw hundreds of the operator's small group trips discounted by up to 20% for 2025, attracted unprecedented demand among direct travellers but also travel agents - trade sales were up 58% year on year.
The operator's three best-selling tours in the eight-day Black Friday campaign included Simply Japan, Walking in Madeira and Botswana Wildlife Safari.
Explore's Big Blue Sale, which ran from 30th December to 23rd January further fuelled demand with up to 20% off across 1,500 departures. Solo travellers made extra savings during the Big Blue Sale for the first time, with the promotion discount being applied to single room supplements.
The operator's top five trips during January's Big Blue Sale campaign included Simply Japan, Botswana Wildlife Safari, Namibia Lodge Safari, Highlights of Albania and neck and neck in fifth place was Walking in Madeira and Hiking in the Dolomites.
All signs now point to 2025 being another big year for adventure travel.
Travel Trends 2025
From cool-cations to dark skies, extended sabbaticals to literary-inspired holidays, here are Explore's hot predictions for adventure travel in 2025:
- The rise of the cool-cation
With repeated record-breaking temperatures over the last three years, Google Trends has shown a 300% increase in searches for 'cooler holidays' in the last 12 months. Traditionally colder destinations - like Iceland, the Baltics and Scandinavia - are selling well for Explore, as well as polar expeditions, which are up 32% in the last six months.
New for 2025 are two European walking tours from Explore that offer beautiful rugged landscapes and more temperate climes for walkers - a walking tour of Northern Ireland and Donegal that combines beautiful walks with authentic Irish experiences, from whiskey tasting to a sheepdog demonstration, and Walking in the Faroe Islands, which includes the breathtaking landscapes of six Faroese islands.
- Set-jetting
Another emerging travel trend for 2025 is 'set-jetting', with travellers inspired to visit a destination because of a book, movie or TV series they've enjoyed. From 'Paddington in Peru' and 'Gladiator 2' to 'White Lotus Series 3' to 'Letters From Everest' by George Mallory and Tom Newton Dunn, recent and upcoming releases are sure to inspire future travel.
And, with the launch of its Four Corners Book Club earlier this month, Team Explore got a peek between the covers of British travellers' reading habits. A NatRep survey carried out by the company found that 70% of us are more likely to read while on holiday, while 72% have visited or considered visiting a place after reading a novel set there. The same survey unveiled the most inspiring literary locations for 2025, with the top five destinations comprising Italy, USA, Scotland, Japan and Australia.
- The radical sabbatical
Fewer and fewer young adults are taking a Gap Year before or after university, choosing to get straight into study or work. And with rumours of future Budgets targeting pensions and tax-free pension draw-downs, we may soon see the decline in the big post-retirement trip, too.
Increasingly, we're seeing mid-lifers opting to take extended breaks from work in the middle of their careers to travel. With the average career now 40+ years, people are less inclined to wait four decades to take those extended adventures.
Workers in search of a radical sabbatical might consider a three-week adventure with Explore that combines the Baltic States with Slovenia's Alpine Lakes to visit the medieval towns and UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, before soaking up the alpine beauty and glacial lakes of Slovenia.
Or plan the trip of a lifetime and spend a month in Indonesia, combining a fortnight exploring exotic Bali and Java with an off-the-beaten path trip to Flores and Komodo.
- Astrotourism
The unique opportunity to see the Northern Lights in the UK this summer has sparked increased desire to witness this natural phenomenon. Iceland and Finnish Lapland are two destinations offering great chances to see the Aurora for yourself. Explore's new Finnish Lapland Winter Adventure is based in the remote village of Inari in the heart of Finnish Lapland, where dark skies and a lack of light pollution provide optimal conditions for viewing the incredible Northern Lights when conditions allow. Combine sky watching at night with winter activities by day – from cross-country skiing to husky sledding – and immersing yourself in the rich Sami culture on a visit to a local reindeer herder.
Elsewhere, stargazing experiences continue to delight - with desert camps in Jordan and Oman and stargazing opportunities in Canada and Argentina among sought-after dark skies experiences for 2025.
- A change >> a rest
We know that changing our routine can be as good as a rest, but in this world of busy schedules, 'always-on', overthinking brains and seemingly endless newsfeeds of doom, finding time to relax and reflect isn't always the tonic we hope for.
Instead, engaging in something completely removed from our day-to-day routine can enable us to break free of unhelpful thinking patterns and leave us feeling refreshed and reinvigorated. In 2025, find that joie-de-vivre by trying a new skill or activity. Explore's foodie exploration of Turkey makes a great change from a beach holiday, while an Active Sri Lanka tour sees you paddle boarding, rafting and joining a jeep safari between visits to spectacular sites and temples.
- Elevated experiences
According to Vertical Leap, more travellers are searching for budget-luxury travel through 'elevated, impactful experiences'. As well as bucketlist sights and life-affirming experiences, Explore's new Upgraded collection includes stays in hand-picked, premium accommodation providing extra comfort at the end of each day's exploring. Travellers looking for an extra special experience in 2025 might consider Explore's Upgraded Rome and Umbria tour, which includes stunning hilltop accommodation set amongst olive groves, or Upgraded Discover Peru, which travels from Lake Titicaca to Cusco via a panoramic train ride, complete with a three-course lunch onboard.
New Trips for 2025
Five nights costs from £1,995 per person.
This six-day tour takes you to Inari, a remote village in the heart of Finnish Lapland. Here pristine snow-covered landscapes, mesmeric aurora borealis and rich Sami culture come together to create an experience like no other. Dark skies and lack of light pollution provide optimal conditions for viewing the celestial spectacle that is the Northern Lights.
14 nights costs from £3,495 per person.
This 15-day tour is packed with cultural experiences. From wild Atlantic beaches to traditional tribal lands and friendly locals, West Africa has a raw and vitalising energy. Less visited than the east, it offers an array of exotic, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for adventurous travellers. Set between Togo and Ivory Coast. Ghana has benefited from decades of stable democracy, earning the country its friendly 'Gateway to Africa' reputation.
Uganda and Rwanda Gorilla Discovery
Nine nights costs from £5,295 per person.
This 10-day tour combines two fantastic countries, Uganda and Rwanda, and the highlight being a once in a lifetime chance to get up close and personal with endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat of Bwindi National Park. Journeying through these much-overlooked African destinations, you will visit Lake Mburo home to leopard, hyena and buffalo and the stunning mountainous Volcano National Park in Rwanda in search of Golden Monkeys.
11-nights costs from £3,311 per person.
This 12-day tour packs in a wealth of highlights across this beautiful country. From the cosmopolitan city of Seoul to the ancient Silla capital of Gyeongju, South Korea has a lot to offer. Discover a dynamic, friendly and modern country that is steeped in culture, history and tradition. From exploring the demilitarized border with North Korea to meeting Korean Buddhist monks and practicing the art of meditation and Sunmudo, South Korea is a refreshing juxtaposition of contrasts.
Walk Northern Ireland and Donegal
Seven nights costs from £2,495 per person.
This eight-day tour takes you on a journey through some of Ireland's most breathtaking landscapes. Taking you from the rich history of Belfast, past impressive castles, the rugged beauty of the Giant's Causeway and serene wilderness of Glenveagh National Park, this tour offers a perfect blend of natural wonders and authentic Irish experiences.
Purpose Paper Highlights
Explore's launched its second annual Purpose Paper, tracking progress against its sustainability goals. Structured into Planet, Places and People sections, the paper highlights where the company has surpassed its targets – 8% reduction of intensity carbon – but also where additional efforts are required in working towards Glasgow Declaration targets.
Explore's Managing Director Michael Edwards says: “Our focus on sustainable travel and being a responsible business is vital to maintaining a competitive advantage in the adventure sector and we are incredibly proud of the inroads we have made this year in continuing our carbon journey.
Receiving B-Corp accreditation earlier this year was a true validation point for us as we drive forward this global movement for an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy – something hugely important not only to us, but our travellers, who increasingly expect businesses to be focusing on these key factors to secure their custom.”
This is the ultimate verification that Explore is purpose-led in all that it does, continually striving to be Better Than Yesterday, and openly asking to be held accountable for the goals it sets itself.
The full Purpose Paper is available to view here.
www.explore.co.uk / 01252 884 709
Ends
For more media information, interview requests or images, please contact:
Caroline Hook – caroline.hook@explore.co.uk
Laura Dewar – laura.dewar@explore.co.uk
Notes to editors:
About Explore: Explore has over 40 years' experience in creating expert-led small group tours all over the world. Tours that are all about getting under the skin of your destination: making friends, treading lightly, and being mindful of local communities. With more than 350 trips in 100 countries, the company offers everything from classic cultural holidays and wildlife safaris to walking and cycling trips, family adventures and even polar expeditions.
