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Q3 Traveler Insights: Events, escapes, and evolving plans.

Our exclusive first-party search and booking data from Q2 2025 reveals the latest traveler behaviors and trends.

author
Richard Kocher

August 13, 2025

As seasons shift, so do travelers — and they’re rewriting their itineraries in real time. Our Q2 2025 data revealed an undeniable trend of people embracing seasonal changes. From upcoming holidays and festivals to sporting events, travelers are planning to spend the upcoming months in new destinations.

 

Want to know where they’re headed and how to stay one step ahead? Let’s dive into insights shaping the second half of 2025.

Travelers on the hunt for impromptu trips

After strong increases in Q1 2025, our global travel search trends in Q2 remained flat quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) and increased year-over-year (YoY). Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) saw the strongest QoQ growth, while Latin America (LATAM) drove our strongest search growth YoY at 25%, followed by EMEA with a 20% increase YoY.¹

 

Building on seasonal patterns seen in Q2 2024, Q2 2025 shows an even stronger shift toward near-term trip planning, with travelers increasingly searching for last-minute spring and summer getaways.

 

  • With steep increases in shorter-term planning, we saw a 20% QoQ increase in the 0- to 13-day planning window. This trend is even stronger for international searches, with a 30% QoQ increase in search share during the 0- to 13-day window.

    •  

  • Travelers searching during the 14- to 30-day window also increased by 10% QoQ.

    •  

  • While this trend remains consistent with seasonal changes, when looking at YoY, there are more travelers planning international trips in the 0- to 20-day windows than in 2024.

 

Regionally, the shift to short-term planning was primarily driven by EMEA with a 30% QoQ increase and North America (NORAM) with a 20% QoQ increase.

TAKEAWAY

Turn traveler spontaneity into can’t-miss bookings

As more travelers book closer to their travel dates, offering last-minute deals is an effective way for lodging partners to capture demand. Vrbo hosts can now easily set up these types of promotions using the Promotions Suite.

Europeans set their sights on the Mediterranean

Our search travel trends between countries from April to June reveal that a growing number of travelers from Europe are looking to destinations within the Mediterranean.

Search increase to Greece from:

  • Türkiye: 155%
  • Greece: 120%
  • Norway: 75%
  • Sweden: 65%
  • Germany: 60%

Search increase to Türkiye from:

  • Türkiye: 70%
  • Sweden: 65%
  • Denmark: 60%

Search increase to Croatia from:

  • Sweden: 80%
  • Germany: 60%

In addition, we also saw that alongside several Türkiye destinations, many popular North America (NORAM) beach and lake spots were also among trending cities in traveler searches. These locations include Ocean City, Maryland; Branson, Missouri; and South Lake Tahoe, California.

Dubrovnik, Croatia
Santorini, Greece
Cappadocia, Türkiye

Takeaway

Promote key routes with smart ad placement

Reaching the right audience in today’s competitive landscape begins with a precise ad strategy.

 

Through Flight Sponsored Listings, you can feature your airline logo, custom advertising copy, and relevant flights to reach travelers across preferred booking platforms. This helps target your audience for increased sales and is uniquely tailored based on travel dates, origin, and destination.

Falling leaves spark rising demand

While many travelers continue to plan last-minute getaways, others are already locking in trips for fall foliage and holiday weekends in the Northern Hemisphere. Looking at the time frame when leaves tend to change (September 15 to November 14), there are several fall foliage hotspots seeing YoY search increases.

 

Fall foliage destination search increases 

  • Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Japan (55%)
  • Seoraksan National Park, South Korea (40%)
  • Acadia National Park, Maine (10%)
  • Stowe, VT (10%)
  • Banff, BC (10%)

 

Coinciding with the fall season is the upcoming Labor Day federal holiday on September 1. Searches from NORAM travelers for Labor Day weekend (August 29 to September 1) are on track to beat out last year with a 15% YoY increase in searches.

 

Top destinations for Labor Day

  • Cancun, Mexico
  • New York, New York
  • Orlando, Florida 
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Chicago, Illinois
Nagano, Japan
Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
Las Vegas, Nevada

TAKEAWAY

Capture seasonal wanderlust with strategic offers

Take advantage of the demand for fall travel by joining the September Sale. Properties that participate can benefit from increased visibility during a high-intent booking window. 

 

VIP Access partners can unlock even greater exposure through spotlight placements, helping you stand out to travelers planning seasonal getaways.

F1 and festivals fuel travel searches

 

From golf competitions and motor racing events to fall festivals, events continue to drive strong searches among travelers. 

 

With three global Formula One races slated for October and November 2025, these events all saw strong search spikes during Q2. 

 

  • F1 Singapore: Kicking off the trio of races, the F1 Singapore Grand Prix (October 3-5) drove a 30% WoW surge in Singapore searches during the week of April 21. Around this time, major entertainment details were confirmed, including Elton John as the Sunday headliner and G-Dragon for Friday night. 
     
  • F1 Austin: Searches for Austin, TX for the F1 United States Grand Prix (October 17-19) increased 30% WoW during the week of April 14. This coincided with announcements about headline concerts (e.g., Kygo on Friday and Garth Brooks on Saturday), and pit lane walk invitations were confirmed. Searches continued to steadily increase throughout May and June. Regionally, EMEA travelers are showing a 25% YoY increase in searches to Austin for the event date (Oct. 17-19).  
     
  • F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Searches for Las Vegas, NV during the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix dates (November 20-22) saw a 15% WoW increase the week of April 7, when tickets went on sale (April 9). Searches around the event also saw a 40% WoW spike the week of May 12.

Ahead of the 45th Ryder Cup — the international team match-play golf competition — travel planning to Long Island, NY for the event weekend of September 26-28 increased by 50% WoW during the week of April 21. The weeks of May 12 and May 19 also increased by over 40% WoW, and searches continued to rise steadily throughout June as travelers prepared for the event.

 

Expedia’s first Fan Travel Outlook shows early travel planning for the 2026 North American soccer tournament from June 11 to July 19, 2026. This is driving a 125% surge in searches for travel to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Notably, searches by England fans are up 85% to the U.S., 135% to Canada, and 205% to Mexico.

 

Alongside sporting competitions, travelers are also preparing for upcoming fall festivals. Ahead of the 190th Oktoberfest, set to take place September 20 to October 5, our travel search trends revealed a 10% YoY increase for Munich, Germany for the event dates.

TAKEAWAY

Harness event interest to fill your property calendar

Activate package rates and launch strategic promotions, offers, and marketing to stay competitive while travel demand for big festivities is hot. Explore our Sports Tourism Report for deeper insights.

Three fresh newcomers break into EMEA rankings

We saw three new locations enter the rankings for EMEA travelers, including Antalya, Türkiye; Stockholm, Sweden; and Copenhagen, Denmark. These spots were previously held by New York, Amsterdam, and Lisbon.

 

Among NORAM travelers, Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; and Chicago, Illinois also shot up in rankings as travelers planned for city escapes. APAC travelers saw two Japanese destinations — Osaka and Fukuoka — move up in search rankings. Check out the full list below for top searched destinations by region. 

Top searched destinations by region

*New top 10 destinations

For APAC travelers 
  1. Tokyo, Japan
  2. Osaka, Japan 
  3. Sydney, Australia
  4. Seoul, South Korea
  5. Melbourne, Australia
  6. Singapore
  7. Fukuoka, Japan
  8. Gold Coast, Australia
  9. Incheon, South Korea
  10. Taipei, Taiwan
For EMEA travelers 
  1. London, England
  2. Paris, France
  3. Istanbul, Türkiye
  4. Antalya, Türkiye* 
  5. Palma de Mallorca, Spain
  6. Dubai, UAE
  7. Rome, Italy
  8. Barcelona, Spain 
  9. Stockholm, Sweden*
  10. Copenhagen, Denmark*
For LATAM travelers 
  1. Mexico City, Mexico
  2. Cancun, Mexico
  3. Sao Paulo, Brazil
  4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  5. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
  6. Madrid, Spain
  7. Mazatlán, Mexico
  8. Playa del Carmen, Mexico
  9. New York, New York
  10. Paris, France
For NORAM travelers
  1. Cancun, Mexico
  2. Las Vegas, Nevada
  3. Orlando, Florida  
  4. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
  5. Los Angeles, California
  6. Chicago, Illinois
  7. Miami, Florida
  8. New York, New York
  9. San Diego, California*
  10. Boston, Massachusetts

Waterfront cities and cultural hubs make waves

Waterfront cities newly entered or remained among the top Vrbo rankings for global travelers. For NORAM travelers, this includes Port Aransas, Texas, and Kissimmee, Florida.²

 

Cultural hubs were also among the top searched Vrbo destinations, including Christchurch, New Zealand for APAC travelers and Madrid, Spain for LATAM travelers. Check out the full list below for the top searched Vrbo destinations across all four regions.

 

Top searched destinations by region

*New top 10 destinations

For APAC travelers 
  1. Melbourne, Australia
  2. Sydney, Australia
  3. Perth, Australia
  4. Adelaide, Australia
  5. Brisbane, Australia
  6. London, England
  7. Auckland, New Zealand
  8. Paris, France
  9. Canberra, Australia
  10. Christchurch, New Zealand*
For EMEA travelers 
  1. Paris, France
  2. London, England
  3. Berlin, Germany
  4. Rome, Italy
  5. Nice, France
  6. Hamburg, Germany
  7. Barcelona, Spain
  8. Marseille, France*
  9. Lisbon, Portugal
  10. Kissimmee, Florida*
For LATAM Travelers
  1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  2. São Paulo, Brazil
  3. Mexico City, Mexico
  4. Paris, France
  5. Camaçari, Brazil
  6. Ipojuca, Brazil
  7. Guarapari, Brazil
  8. Florianópolis, Brazil
  9. Madrid, Spain*
  10. Kissimmee, Florida
For NORAM travelers
  1. Nashville, Tennessee
  2. Port Aransas, Texas*
  3. Paris, France
  4. Orlando, Florida
  5. Chicago, Illinois
  6. Kissimmee, Florida
  7. New York, New York
  8. London, England
  9. Clearwater Beach, Florida
  10. Austin, Texas*

TAKEAWAY

Offer guests a better booking experience

From early reservations to last-minute trips, offering your guests more with Vrbo’s new promotions suite means targeting a wide range of travelers. Promotions that can be stacked with other discounts in a single booking enable properties to boost visibility while offering travelers more perks including improved sort rank, special badging, and extra marketing exposure.  

Luxury travel is the new standard

 Despite concerns of a softening travel market, luxury travel continues to gain traction. In Q2 2025, the share of travelers using the luxury traveler experience filter on our sites doubled QoQ, pointing to growing traveler confidence and interest in premium stays. We also saw an increase in the share of travelers selecting 5-star properties when applying hotel star rating filters, reinforcing the demand for elevated experiences.

TAKEAWAY

Inspire travelers with elevated experiences

As traveler interest in luxury grows, meet the demand with tailored, high-end offerings. Showcase elevated amenities and personalized service in your listings to stand out. If you're a travel advisor, feel empowered to recommend higher-end options and build bespoke luxury packages that reflect travelers’ increasing willingness to spend.

Research & Insights

Discover additional insights 

Explore the latest traveler data, trends, and insights to help inform your business and marketing strategies.

View our insights

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A headshot of Richard Kocher

Richard Kocher

Senior Director, Media Insights & Planning

 

Richard is senior director of Media Insights & Planning. His team is responsible for mining Expedia Group’s exclusive first-party search and booking data and market insights to inform partners’ strategies, product selection, and audience targeting. Prior to overseeing the global Media, Insights, and Planning team, Richard led Business Development and Account Management teams in display and sponsored listings across EMEA and APAC. He has postgraduate degrees in Anthropology from the University of Sussex and Business Administration from Warwick Business School – and lives with his family in Redmond, Washington.

 

Read more posts by Richard

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