Destination inspiration for 2025

It’s a big world out there, and knowing where to start your travels can be difficult. Beyond the big-ticket must-sees — New York, London, Hong Kong, in my book — it’s hard to pin down the next destination on my travelling hit-list. Nature or culture? Urban buzz or bush break? As a turbulent 2024 gives way to 365 new opportunities to hit the road, here’s our pick of five beguiling destinations to guide your travels into 2025.

Lithuania

Looking for a grand European experience — charming squares, centuries of history, idyllic countryside — without blowing the budget? Lithuania serves up all the grandeur of Western Europe at a fraction of the cost. Start in the cobbled capital, Vilnius, where baroque churches and grand palaces are interspersed with cosy cafés and a vibrant nightlife. The modernist architecture of the second city, Kaunas, saw it inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, and the city comes alive during the annual jazz festival hosted (usually) in April. But leave time to leave the city too: Lithuania is the European Green Capital of 2025, and this diminutive country is packed with charming forests and glorious lakeside scenery close to the Baltic Sea.

Zambia

It was a banner year for Botswana safaris in 2024, and 2025 is Zambia’s turn. Zambia has long been hailed for its wildlife experiences attracting a hardy breed of traveller; those who loved days exploring on foot and nights in a rustic canvas camp. That’s begun to change though, as the likes of Lolebezi and Zambezi Grande in the Lower Zambezi National Park imbue the Zambian safari experience with new levels of luxury. In 2025, the bar will be raised by Anantara, which opens its second property in Zambia with the opening of Anantara Kafue River Tented Camp in the Kafue National Park. Expect 12 spacious under-canvas riverside suites and some of the best game viewing in Africa. Over in the South Luangwa National Park, a complete rebuild of Chichele Presidential Safari Lodge is also set to impress. Set on a hilltop to offer panoramic views of the Park, the new lodge — originally built for Zambia’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda — will open in March 2025.

Tunisia

While Egypt and Morocco have long captivated South Africans looking for a taste of North Africa, make 2025 the year of Tunisia. But our advice? Leave the capital, Tunis, behind and head out. If it’s a beach break with a side order of culture you’re after, head straight for Hammamet; ‘The Baths’ in Arabic. Set on the idyllic Cap Bon peninsula, this laid-back holiday town comes packed with Roman history, from the 9th-century seafront Kasbah fort to the winding alleyways of the old medina.

Or look to the waters of the Mediterranean and the island of Djerba.

Djerba is known for its sandy beaches and azure waters, and if you want a fly-and-flop escape, you’ll love the new all-inclusive Marriott Djerba, which will open here in late 2025. Next year, Djerba will also host the inaugural World Capital of Island Cuisine festival, but year-round, it’s an island that takes its cuisine seriously, and the hillsides here are lined with olive groves and date palms. Best of all? Tunisia is visa-free for SA travellers.

Saudi Arabia

As with Dubai a few decades ago, Saudi Arabia is working to transition from a reliance on fossil fuels to creating a more multifaceted economy. Tourism is key to that evolution, and the kingdom is investing heavily in grandiose plans (another echo of Dubai) for landmark architectural projects that will create a new urban oasis in the desert.

But for now the desert is part of the charm, and the memorable tombs at Al-Hijr Archaeological Site should be top of your list.

Then there’s the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve; a remarkable conservation project rehabilitating sensitive desert ecosystems and reintroducing native species across about 24,500 km² stretching from the Hijaz mountains to the Red Sea. While the Reserve’s ecotourism plans are in their infancy, for a place to stay head for the gorgeous Habitas Alula, where you’ll find organic luxury amid dramatic desert canyons.

But also make the effort to visit AlUla Old Town, a hotbed of desert culture dating back thousands of years. Wander winding alleyways and admire traditional mud-brick architecture. Centre your time in the burgeoning arts district where artisans create pottery, jewellery and traditional handicrafts.

Greenland

First, it was Iceland. Then came the Faroe Islands. Now travellers looking for icy adventure have set their sights on Greenland, as a new international airport opens in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital city, to allow direct flights on long-haul jets. And from June 2025 United will fly direct from Newark, close to New York, putting Greenland just one stop away from Cape Town or Johannesburg! And once you’re there? Well, the island is your proverbial (snow-covered) oyster. Spend your days dogsledding over the ice fields, cruising through iceberg-filled fjords in search of whales and seals; join a foraging hike for crowberries, bog labrador tea and wild thyme; or tap into local Inuit culture. Don’t leave without a stop at Ajagaq, where local artisans craft traditional tupilak totems from wood. If you’re feeling adventurous, hop aboard the thoroughly local coastal passenger ferry run by Arctic Umiaq Line for a 14-day journey to coastal communities whose only link to the outside world is by sea.