Nostalgia travel: The ultimate travel destination for 2025 is the past

Planning a holiday is usually all about the where, but according to new research, it’s becoming more about the ‘when’ too. 

Whether it’s back to a childhood home, back to a cherished resort, or back to the 1980s, rosy retrospection is profoundly influencing travel plans.

According to Globetrender and Amadeus’ Travel Trends 2025 report, nostalgia travel, in all its many forms, is tipped to be one of the hottest travel trends of the coming year. Dubbed ‘New Heydays’ by the authors, the concept highlights how a new wave of nostalgia is inspiring people to plan different sorts of holidays.

Jenny Southan, editor and founder of Globetrender, told Euronews Travel, “2025 is one of those milestone years that invites you to reminisce about the past. How will this sentiment affect tourism? In the face of an uncertain future, travellers are longing for simpler, happier times driven by a psychological phenomenon dubbed ‘rosy retrospection.’

Jenny added that the collective sense of nostalgia is seen as something of an antidote to ‘change fatigue’ – that sense of weariness, indifference, or resistance to change. In travel, it can take many forms, from Millennial parents recreating the holidays of their childhood to booking adult summer camps and ‘fly n flop’ resort holidays that were popular in the 80s and 90s. 

“Travelers are seeking to recapture the joy of their milestone vacations, from the places they first fell in love to the experiences that defined their youth,” said Decius Valmorbida, President of Travel at Amadeus. “We’re witnessing a powerful surge of nostalgia shaping how people choose their destinations.”

What is nostalgia travel?

A longing for the past is seeping into many aspects of modern life, from entertainment and fashion to music and movies. A myriad of 20th-century films have had a modern reboot, CDs are making a comeback, and ‘90s Britpop legends Oasis are reforming and going on tour. 

In many cases, nostalgic travel takes people back to a time they remember in their lives – a holiday they took with their parents, where they spent their honeymoon, or a place that holds sentimental significance. But it can also mean embracing times they were never in at all, like the Roaring Twenties or the age of steam.

Sharron Livingston, founder of The Travel Magazine, explained that it’s perfectly normal to feel nostalgic for a time or a place we have never visited. “In that case, the nostalgia could be perceptual where stories of where close relatives have been and or just read about in a book or article,” she said. 

“That’s how bucket lists are formed – a desire to bring a story into their reality and understand how it relates to them.”

Crystal Ski Holidays conducted research earlier this year into the most nostalgic holiday memories. While the most popular choice was ‘being allowed to stay up late,’ respondents also cited buying postcards, using disposable cameras, and playing cards when the weather is bad among their fondest memories. 

The research also found that 60 per cent have tried to recreate their favourite childhood trips with their own kids, and 90 per cent have taken their children to places they went when they were young.

Jenny Southan has taken her own ‘nostalgia trip’ and told Euronews Travel about her experience: “Last summer, I booked a nostalgic family holiday in France with my wife and daughter. We spent five days at one of the Eurocamp sites we visited when I was a kid, and it was exactly the same. Same waterpark, same outdoor sunset disco with cheesy europop music, and same minimart selling plastic inflatables, Prince chocolate biscuits and morning croissants. It was so nice to experience it again 30 years later through the eyes of my own daughter, and it brought back the same feelings of excitement I had when I was a child – being able to stay up late playing with other kids.”

Nostalgia travel: The best hotels and locations to embrace the past

What nostalgic travel looks like depends on the individual, but it’s all about reliving a happier, simpler time in life. The travel industry is responding with zeal, bringing the past into the present for retro-seekers to enjoy. “Innovative travel brands are also tapping into nostalgia in imaginative ways. Take Airbnb, which recently built a giant replica of a Polly Pocket toy home, complete with a closet full of doll’s clothes and a hard plastic sofa,” added Jenny.

In Iceland, 90 minutes from Reykjavik, Hotel Ranga enjoys an unspoiled rural location on the banks of the Ranga River, just a stone’s throw from the Golden Circle. While the four-star accommodation is luxurious and has the facilities to match, it also embraces the nostalgia of being able to disconnect. 

As its website describes, “We’ve noticed a growing trend among travelers who want to disconnect from technology to re-center, de-stress, and connect in deeper ways that tech often disrupts.” To support this, the hotel has created an ‘Analog Menu’ that includes a disposable camera, a map, a deck of playing cards, and a coloring book filled with historical facts about Iceland.

In the UK, a tiny island off the coast of Dorset that inspired Enid Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ books is enjoying a renaissance thanks to nostalgia travel. Visitors to Brownsea Island have grown from 10,000 a year in the 1960s to 130,000 today, as people seek to experience the ‘Whispering Island’ for themselves, with all its secret beaches and caves.

Camping is a truly nostalgic pastime for many, not just because we’ve all been subjected to damp tents as kids, but also for the opportunity to disconnect. Without WiFi and power, suddenly board games look very appealing, and family conversations are no longer interrupted by the pinging of phones. Eurocamp reported a huge uptick in bookings in 2024, and is looking forward to similar demand next year.

“Campers today aren’t just looking for a break,” says Erin Stender, CMO of Campspot. “They’re seeking a meaningful way to reconnect with their roots and relive the joyous moments of their childhood … it’s about more than nostalgia — it’s about actively seeking solace and simplicity in an increasingly complex world.”

Relive your childhood at these campsites and treehouses

Creating a nostalgic trip is very individual, but the travel industry is ready with accommodation options that reflect the mood and ambiance sought. We’ve hand-picked a few examples of exemplary nostalgia accommodation that is sure to tick the wistful and whimsical box.

Camping with a vintage twist

If the nostalgia of camping appeals but you’d rather be indoors, Basecamp Bonn has just the solution. Choose from 13 vintage caravans, two sleeper trains, or one of four Airstreams parked inside a huge hangar, protected from the elements. 

Each accommodation is uniquely styled and appointed, so whether you’re looking for an ‘80s neon palace or a quirky ‘50s home, there’s something for everyone. 

The treehouse of your dreams

If camping isn’t your thing but treehouses are, what about this vintage treehouse for two in southwest France? Perched eight metres above an oak forest in the Garonne Valley, Cabane Spa Vintage includes a quirky pink classic car ‘parked’ in the treehouse, a foosball table and pops of colour throughout. 

A paradise for petrolheads

Petrolheads will be able to live their dreams at the V8 Hotel in Stuttgart, Germany, where Bauhaus design meets retro racing (and you can even sleep in a car bed). A stone’s throw from the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums, it’s a car lover’s paradise and perfect for a motorsport-themed break. Back to the ‘70s in coastal England

Back to the 70s in coastal Kent

Visitors to the UK can step back in time with the Seventies Studio in Margate on the Kent coast. The retro-styled apartment features authentic 1970s furnishings and decor to transport guests back half a century in a riot of brown, cream and orange. 

Time travel to 18th-century Versailles

Ultimate luxury meets Marie-Antoinette vibes at the Airelles Château de Versailles Le Grand Contrôle in France. Located on the grounds of the Château de Versailles, all 11 rooms and two signature suites are decorated in a traditional 18th-century style fit for a queen – with prices to match.