Our 10 Favorite Travel Experiences of 2025

My 2025 travels came to a grinding halt after a ski accident in Japan led to an ACL surgery, so by the time I was ready to hit the ground running (er, walking), I weighed my options carefully, ultimately deciding on a place I knew nearly nothing about: New Brunswick, Canada.

Having enjoyed a glorious few days at Montage Healdsburg with my husband as my first post-op trip, I was excited to embark on a solo journey to Saint Andrews and Fredericton, two stops in the oft-overlooked Atlantic Canada province that promised tons of fresh seafood, incredible whale watching, a genuine beer trail, and a lively night market with every kind of cuisine imaginable.

In Saint Andrews, I discovered myriad charms and the friendliest people around. I ate oysters at every meal, but my favorite dine-at-the-bar experience was at William & Water, where I got tips from locals on where to get the best ice cream (McGuire Chocolate Company) and where to go for live music (Saint Andrews Brewing Company). In Fredericton, I kayaked on the Wolastoq River, got back on a bike, and napped in a sleigh bed at Quartermain House, a family-run bed and breakfast. On my last day in town, I met up with local food obsessive @freddy.foodie and proceeded to do a bakery tour, finishing at Seoul Boulangerie, which may just be the best patisserie in all of New Brunswick.

– Stacey Lastoe, Contributing Digital Editor

In October 2025, I visited Banff, Canada, to experience the scenic town with the help of several Indigenous guides and representatives. I had the pleasure of e-biking through the Banff forest trails with Indigescape, whose guides gave me the opportunity to partake in sacred ceremonies; hiking around Cascade Ponds with Mahikan Trails, whose guide gave me insights into the region’s various native plants and their traditional medicinal uses; and walking through the Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum with a Stoney Nakoda Knowledge Keeper, who delved into the history of Banff and its relationship with the local First Nations. The mountain scenery was spectacular wherever I turned, and the food—particularly dishes using bison—was delicious; but being equipped with the insights provided by the Indigenous guides made what I was looking at even more meaningful.

– Yoojin Shin, Associate Print Editor

In September, my husband and I decided to hike the last 100 km of the Camino de Santiago for our anniversary. We started our trek in Sarria, hiking each day to another charming town in the Spanish countryside before continuing on the next day. Over the course of a week, we walked the 100 km to Santiago de Compostela. Through the aches and pains, the hills and rain, the emerald forests and magical encounters, we came to fall in love with the Camino in a way we haven’t fallen in love with a destination in the past. By the time we arrived at Santiago de Compostela, exhausted, achy, and exhilarated, we were both proud of what we’d accomplished and sad to reach the end of our trail. We had such a transformative and magical time on the Camino that we’ve decided to hike another of its routes—this time the Camino Norte along the coast—next fall.

– Nikki Vargas, Senior Digital Editor

In March, I went truffle foraging on a misty piece of forestland in Oregon’s wine country. Our guide, Ava from First Nature Tours, instructed us to turn off geotagging to keep our location secret since truffles sell for up to $70 an ounce, and foragers will go to great lengths to guard their best spots.

I learned that modern truffle hunting doesn’t involve pigs. Instead, we relied on the discerning nose of Ava’s award-winning truffle dog JoJo, a bouncy Labrador whom Ava adopted after finding her abandoned on the street. When JoJo snuffled her wet nose into the soil and pawed at the dirt, we pulled out our trowels and got to work.

At a time when many of us feel so separated from and suspicious of our food sources, getting down on hands and knees to sift through damp soil was incredibly satisfying. I felt like a treasure hunter, utterly euphoric every time I unearthed one of those little delicacies. We departed with a handful of truffles and tips on how to infuse them into butters and cheeses once we got back home.

– Esme Benjamin, Contributing Digital Editor

This summer, my roommate and I sailed on a small luxury yacht cruise through the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia. Jumping off the back of a luxury cruise ship into crystal clear waters during the daily swim stops was definitely one of the main highlights of my year.

With only around 35 people aboard this Unforgettable Croatia ship, none of us could even form a complaint with how relaxing each day was. After days filled with swimming and touring different islands along the coast, each night ended with fantastic dinners at port, like the beautiful flower-filled outdoor courtyard dinner at Puteus Palace, or the fantastic final night with a curated tasting menu at the Dubrovnik Restaurant.

– Angelique Kennedy-Chavannes, Associate Print Editor

My travel year was one of several firsts: my first trip to Yellowstone National Park, my first visit to North Topsail Beach in North Carolina, but the highlight may have been a visit to Traben-Trarbach, a wine-and-spa town on the middle Mosel River.

I often tell my friends that Germany is an underappreciated country to visit in Europe, especially once you get beyond top destinations like Munich and Berlin. While nearby Trier was buzzing with tourists in late spring, little Traben-Trarbach hadn’t quite woken up from its winter slumber, making it all the more pleasant. With lovely late-spring weather and a placid Mosel River, I was able to stroll the picturesque Art Nouveau town, visit the city’s extensive underground wine cellars, taste some excellent local food and wine at Die Mosel Vinothek & Winebar, and enjoy a stay at the excellent riverside Romantik Jugenstilhotel Bellevue. I was envious of my groupmates who got to stay at the hotel’s sister property, the Moselschlösschen Spa & Resort.

Long a destination for discerning Germans, the hotel completed a lavish (and award-winning) multilevel spa during the pandemic and has significantly expanded the region’s destination-spa offerings. To top things off, the hotel’s owner took us all on a trip in a vintage Amphicar, an option he offers to all hotel guests.

– Douglas Stallings, Print Editorial Director

In September, I finally arrived in Iceland for the first time, staying at two very different but incredible properties. First, I had the most relaxing two days of my life at the Retreat, the luxury hotel at the Blue Lagoon, where I experienced private Blue Lagoon access sans crowds, superb Michelin-starred dining, lush skin care products derived from the lagoon itself, gorgeous rooms, and an absolutely incomparable spa experience (that included an IN lagoon massage).

Then I headed to the Highlands, one of the most remote places in the whole country where I hiked in the steamy geothermal area that the Vikings once thought was literal hell, mountain-biked to a waterfall, took advantage of the nearby natural thermal baths, and saw the Northern Lights TWO nights in a row, all while staying at the cozy, chic Highland Base. 

– Amanda Sadlowski, Senior Print Editor

Switzerland has long been on my bucket list, and this year I got to cross it off the list when I spent a few days exploring Zurich. From an early morning yoga class at a seebad (a public open-air swimming facility) on Lake Zurich, to searching for treasures at a weekend flea market along the Limmat River, followed by sausages at the Sternen Grill, and drinks at the incomparable Dolder Grand, I did it all. I even managed to squeeze in dinner at Restaurant Kronenhalle where I dined under the gaze of priceless works by Marc Chagall and Joan Miró—it was definitely a pinch me moment. But the biggest thrill might have been the private chocolate-making class at the Lindt Home of Chocolate, where we made our very own Dubai chocolate bar. It was divine, and the perfect way to cap off the trip, because what’s a visit to Switzerland without a lot of chocolate?

– Alexis Kelly, Senior Print Editor

Since Charleston is overflowing with hotels, restaurants, bars, and boutiques, I’m always on the hunt for new favorites. This year, I lucked into one: the delightfully pink Mills House Charleston, Curio Collection by Hilton, which feels like the distilled essence of Southern charm. Think Spanish moss dangling from live oaks, horse-drawn carriages clipping over cobblestone streets, cast-iron balconies, and a gentle fountain burbling in the background. Sip a classic cocktail at the Iron Rose—my pick is the namesake Iron Rose, their spin on an espresso martini—and settle into the courtyard for some top-tier people-watching. It’s the perfect place to lean fully into the fantasy of Charleston at its most grand and glowing.

– Rachael Levitt, Digital Managing Editor

I spent a day in Montreal wandering in Leonard Cohen’s footsteps, guided by the noted journalist Richard Burnett. Burnett is a veritable Mr. Montreal, with deep family ties to the city and a knack for having a story to tell about almost every block in town.

My obsession with Cohen dates back decades–and though I once lived in the same Los Angeles neighborhood as he died in, and he once tipped his hat to me at a cafe on Pico Blvd, there is a particular specialness in wrapping oneself in the haunts of a hero’s youth. These Montreal streets made him the man he was, and in turn, birthed a legend. 

Dining where he dined–Schwartz’s Deli, Moishes (though its location has changed since Cohen’s death in 2016), and St. Viateur Bagels; passing through his old college stomping grounds, where his life as a poet began at McGill University; peering into the windows, a little like a peeping tom, at his residence on 28 Rue de Vallieres, where I left him a Viateur bagel as an offering–well, it’s all more than any fanboy can hope for.

Beyond the main stops on the Cohen route, he is as much ingrained in the city as it once was rooted in him. Towering murals have been painted on buildings, his photograph is posted in establishments, and his music plays regularly.

I sat at the bar of Cabaret L’Enfer, the restaurant of Top Chef semi-finalist Massimo Piedimonte, eating a gorgeous tasting menu, drinking a divine pinot noir, and watching the chef interact with his six-year-old daughter, who drifted from watching Nightmare Before Christmas in the corner to playing pretend maître d’ at the door, to adding the gratin tableside to a pasta dish made of a vine grown in Piedmont’s garden–it was already a lovely, quaint scene. But then Cohen’s melancholy ballad, Dance Me to the End of Love, tumbled out from the speakers. My eyes grew misty, my smile nostalgic, I mouthed the lyrics, and the lovely, quaint scene transformed from a nice moment to something that would forever be etched in my memory. 

– Jeremy Tarr, Digital Editorial Director