By the time December rolled around, I realised something had quietly shifted in the way I travelled this year. Not in a dramatic, headline-worthy way, but in smaller, more personal decisions that added up over time. 2025 wasn’t about chasing the most destinations or squeezing every attraction into a single itinerary. It was about travelling with a little more intention and learning to be okay with less.
Earlier in the year, I stopped treating trips like checklists. There were fewer “must-see” landmarks and more moments left deliberately unplanned. I lingered longer in neighbourhood cafés, walked without maps, and allowed myself to revisit places instead of constantly seeking the new. Travel became less about proof and more about presence.
One of the biggest changes was how I thought about time. Instead of short, frantic trips designed to maximise annual leave, I leaned into slower stays whenever possible. Fewer cities, longer days. I began to notice how a place feels on a regular weekday, not just at its most polished or touristic. There was comfort in routines, returning to the same breakfast spot, recognising faces, and letting a destination reveal itself gradually.
2025 also changed how I approached accommodation. Hotels were no longer just somewhere to sleep between plans. I started choosing spaces that encouraged rest rather than constant movement. Natural light, quiet corners, and walkable surroundings mattered more than proximity to major attractions. In many ways, where I stayed shaped how I experienced the trip far more than what I did.
Another shift was travelling closer to home. Not every meaningful trip requires a long-haul flight. Regional getaways and familiar destinations took on new significance this year, especially when time was limited or energy was low. These shorter trips felt less performative and more grounding, reminders that travel doesn’t have to be dramatic to be restorative.
Technology played a quieter role, too. I took fewer photos with the intention of sharing them immediately. Some trips lived only in my camera roll, others only in memory. There was freedom in not documenting every moment, in letting experiences be fleeting and imperfect. The absence of constant posting made space for deeper engagement with where I was.
Perhaps the most noticeable change was how travel fit into my life rather than interrupting it. I no longer saw holidays as escapes from reality, but as extensions of it, opportunities to check in with myself, to rest when needed, or to be curious without pressure. Travel became less about becoming someone else and more about returning to myself.
As I look ahead to 2026, these are the habits I want to keep. Fewer trips, but more meaningful ones. Longer stays when possible. Destinations chosen for how they make me feel, not how they look online. A willingness to return to places I already love, and the confidence to do less while being more present.
If 2025 taught me anything, it’s that travel doesn’t need to be louder, faster, or bigger to matter. Sometimes, the most memorable journeys are the ones that leave room to breathe, and that’s exactly what I’m carrying into the year ahead.