Trends in Travel | MORAL COMPASS: Great Places to Go Where the Going Does Good

*The historic city of Gjirocaster, Albania. Matador Network Readers picked Albania as the Next Big Destination © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ –Travel publisher Matador Network announced 12 winners of the 2025 Matador Network Travel Awards.

“The end of the year is a great time to reflect, and for travelers it’s an opportunity to be grateful for all the amazing new experiences we’ve had the opportunity to enjoy,” says Matador Network CEO Ross Borden. “It’s up to each and every individual to make the most of every trip no matter where you go, but the award-winning destinations this year certainly set you up for success. Whether you’re a full-time world traveler or just taking one big trip next year, use this list to plan your 2026.”

Half of the dozen honorees were nominated and chosen via ranking criteria developed by the in-house team of Matador world-travel experts, and the other six are readers’ choice honorees voted on by Matador readers. In addition to the five traditional awards, this year marks the inclusion of a new category: Best Wildlife Destination.

Also, the Matador Network staff and readers once again voted on their favorite airline to fly to get to their soon-to-be-favorite vacation destination.

Matador Network Travel Awards

Readers’ Choice

Estonia has long been overlooked, but better flight connections and visible progress on sustainable tourism have helped make it Matador’s Next Big Destination. Tartu, its second-largest city, was named the European Capital of Culture 2024.

In Oaxaca, adventure is everywhere, from mountain biking the Sierra Norte to surfing the coast.

Over the past few years, the Portuguese island of Madeira has turned itself into an example of what a popular, modern, climate-aware destination can look like.

In Türkiye, wellness is baked into daily life, from weekly hammam rituals and thermal baths to long seaside walks and slow breakfasts that stretch into the afternoon.

The inaugural winner of Best Wildlife Destination is Baja California, where desert mountains fall into two very different bodies of water, like a wildlife corridor you can road-trip.

And because you can’t road-trip everywhere, Qatar is the experts’ choice for Best Airline. Emirates took the top spot among the readers.

For the other readers’ choice awards, Albania is the Next Big Destination. Coastal scenery comes without sticker shock, and mountain landscapes feel genuinely wild.

Patagonia is a place where you can string together multi-day treks, ice hikes, whale watching and long-distance road trips and barely skim the surface.

Costa Rica, home to last year’s experts’ pick for Wellness, is this year’s readers’ choice pick for Best Sustainable Destination.

Rotorua, New Zealand, sits over some of the country’s most active geothermal fields. Geysers, mud pools and hot springs shape the streetscape.

Nairobi National Park is less than 30 minutes from downtown Nairobi, meaning you can watch lions, rhinos and giraffes with office towers and high-rises on the horizon.

“When there’s always somewhere new to go, the hardest question travelers face isn’t ‘Where Next?’ It’s ‘Why there?'” says Nickolaus Hines, editorial content director at Matador Network. “Our winners are the places and airlines that have proven, year after year, that they can deliver on the kind of experiences people travel for.”

View the 2025 Matador Network Travel Awards.

Matador Network is a media brand for modern adventurers and the creator of GuideGeek, the award-winning AI travel genius. With more than 15 million followers across social media, Matador became a leading travel brand through its production of feature articles, city guides, creator-first content and original streaming shows. Matador’s videos generate over 140M monthly views and its content distribution deals with major airlines, airports, gas stations and ride sharing companies reach travelers throughout their journey. The GuideGeek AI platform has over 1M consumer users and powers custom conversational AI for dozens of travel brands and destinations.

Information at matadornetwork.com and guidegeek.com.

For more travel features, visit:

goingplacesfarandnear.com

Going Places @ longislandpress.com

www.longislandpress.com

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near/

instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

X: @TravelFeatures

Threads: @news_and_photo_features

Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social

One of the top travel trends for 2023 is regenerative travel which sustains local economies while preserving local cultures and biodiversity, such as this weaver in Peru’s Sacred Valley. Sustainable, responsible travel benefits local people and allows destinations to improve, all while providing authentic, enriching, regenerative experiences to travelers. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

BOSTON — Optimism is the keyword for the 2023 travel landscape as travelers embrace more distant experiences compared to 2022. Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.), the leader in personalized small group and solo travel for Americans ages 50 and older, announced its top 4 travel trends for 2023.

“Travelers are showing a high level enthusiasm for life-changing adventures far from home, often on their own,” said Brian FitzGerald, Chief Executive Officer of O.A.T. “It’s a genuine priority for travelers to connect and engage with people from other cultures, and to find ways to give back to communities they visit.”

O.A.T. Top 4 Travel Themes for 2023:

1. Africa – Travel to Africa is seeing a resurgence. Botswana, Morocco, and Egypt top the list of popular 2023 trips at O.A.T. In 2022, travelers were more focused on Europe.

People who dream of visiting Africa — whether on safari on floating down the Nile — continue to make up for time lost due to the pandemic. These motivated travelers don’t want to put off visiting the continent any longer, and their sights are set on 2023.

2. Solos going strong – Women over 50, in particular, are heading out to see the world on their own. According to O.A.T., the number of solo travelers reserving for 2023 is up 24% compared to 2019. Overall, more than 60% of O.A.T. travelers are solos, and the majority are women.

“As a single traveler, you’re driving everything,” said O.A.T. solo traveler Muriel Forster. “That just gives you a great deal of flexibility. I overheard someone say, ‘a once in a lifetime experience.’ I thought, ‘I don’t want this to be once in a lifetime – I want this to be my lifetime!”

Solo travelers are drawn to trips with no single supplement, which can be hundreds or thousands of dollars. O.A.T. offers free single supplements on 92% of its single spaces in 2023.

3. Personalized travel – Travelers want the benefits of expert-led small group tours, but increasingly crave more than a one-size-fits all experience. 2023 will bring continued traveler demand to tailor trips with one’s individual preferences. For example, many travelers prefer to arrive early at a destination before a tour starts so they feel acclimated.

At O.A.T., 87% of travelers personalize their trips by arriving early, staying later, adding a stopover at a popular international city, or combining trips. By comparison, just 75% requested personalization in 2018.

4. Regenerative travel – The idea that tourism should leave a destination better than it was before is gaining ground globally. In a nutshell, regenerative travel improves local economies while preserving local cultures and biodiversity. It benefits local people and allows destinations to improve, all while providing authentic experiences to travelers.

O.A.T., through its Grand Circle Foundation, supports projects focused on water, conservation, and renewable energy in the areas to which the company travels. The Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (W.A.S.H.) initiative helps improve the well-being of local people. Access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene education reduces illness and death, and increases socio-economic development leading to a reduction in poverty. The Foundation supports alternative energy sources to reduce carbon emissions and dependency on fossil fuels. Some schools add solar panels as an alternate source of electricity and to reduce operating expenses. Solar lights from the Foundation replace kerosene, reducing illness from soot and smoke and enabling students to study at night, leading to a better education.

O.A.T. provides travelers over 50 with impactful, intercultural experiences that help change people’s lives. O.A.T. fosters an intimate and accessible experience, with groups limited to 16 travelers (average of 13) by land and 25 (average of 22) by sea.

Established in 1978, Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) is part of Boston-based Grand Circle Corporation’s family of travel companies, which also include Grand Circle Cruise Line and Grand Circle Travel. In 1992, owners Alan and Harriet Lewis established the nonprofit Grand Circle Foundation to support communities in which Grand Circle works and travels, including some 300 humanitarian, cultural, and educational endeavors worldwide—among them, 100 schools, in 50 countries. The Foundation is an entity of the Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation, which has pledged or donated more than $250 million since 1981.

To learn more about O.A.T., visit www.oattravel.com or call 1-800-955-1925.