Despite the attempts of technology to make our worlds shrink, the planet remains an overwhelmingly vast place. Improved infrastructure, better access and new attractions make it much easier to explore – but deciding where to go is still a difficult choice.

In 2025, dozens of holiday destinations are coming under the spotlight thanks to new flight routes, gallery exhibitions and blockbuster films.

While it’s cold outside, sit back and indulge in a bit of armchair travel, planning adventures for the year to come.

Ghana

Overshadowed for many years by bucket-list safari destinations, West Africa is finally receiving deserved attention with new escorted tours to Ghana. Further improving access, Virgin plans to launch direct flights to capital Accra from the UK by the end of the year. The story of a transatlantic slave trade is told through visits to Cape Coast and Elmina Castle, while colourful kente cloths and lively festivals celebrating the Ashanti Kingdom create an upbeat atmosphere. Search for elephants in the baobab-studded Mole National Park and swim beneath the Kintampo Waterfalls.

Greenland

With interest in the polar regions continuing to grow, the world’s largest island has become a favourite for cruise companies. While trips along the western coastline to see berg-chocked Disko Bay have been operating for some time, more voyages are heading along remote eastern shores where highlights include dramatic ice sculptures and visits to indigenous communities. Covered in 80% ice, the interior has always been challenging to navigate. New flights into the long-awaited Nuuk Airport have opened up opportunities to explore the small but creatively thriving capital.

Scotland

The sun may not always shine in the far north, but when it does, coastlines sparkle like the Caribbean. In the past, the Hebrides have been praised for their beauty, and interest in Scotland is set to soar even further with a series of special events next year. Glasgow will be celebrating 850 years of history with a three-day music event, pop up social history exhibition and a food trail. The Tall Ships race is also coming to Aberdeen, while the Inverness Castle Experience is opening in the highlands.

The Welsh Marches

Scenes of the British countryside were captured by great 18th-century artists John Constable and J.M.W. Turner. While the latter was praised for his depictions of dramatic blazing sunsets, his rival was a master of cloud sketches capturing the light of the sky. Coinciding with the 250th year of their births, London’s Tate Britain Gallery will host a landmark exhibition of their works, running from November 27 until April 12, 2026. Visit the landscapes that inspired Turner on a five-night tour of the Welsh Marches, where the hills of Wales meet the lowlands of Herefordshire.

Georgia

Straddling Europe and Asia, the landscapes of this wildly diverse country range from woodlands and forests to alpine terrain, desert and a long coastline bordering the Black Sea. Ideal hiking territory, it’s set to become a favourite with walkers when the Transcaucasian Trail launches. In development since 2015, sections are already open, running through the mountainous isthmus of land sandwiched between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.

Alberta, Canada

Several millennia after they mysteriously disappeared from our planet, dinosaurs are set to sweep the stage once more in 2025. TV viewers can expect to see a revamped popular series Walking With Dinosaurs, while a reboot of cult movie Jurassic World is also due for release. The BBC used a dig site at Pipestone Creek Bonebed in Alberta for much of their research, where a 72-million-year-old skull was recently unearthed. Tourists can visit the site as part of a tour with the Philip J Currie Dinosaur Museum, which can also arrange rafting rides hunting for fossils. Dinosaur Provincial Park is another destination packed with finds.