Stephen Scourfield’s comprehensive advice and predictions for travel in 2025

A

Airfares We saw bursts of very competitive airfare offers in 2024, and I’m expecting more consistency to those this year. (If you see a price you like, book it.) I expect we’ll even dip back into $1200 to $1400 economy return from Perth to Europe. And, generally fares will be, well, fair.

That is borne out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which shows that the average airfare globally in 2025 is expected to be 1.8 per cent lower than in 2024. An IATA spokesperson points out: “In real terms (adjusted for inflation) that represents 44 per cent drop compared to 2014, indicating that significant value is being passed to consumers in the industry’s continued effort to improve efficiency.” This year, for the first time, traveller numbers are expected to exceed five billion and there will be 40 million flights.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, says: “We’re expecting airlines to deliver a global profit of $36.6 billion in 2025. This will be hard-earned as airlines take advantage of lower oil prices while keeping load factors above 83 per cent, tightly controlling costs, investing in decarbonisation, and managing the return to more normal growth levels following the extraordinary pandemic recovery.”

+ As I write, early in this New Year, you could fly from Perth economy return to London Heathrow for under $2000 with Qatar Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines (they’re a bit over $1700).

+ The disparity between economy and business class seems set to stay wider than it was. Historically, the cost was three to four times the economy price. Mostly I see a wider gap than that now.

+ Still on planes, (surprisingly) hardly anyone will wear a mask in 2025.

B

Bali Belly It’s back, and I wouldn’t be wildly out in estimating that 50 per cent of Bali visitors will get sick at some stage. Lets start with tap water . . . Don’t drink it, or eat food that has been washed in it. Amoebic dysentery, cholera, typhoid and hepatitis have all been found in tap water in Bali. The BIMC Hospital teams have treated around 500,000 patients in Bali over 20 years, and is committed to offering an international standard medical centre for tourists and residents.

The team says Bali Belly is one of the diseases most commonly suffered by tourists. They may get diarrhoea and perhaps vomiting from contaminated food or water. When symptoms are severe, the most common cause is bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), shigella or salmonella. But Bali Belly can also be caused by parasites or viruses. The main symptom is watery bowel movements, which can last from one to five days. Some people get sick for a week or more.

Patients should stay hydrated (fluids with water, salt and sugar) and call for a doctor if they are sick for five days, have a fever, severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhoea or literally can’t eat or drink anything.

BIMC Hospital advice: “When the symptoms are very severe, you might need antibiotics or anti-parasites to fight the infection and more medications to reduce the symptoms. You may also need IV fluid rehydration if your body lost so much fluid and you unable to drink and eat.” (bimcbali.com) The Travel Doctor team adds that travellers should presume water from any tap, well, or other local source is contaminated: “Use bottled or treated water when brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth.” And avoid ice in drinks: “Freezing water does not kill germs — it only temporarily stops them from multiplying.” traveldoctor.com.au

C

Check-in luggage We all got into carry-on only when airport staffing was stretched after the pandemic, but the overhead bins are so full these days that I’m back to checking in luggage, and enjoying the packing space (though Casey’s only usually at 16.5kg).

Apple has a plan to help airlines find lost luggage, through a new feature which will allow travellers to share an Air Tag’s location with others, including airlines. In the “Find My” application, users will be able to generate and share a link to an Air Tag. And Apple is working to get this integrated into airline systems. In November 2024, an Apple spokesperson told us: “In the coming months, more than 15 airlines serving millions of people globally — including Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic and Vueling — will begin accepting Find My item locations as part of their customer service process for locating mishandled or delayed bags. More airlines will be added over time.” Air Tag users will be able to create a live-updating link which will lead to a website that will display the Air Tag’s live location on an interactive Apple map. Users can disable the link at any time and it will automatically expire when the traveller is reunited with their Air Tag or after seven days.

D

Delhi Surely this has to be the year we get a direct flight between Perth and India. Way back in 2022, the Government of Western Australia, represented by then deputy premier Roger Cook, had talks with the senior management of Air India, Vistara and IndiGo asking them to fly direct between India to Perth. It is precisely a year since Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti further “paved the way” for non-stop flights from Perth to India (in January 2024). A strengthening of ties between India and Australia is enshrined in the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement. In 2022, Qantas and IndiGo, a well-known airline in India, finalised a codeshare partnership. In November 2023, IndiGo announced connections to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane in Australia, under the codeshare partnership, which was further expanded in March 2024. C’mon — give us the flights in 2025.

E

ETIAS & ETA The visa-free days for the UK and Europe end in 2025. Australians will need an ETIAS for Europe (from May) and an ETA for the UK (from January 8, 2025).

+ The ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) visa is for the 27 nations in the European Union Schengen area (that’s the bulk of western Europe, for tourism purposes). Visitors will need to apply online (or via the ETIAS app) and an ETIAS visa will cost Australians between the ages of 18 and 70 €7 (about $11.50). It starts in May 2025.

+ The UK introduces ETAs on January 8, 2025. Australians can apply for an ETA to the UK for a set fee of £10 ($20).

F

France What? Predictable? Moi? France really will be the “F” of 2025, just as it was last year, when it pulled off the Paris Olympics. Notre Dame cathedral is restored and reopened, the Seine River is cleaner than it was (thanks in large part to the Olympics) and, dare I say, Parisians seem more welcoming. Move over Emily, we’re on our way. (And Netflix has confirmed season five of Emily In Paris.)

I’ll happily river cruise again on the Rhone and Saone or the Seine, and return to the black swans of Empress Josephine’s Chateau de Malmaison just outside Paris (my stories on all these adventures in France are searchable on thewest.com.au). France looks likely to remain the world’s most-visited country in 2025.

G

Giza The Giza Pyramids, also known as the Giza pyramid complex in Egypt, is home to not only the Great Pyramid, but the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure. Then there are the associated pyramid complexes and the Great Sphinx. They were all were built around 4500 years ago during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt — and a highlight in a year when Egypt’s popularity as a holiday destination looks set once again to defy the issues in the region.

For security, I think travellers should stick to the “tourist corridor” from Cairo down the Nile River and consider tours (for example, nine day Premium Egypt from $5460 per person, intrepidtravel.com) and river cruises (12-day Pharoahs and Pyramids, from $11,295 each, including flights up to $2400 per person, vikingcruises.com.au).

H

Hammerfest Northern Europe will remain popular in 2025 (and distinct from our general interest in “Europe”). I’ve chosen Hammerfest as an example, as it is the northern-most town in the world, at roughly the same latitude as the most northern parts of Siberia and Alaska. It was granted market status in 1789 and has always been a fishing port. It is also one of 34 stops on Hurtigruten’s classic Coastal Express cruise up the Norwegian coast (12 days from $2931 per person, hurtigruten.com/en-au). This is the Norwegian line’s original and iconic route.

I

Insurance Buy good insurance on what it offers, not just the price, and buy it when you book. Don’t be put off by all the “new names” in travel insurance which have been appearing, and will continue to do so in 2025. Look behind the front name, to the underwriter. For example, Freely, AHM and Easy Travel Insurance are underwritten by Zurich Australian Insurance Limited (as is NRMA, Virgin Australia and Medibank travel insurance). Australian Seniors and Boomers travel insurance is underwritten by Allianz Australia. Some Fastcover policies are underwritten by Lloyd’s. Tick Travel Insurance is underwritten by the huge Mitsui Sumitomo insurance company. Zoom is underwritten by the solid HDI Global Specialty SE, as is 1 Cover. So don’t be put off by unfamiliar “front names”. Check out who underwrites what at comparetravelinsurance.com.au, a trusted source.

J

Jumper There is a global trend towards booking cooler destinations. and, for once, I don’t mean “trendy”, I mean “less hot”. Jumper? Pack it. Personally, I’m going to treat myself to an Icebreaker merino (warm, light, natural). icebreaker.com/en-au

K

Kayak OK, maybe it’s just me (and a few others) that will actively seek out kayaking wherever we go. But the point is broader — that, just as I try to work my interest into trips, contemporary travellers are doing the same. It has gone beyond the standard cooking class and wine tasting — trends for 2025 and beyond show us wanting more meaningful, personal travel, and we can do that by leaning in to our interests and making them a key part of our trips. Lots of travellers will do that through activities in 2025. Cycle touring. Walking. For me, paddles-up!

L

London It will still be our biggest outbound landing spot in the northern hemisphere. One reason is all those direct and connecting flights, which makes it a very competitive route. Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar Airways — pick your route, pick your price. When you get there, see all the big stuff (Houses of Parliament, River Thames, London Eye, Tower of London), then head out to the countryside. Nowhere easier to self-drive and stay in B&Bs, surely.

M

Morocco With ancient cities, medinas and traditional crafts, epic mountains and deserts, Morocco had a record tourism year in 2024. A statement by the Ministry of Tourism in November 2024 announced that nearly 16 million visitors had arrived — up 20 per cent on the same period in 2023. Morocco’s Minister of Tourism, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, tells us: “These remarkable figures prove the impact of our road map and represent a major step towards our goal of positioning Morocco among the top 15 global tourist destinations.” Brace yourself for a big 2025, Morocco.

Travellers can go all-out with Intrepid’s 15-day Premium Morocco in Depth. From $5535, travellers go to Casablanca, blue-washed Chefchaouen, Fes, a Sahara camp, the mud city of Ait Benhaddou and Marrakech. intrepidtravel.com/au

N

Northern Lights Interest is unrelenting for 2025. Aurora borealis (those great, green, dancing curtains of light in the northern sky) is best from December to March. Head to the Svalbard archipelago off the north of Norway, or to Finland (Lapland, or northern Finland, above the Arctic Circle), Iceland or Greenland.

O

Orangery Various surveys show travellers are looking for green spaces, for history and architecture, for aesthetically beautifully places and for learnings. I’m pulling all that together under the word “Orangery”. An Orangery is a greenhouse or conservatory where, historically, orange and other fruit trees were fostered during the northern winter. These are generally interesting and memorable places.

+ The Orangery at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew was built in 1761. It was designed by Sir William Chambers and at one time was the biggest glasshouse in England. Also near London, there’s an Orangery at Ham House in Richmond, and at Kenwood House in London, which dates from about 1700.

+ Out in rural England, in the rather cute village of Montacute, less than 10km from Yeovil in Somerset, Montacute House is one of few Elizabethan houses in England to still have its compartmentalised garden, including the tropical interior of the Orangery.

+ In Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England, there are Orangeries at Hanbury Hall and at Croome Court. Called the “Temple Greenhouse”, Croome’s has an elaborate Roman temple facade designed by Robert Adam in 1761.

+ In France, at the Palace of Versailles, just outside Paris, the Orangery was originally designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart for Louis XIV’s 3000 orange trees. Also in Paris, there’s the Orangery in the Tuileries Garden.

+ In Austria, there’s an Orangery at Schonbrunn Palace.

+ In Italy, there’s an Orangery at the Palace of Venaria, Citroneria.

P

Phone You simply have to have one to travel these days. Keep your phone up to date in 2025 — it’s easier to keep up than catch up, and travellers these days need to be a bit tech savvy. iPhone 17 is coming in September, if you are with Apple, and if you are due an update, I’d wait for that (the 16 Pro isn’t that much better than the 15 Pro).

+ Mogens Johansen will lead more PhotoWalks with Phones this year — and, new for 2025, they will be free. You’ll see them first on Wednesdays by signing up for our eTravel Digital Edition at westtravelclub.com.au/travel.

Q

Qatar Airways For me personally, it will remain my preferred airline for Europe in 2025 (yes, when I buy my own tickets). I like the planes, the service, the flight times and Hamad International Airport in Doha.

R

Reykjavik Iceland will retain its draw on travellers through 2025. It is home to the National and Saga museums, which reveal the Viking history, Hallgrimskirkja church, and lots of interesting places to eat. But it isn’t a cheap destination. In October 2024, the huge, US based Berkshire Hathaway insurance company named Iceland as the safest country to travel to in 2025. (Australia was second.) It has one major road, is good for self-drivers, isn’t crowded and there are great cruises around the coast. But I must point out that it is a volcanic island, and eruptions can affect travel plans.

Summer months are June to August, but don’t be scared of the shoulder seasons of April-May and September.

I suggest the faint-hearted avoid the Icelandic Phallological Museum, the world’s only museum dedicated purely to the penis. And their Penis Waffles and gift shop. It is all in the Hafnartorg Gallery. phallus.is

S

Scams You pay for accommodation and the place either doesn’t exist or, if it does, when you turn up they’ve never heard of you. Your credit card is “skimmed”. You get in a taxi in South America and are sort-of held to ransom until you pay an exorbitant fee. You’re in a bar and are given the massively incorrect change. Visa, ticketing, QR code and “carry my bag” scams. As travellers we sometimes have a “target” on our back which is more obvious to criminals than to us. The Australian Government’s Smarttraveller warns: “Australians of all ages and backgrounds have been victims of scams overseas. Before you travel, learn some of the common scams that can happen.” There is lots of specific advice at smartraveller.gov.au/before-you-go/safety/scams. It’s worth reading, just to be aware.

T

Trains I’m not talking about getting round Europe, or working out which is the best of those rail passes . . . I’m talking about epic rail trips on our doorstep, across the length and breadth of Australia. And I’m talking specifically about the Indian Pacific between Perth and Sydney, and The Ghan, between Darwin and Adelaide. These two great transects of the continent.

For 2025, the Indian Pacific has an entirely revised, extended journey, with new off-train experiences and a signature dinner in the Barossa Valley. It has been extended to five days, with better timings for towns. Also this year, Gold Premium will be introduced, with contemporary cabins and new, added benefits. In 2024, The Ghan celebrated 95 years of outback crossings — from the tropical north in Darwin, through the red heart of Australia to the temperate south in Adelaide. Or the other way round, of course. Both at journeybeyondrail.com.au.

U

Umbria Italy will be front and centre in our sights again in 2025. and I’m pointing us towards Umbria. Culture (villages, castles, history, art) and landscape (wood hills, valleys, rivers, lakes and waterfalls). It has it all. Three days in Rome, a week or so in Umbria and round the trip off in Florence. Brilliant (and slightly different) little two-week dive into Italy. umbriatourism.it

V

Vietnam It’s become an alternative for holiday-makers who are over Bali. There are two direct airlines from Perth (VietJet and Vietnam Airlines). VietJet usually has better prices. Then get a private car to Vung Tau, to the south, on the beach, and a good family resort area. It is about two hours by road in a private car (blacklane.com or through a booked hotel) but you can actually take a fast ferry there. It takes about half an hour longer but gets you out of the traffic (greenlines-dp.com/en/). For smaller, more boutique places in Vung Tau, I’d be looking at V Boutique Hotel and Song Boutique, but the bigger ones have more kids facilities. For somewhere quieter than Vung Tau, drive on through it to Long Hai, or Ho Tram, just past there.

W

Wachau Valley Yes, river cruising in Europe gets a second mention (along with F), because its so good — and the trips in France are very different to those through Wachau, a stretch of the Danube Valley between Melk and Krems. Wachau Valley, in Austria, is listed with UNESCO for its “landscape of high visual quality”. The listing adds: “It preserves in an intact and visible form many traces — in terms of architecture, (monasteries, castles, ruins), urban design, (towns and villages), and agricultural use, principally for the cultivation of vines — of its evolution since prehistoric times.” But the bigger point is that river cruises between Amsterdam and Budapest, which pass through the Wachau Valley, will continue to be sought after in 2025 (and beyond), and for good reason.

X

Xanthi At the Greek Tourism Confederation annual conference just before Christmas, Greece’s Tourism Minister, Olga Kefalogianni, said it was expected that more than 36 million tourists arrived in Greece in 2024, based on data from the Bank of Greece. The minister has also predicted record annual revenues in 2025. But don’t be put off. Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and all those showponies will be busy, but there are plenty of quieter places, like Xanthi. Head to the Old Town, Folklore and Historical Museum, old manor house Hadjidakis and the House of Shadow (with its shadows artworks). Cool off by the Nestos River, or go kayaking through Nestos Gorge — more than 20km through the Rhodope Mountains. This aquatic-forest ecosystem is a national park, protected by the international Ramsar treaty and part of Natura 2000 (a network of protected areas covering Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats).

Y

Yellowstone Nah… not the Kevin Costner Netflix series (confirmed for season six), but the actual national park itself. America’s first National Park, established in 1872, Yellowstone has more than 8000sqkm of diverse and dramatic wilderness. It is epic. Its “Old Faithful” geyser frequently erupts 30m in the air.

Drive yourself, work out the permits and access (nps.gov/yell/) and accommodation (yellowstonenationalparklodges.com) or look at tours like Collette’s 12-day National Parks of America ($7899 per person, gocollette.com/en-au) or Inspiring Vacations’ 15-day USA National Parks with Yellowstone and Yosemite ($6749 per person; inspiringvacations.com/au/).

Z

Zebra Not only is every zebra different (their markings are individual, like fingerprints), but they are a photographer’s delight. They constantly rearrange themselves into graphic compositions. But they have a problem. On African safaris, visitors start by photographing every zebra in sight and, after seeing the Big Five. Ignore them. Never undervalue a Burchell’s zebra (my favourite), I say! Best places for me are Botswana (May to September) and Tanzania (June to August, with the Great Migration crossing of the Mara River in June-July).