With up to 20% off on over 800 trips – where are you heading?
Want to make 2025 the year you see the world? With the best travel deals kicking off November 14th, now’s the time to get your dream getaways into the calendar.
If you’re like me and struggle to decide on where to set sail, you’re in luck – I’ve done the hard yards and narrowed down a selection of 10 trips featuring a few popular spots, away-from-the-crowd alternatives, not-hots and lesser-known locales.
And because Intrepid has flexible deposits, flexible payments and guaranteed departures, you can book with confidence.
Another bonus? The Intrepid Foundation will be dollar-matching all donations made at the time of booking during the Cyber Sale.
Get in quick before December 5th
Travel wishlist
For 2025, I’m looking to cross off both destinations that have inspired me for years and a few new places that have piqued my interest.
Some of these destinations (cough, Antarctica), are hard to reach, hard to do on your own and best experienced with local leaders. Having a local leader guide you through your trip, lending their language skills, traditional knowledge and cultural understanding means destinations you might never have considered are on the table.
Even destinations I’ve visited before or think are just regular holiday spots can be done in a completely different way. Be it a food tour through Italy, a cycling trip across Vietnam or a Women’s Expedition in Nepal, there’s always another story to be told.
In today’s world, overtourism is causing issues. So, I’m also thinking about where else I can journey to enjoy new landscapes and support local businesses.
Let’s get to it.
Where to go in 2025
1. Norway
Trip: Scandinavia Explorer
Every year, Intrepid releases its Not Hot List, and this year, Norway’s capital, Oslo, was featured. In part due to the recent popularity of a hilarious tourism campaign and because of my dream to stand cinematically between the Nordic fjords, Norway features at the top of my wish list.
Luckily, several trips featuring Norway have made the 2024 Cyber Sale, and I can’t pass up this Scandinavia Explorer trip to Viking country, stopping off at chic Copenhagen, scenic Stockholm and historic Helsinki.
2. West Africa
Trip: Benin, Togo & Ghana Adventure
West Africa, a region less known to the world but no less captivating, is next on the list. Home to centuries of culture and serene natural landscapes, the countries of Ghana, Togo and Benin are an avid traveller’s next adventure.
These destinations have so much to share and teach. From the traditional spiritual practises of a Vodun ceremony in Ouidan to the unique way of living in the Ganvie stilt village and the history of this region’s involvement in the Atlantic slave trade, this expedition is much more than just your average holiday.
3. Antarctica
Trip: Journey to Antarctic Circle (Ocean Endeavour)
While many people have become enamoured by a particular penguin named Pesto, there’s one place in the world to see these animals without a wall of glass between you. That, of course, is Antarctica.
A day in Antarctica can include anything from kayaking around icebergs, paddle boarding past glaciers, snowshoeing to penguin highways and, for the brave, an icy polar plunge. And that’s just what’s happening outside the ship. Inside, spend your time at the sauna, spa and gym or join a yoga class, expert lecture or even photography program.
4. Cuba
Trip: Best of Cuba
One look at Cuba’s colourful streets and Caribbean beaches has me starting up my Spanish lessons (again) and looking for my sunscreen.
Starting and ending in the vintage car-lined streets of Old Havana with notable stops including the charming town of Trinidad, music-loving Santiago de Cuba, a cocoa plantation, rum tasting, flamingo-favourite Guanaroca Lagoon and the Bay of Pigs, Intrepid’s Best of Cuba trip looks like a great time all ’round.
5. Pakistan
Trip: Trek Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountains
If, like me, you live in a busy city, then you may also be craving a hearty dose of nature. And since I haven’t been bitten by the camping bug, hearing about fully supported trekking trips has opened my eyes to a proper outdoor getaway – tents and all.
This mild-paced trekking trip follows the picturesque Karakoram Range and Nangma Valley in northern Pakistan. You will spend nights camping under the stars and feasting on a variety of Pakistani dishes made by your kitchen crew. This is the kind of trip where you pack your bag, turn off your phone and leave your world behind.
6. Italy
Trip: Italy Real Food Adventure
Italy is no stranger to a travel wish list but there’s always another way to experience a country. Delve into the cultural heart of Italy (its food) on an 8-day Italian Real Food Adventure.
Starting in Venice, crossing to Bologna, Modena then San Gimignano before ending in Rome, you’ll get a farm-to-table view of Italy’s famous cuisine. It wouldn’t be a food tour without cooking classes and wine tastings, but Intrepid adds in experiences like home-cooked meals at a Roman local’s house, Parmigiano cheese factory visits and Venetian market tours. That sounds like amore to me.
7. Maldives
Trip: Sail Maldives
As much as I like adventure travel, give me a beach, a cold drink and a dose of vitamin D and my suitcase is already packed. So, a Maldives sailing trip for 2025? Say no more.
Spend eight days on a traditional Dhoni boat cruising the island waters of the Maldives, stopping off to snorkel, fish, explore shipwreck lagoons and bond with island villagers over sweet treats and traditional music.
Check out Intrepid’s range of sailing trips and cruises
8. Nepal
Trip: Nepal: Women’s Expedition
With a strong focus on uplifting women in communities, Intrepid’s Women’s Expeditions have been high on my travel list since I first heard about them. And while there are several to choose from, Nepal quickly became my top choice because of its all-women trekking guide and porter group.
In addition to the female-led Himalayan hiking days, the itinerary features unique experiences, including a visit to a Buddhist nunnery, cultural dances and cooking classes at the Seven Women organisation in Kathmandu and the Tibetan Refugee Camp in Pokhara.
9. Vietnam
Trip: Cycle Vietnam
We all know that travelling can mean many hours spent on a bus, train, plane or boat getting as fast as you can from point A to point B. But an Intrepid cycling trip means two things: slowing down and true immersion. And where better to experience this than in Vietnam where bikes are the main form of transport?
Get out into the fresh air, passing green paddy fields, calm waterways, towering limestone ranges and farming villages as you pedal your way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Stop off at homestays and be treated to the freshest of Vietnamese cuisine, swimming around Hon Mun Island and guided walking tours in historic city centres.
10. Jordan
Trip: Jordan Discovery
Anyone I know who’s been to Jordan has come back with only good things to say, and after one look at this itinerary, there’s no great mystery why.
Between a visit to its resident Seven Wonder of the World, home-cooked meals with a local Bedouin family, time to float in the magical Dead Sea and snorkelling outings to the Red Sea, this trip ticks off everything I love about travel: history, culture, new cuisines, one-of-a-kind experiences and bonus: there’s a beach.
Best travel deals
This year, Intrepid’s Cyber Sale is bigger than ever with up to 20% off on over 800 select small-group adventures. A selection of polar trips are also on sale with up to 35% off Ocean Endeavour departures and 10% off selected Ocean Nova departures.
During the sale, Intrepid will also dollar-match any donations made to The Intrepid Foundation (TIF). Whether you choose a specific TIF partner charity or donate directly to The Intrepid Foundation, know that your contribution will go that little bit further.
Give yourself the gift of adventure in 2025 and save yourself some cash in the process.
