Monday newsletters at all times characteristic prime 10 journey lists to encourage.
In the present day: My High 10 Journey Highlights of 2025
To start with, I wish to want all Joyful Holidays, and a joyful begin to the New Yr, wherever chances are you’ll be studying this from.
As 2025 attracts to a detailed, it feels pure to pause and replicate on the yr that’s ending. Very similar to the yr earlier than it, 2025 has been complicated and unsettling. Ongoing geopolitical tensions, persistent conflicts, and an more and more polarized world discourse continued to form day by day information cycles. Wars in Ukraine and the Center East remained painfully current, whereas financial uncertainty, climate-related disasters, and the rising affect of misinformation reminded us how interconnected — and fragile — our world stays. Nature as soon as once more confirmed each its magnificence and its power, with excessive climate occasions affecting communities throughout totally different continents. Towards this backdrop, it has usually felt difficult to carry on to perspective and optimism.
That’s exactly why journey continues to matter so deeply to me. This weblog is, and can stay, a non-political area devoted to curiosity, inspiration, and the quiet pleasure of discovery. Journey has at all times been my approach of stepping again and discovering moments of magnificence, calm, and marvel — even when the larger image feels overwhelming. In 2025, these moments got here in many various kinds, from distant islands and arctic landscapes to cities, plane cabins, and locations I discovered myself returning to. Beneath, I’m sharing my ten private journey highlights of 2025 — journeys that provided perspective, inspiration, and a welcome sense of escapism throughout an in any other case intense yr. Early in 2026, I’ll additionally share what you possibly can anticipate from me within the yr forward.
As at all times, you’ll discover extra detailed info under the slideshow, together with journey studies and YouTube movies. Be happy to share your individual ideas on 2025, or your private journey highlights of the yr, within the feedback part under.
10. A Winter Getaway within the Austrian Alps
My journey yr started within the Austrian Alps, and the defining spotlight of this winter escape was staying on the five-star Das Central in Sölden. Completely positioned in one in all Austria’s most snow-reliable ski areas, the lodge blends basic alpine appeal with modern luxurious. Mornings started with sweeping mountain views earlier than stepping straight onto extensive, immaculately groomed slopes, whereas afternoons slowed into moments of consolation, swims within the rooftop pool, time on the spa, and Michelin-starred eating. The environment at family-owned Das Central is what really units it aside: polished but relaxed, private with out ever feeling intrusive. Staying close by at Aqua Dome, one of many Alps’ largest thermal spa resorts, added a totally totally different dimension. Floating in futuristic out of doors swimming pools, surrounded by snow-covered peaks and drifting steam, felt surreal and deeply calming in a approach that solely the Alps can ship.
9. Visiting the Caribbean’s most unique island
St. Barts stays one of many Caribbean’s most unique and seductive islands, identified for its turquoise waters, refined seaside golf equipment, and unmistakable French-Caribbean rhythm. That stated, in my private opinion, its pure magnificence doesn’t fairly match locations just like the Maldives, Seychelles, or French Polynesia. This journey stood out as a substitute for the way clearly it demonstrated the position service performs in defining true luxurious. Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, arguably having fun with the island’s finest location, delivered precisely what one hopes for right here: heat hospitality, easy ease, and understated magnificence. Le Sereno impressed with its minimalist design, distinctive beachfront setting, and calm, intimate environment. In distinction, Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France was a disappointment — not due to its spectacular location on one of many island’s most interesting seashores, however on account of amenities that felt underwhelming and repair that was inconsistent and surprisingly disengaged. Even the strongest lodge manufacturers can’t compensate when hospitality falls quick.
8. Flying Enterprise Class in Qatar Airway’s mini-QSuite
Flying enterprise class with Qatar Airways on the Boeing 787-10 from Frankfurt to Doha turned out to be one of many extra nice surprises of the yr. The airline’s so-called “mini Qsuite” presents a refined tackle the flagship Qsuite (which you discover on the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A350). The staggered 1-2-1 format, mixed with sliding privateness doorways, gives glorious private area, sensible storage, and a powerful sense of seclusion. The cabin feels fashionable and ethereal, enhanced by the Dreamliner’s bigger home windows and decrease cabin altitude, which noticeably decreased fatigue on a long-haul flight. Service was polished but genuinely heat, and eating felt refreshingly versatile, as meals are served on demand fairly than on a inflexible schedule. This product might not carry the complete Qsuite branding, nevertheless it reinforces Qatar Airways’ popularity for quiet confidence and consistency at altitude.
7. Exploring Singapore & Staying at Bawah Island
This journey stood out for the dramatic distinction between city sophistication and full island isolation. In Singapore, staying at Capella Singapore — which gained world consideration throughout the Trump-Kim summit in 2018 — provided a serene retreat the place colonial structure meets lush tropical landscaping. A keep at Raffles Singapore, not too long ago awarded three Michelin Keys, added a layer of timeless grandeur and heritage few inns worldwide can replicate. The transition from Singapore’s city power to Bawah Reserve felt nearly surreal. Accessible solely by seaplane, Bawah is amongst Asia’s most unique personal island resorts, with crystal-clear lagoons, vibrant coral reefs, dense jungle interiors, and a profound sense of remoteness. Sustainability is deeply embedded into each side of the expertise, enhancing the sensation of concord with nature fairly than detracting from consolation.
6. Flying in Emirates’ New Enterprise Class
Flying Emirates’ new Enterprise Class on the Boeing 777-300ER delivered essentially the most comfy Enterprise Class seat I’ve ever skilled. Whereas the suites don’t characteristic personal doorways, the brand new 1-2-1 format presents glorious privateness and a noticeably improved sense of private area. What really units this product aside is its give attention to resting high quality. Shortly after takeoff, each passenger receives a correct mattress topper, reworking the seat into an exceptionally comfy mattress. Mixed with Emirates’ polished service, refined eating, and powerful onboard facilities, the expertise prioritizes relaxation above all else. Relatively than counting on visible theatrics, this cabin proves that considerate ergonomics and real consolation matter much more if you step off a long-haul flight.
5. A Vacation within the Seychelles
The Seychelles as soon as once more confirmed why they rank amongst my favourite journey locations on Earth. The interior islands particularly boast seashores that rival the easiest on the planet, with powder-soft white sand, sculptural granite boulders, and water shifting by inconceivable shades of blue and turquoise. Staying at Mango Home Seychelles offered a relaxed, modern base, providing sweeping ocean views and a powerful sense of connection to the encircling panorama. From there, the journey prolonged far past the acquainted to the outer islands, the place Waldorf Astoria Platte Island delivered a stage of isolation that felt nearly otherworldly, surrounded by untouched seashores and pristine marine environments. Experiencing either side of the Seychelles inside a single journey highlighted not solely the vacation spot’s outstanding range, but additionally how uncommon it’s to discover a place that mixes such easy accessibility with uncooked pure magnificence and a real feeling of escape.
4. A Weekend Break at Atlantis The Royal Dubai
Staying at Atlantis The Royal – Dubai’s most luxurious resort – felt like stepping right into a daring architectural manifesto fairly than a standard resort. Towering above Dubai’s shoreline, the property is dramatic, futuristic, and intentionally extreme in scale. Interiors are meticulously curated, with putting design parts at each flip, whereas the eating scene alone rivals that of a complete metropolis district. That stated, this isn’t a lodge for everybody. With a whole lot of rooms and fixed exercise, intimacy shouldn’t be a part of its DNA, and the expertise can really feel overwhelming at occasions. But there isn’t a denying how spectacular it’s, each in ambition and execution. Atlantis The Royal displays Dubai’s want to push boundaries and redefine what fashionable luxurious hospitality can appear to be when scale turns into a part of the assertion.
3. My First-Ever Cruise with Seabourn
My first-ever cruise grew to become one of the unexpectedly rewarding experiences of the yr. Crusing aboard Seabourn Enterprise, extensively thought to be the world’s most luxurious expedition cruise ship, I explored Icelan and the Faroe Islands in a approach that felt genuinely immersive. Days had been spent navigating dramatic coastlines through Zodiac landings, stepping ashore beneath towering cliffs, glaciers, and windswept landscapes not often accessible to standard vacationers. What really units Seabourn Enterprise aside is its expedition {hardware}. For instance, the ship is provided with two custom-built submarines, permitting visitors to dive beneath the floor and discover polar waters from a completely new perspective. Onboard, the environment was intimate and fascinating, with expert-led lectures by geologists, marine biologists, and historians including depth and context to every vacation spot. The steadiness between exploration and luxury was seamless, with refined eating, elegant suites, and attentive service offering a way of calm between adventures.
2. Exploring the Maldives with 4 Seasons
The Maldives stay my final imaginative and prescient of tropical escape, and having stayed in any respect three Maldivian properties from 4 Seasons Inns and Resorts, I skilled firsthand how in another way paradise will be interpreted. 4 Seasons Kuda Huraa, situated within the North Malé Atoll, feels vibrant and energetic, with a powerful sense of place, glorious browsing, and a full of life, social environment that makes it simple to attach with each the island and different visitors. Extremely-luxurious 4 Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, set throughout the UNESCO-listed Baa Atoll, presents a totally totally different rhythm, outlined by expansive lagoons, distinctive marine life, and a deep connection to nature that encourages slowing down. On the pinnacle sits 4 Seasons Non-public Island Voavah, additionally in Baa Atoll, the place privateness reaches a completely totally different stage and the expertise feels nearer to staying in a non-public residence than at a resort. What unites all three is intuitive, heartfelt 4 Seasons service delivered with out formality, making every keep really feel private fairly than programmed.
1. A Keep at Soneva Secret, the Maldives’ Final Resort
On the very prime of my 2025 highlights sits an expertise that felt each deeply acquainted and genuinely groundbreaking. I didn’t go to the Maldives simply as soon as this yr, however twice, and it was throughout these journeys that my connection to Soneva Fushi as soon as once more proved why it stays one of many only a few properties I maintain returning to. I’ve actually misplaced depend of what number of occasions I’ve stayed there. Fushi’s barefoot philosophy, expansive jungle setting, and easy sense of freedom proceed to resonate, from biking alongside sandy paths to open-air villas that blur the road between indoors and nature. This yr, nonetheless, the expertise was taken to a completely new stage with Soneva Secret, which units unprecedented requirements for luxurious within the Maldives. With only a handful of villas, every supported by as much as three devoted workers members, together with a non-public chef, the extent of personalization feels extraordinary, nearly surreal. It felt much less like staying at a resort and extra like quickly inhabiting a wonderfully curated personal world.
*** Observe me on Instagram, Youtube, Twitter or Fb for a day by day second of journey inspiration ***
