Five places and experiences that are on my bucket list for 2025

Air passenger travel is set to hit a record in 2025, proof of our collective and unquenchable thirst for exploring the world.

Like most, I have a long wishlist of places I’d like to see next year. Some are all about the jaw-dropping landscapes or delicious foods. But cultural exchange is the real motivation behind most of my travels. I love tapping into community-owned and -led activities that put me in direct contact with locals, which ensures that my tourism dollars make a positive impact and that I walk away with a firsthand understanding of local traditions. It’s both a fun and responsible way to travel; I aim to strike that balance with every journey.

With that in mind, here’s where I’m hoping to venture in 2025-and the cultural experiences I most want to try in each place.

Egypt

After memorable trips to Morocco, Zambia and Rwanda in recent years, I’m eager to see more of the African continent, where I was born and raised. Up next: Egypt.

Of course, I’d visit the iconic pyramids of Giza and the new Grand Egyptian Museum. But from Cairo, I’d head to Aswan, a city on the Nile in southern Egypt, to visit Nubian villages that sit on the West Bank and are known for vibrant murals, blue- and orange-painted mudhouses, riverside cafés and local markets.

On Agilkia Island, I’d stop by the temple of Isis, the goddess of magic and fertility who was central to Egyptian mythology, and continue toward Abu Simbel, home to giant statues and temples built by Ramses II. Splurging on Luxor’s Hotel Al Moudira, featured in our Where to Go in 2025 list, would make for some worthwhile relaxation after all the adventure.

The cultural experience I most want to try: a day trip to Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center in Harrania village in Giza, where I’d watch and learn from women artisans who create colorful handwoven tapestries. The grounds look beautiful, too, and it’s a chance to take home a one-of-a-kind souvenir or gift.

Greece

The Greek islands have been on my radar primarily because I have a friend in Athens, although the thought of indulging in succulent mezes, gyros and baklava is enough to motivate me.

I love the idea of skipping Santorini and Mykonos and opting for low-key Paros, as my Pursuits colleagues suggest. I’m drawn by the images of rocky beach coves along the Aegean Sea but also exploring the local taverns and Lefkes village, in central Paros, with its car-free streets and Cycladic architecture featuring whitewashed walls and blue-colored shutters.

But to be honest, I’d also be up for a long weekend trip to Athens with a stay on the nearby Athens Riviera. United Airlines has a robust "summer” trans-Atlantic flight schedule from Newark, New Jersey, to the Greek capital that begins on March 6. Combine that with new hotels on the coast just a half-hour’s drive away, and you can easily plan a city and beach trip in one fell swoop, before the peak season crowds descend on the city.

The cultural activity I’d most want to try: a pottery-making workshop with Volto, a design and art space in Antiparos village, where guests can learn about the history of pottery and master basic techniques. Before the workshop is over, you get to paint and finish a piece to take home as a very personal souvenir.

Japan

Fun fact: In college, I took enough Japanese-language classes to both write and speak with confidence. But I’ve never been to the country, and I’m well overdue for a refresher course.

October would be the ideal time to go-it offers a chance to catch Japan’s spectacular seasonal foliage, which is just as cherished by locals as the cherry blossom bloom. (Here, the tradition is called momijigari, or "red leaf hunting.”) I’d also attend Expo 2025, which will focus on sustainability innovation-no surprise, the theme has caught my eye.

On any first-timer’s must-do list are activities like sampling sushi at Tokyo’s fish markets and overnighting in a traditional Japanese inn. I’d do all both those, no doubt. But another draw is to hop on the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyushu, as Pursuits’ own Brandon Presser suggests, for a stay in the popular hot springs resort towns of Beppu or Yufuin, where I’d also soak in onsens and try Fukuoka tonkotsu ramen. I’m salivating just thinking about it. The cultural activity I’d most want to try: a self-guided hiking trip of central Kyushu, starting from Beppu, that includes routes along scenic bays on Omyijuma Island and a night at a rural farm, all planned by established community-tourism-focused tour operator Oku Japan.

Seychelles

I’ve had my eye on this stunning archipelago located 1,000 miles off the east coast of Africa, partly because it’s evolving and quickly becoming a solid rival to the Maldives. Take Bernard Arnault’s prestigious hotel brand, Cheval Blanc, which opened on Mahé on Dec. 1. But the world’s attention will also shift toward Seychelles because it’s set to host the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup from May 1-11-it will be the first time this event heads to Africa. My favorite sport combined with spectacular island scenery, plus Creole culture, sounds like a grand time.

Home to a majority Creole population, Seychelles’ population also includes many descendants of European, Indian, Chinese and Arab immigrants. I’m eager to learn more about that multicultural heritage-perhaps through a food tour and a visit to the market in Mahé. Island hopping would be a must, too, whether visiting forested Curieuse to commune with giant tortoises or touring Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, to ogle a giant forest of sea coconut palm trees. (Did you know? Sea coconuts are all flesh and no water, and they grow only in a few islands in Seychelles.) The cultural experience I most want to try: Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts has been introducing activities that aim to preserve the islands’ culture. I’d try "Grandmas Savoir Faire,” a full-day workshop hosted by Le Domaine de Val de Près, a Creole cultural village on the south of Mahé; it involves spending the day learning about a variety of Seychellois traditions, from creating coconut baskets to cooking Creole seafood dishes. It also includes a moutya folkloric dance class-a hip-swaying tradition accompanied by live drumming that was brought to Seychelles by enslaved Africans in the 18th century.

Brazil

Duolingo is helping me learn basic phrases in Portuguese-I’m heading to Brazil in February, and I need to feel prepared! My No. 1 priority is a personal mission that truly tickles my heart: recreating a photograph of my parents posing by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. Their snapshot sat in our living room for years and planted an early seed for my love of travel.

But after that, I’m planning to jump into the fray of Rio’s epic Carnival celebrations, with its vibrant costume displays and energetic dance parties, and if I can build good will with locals, they may just invite me to join in and pick up some samba moves.

The cultural experience I most want to try: The" Rio Little Africa” walking tour highlights Rio de Janeiro’s African roots and its ties to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It’s part of a trend I reported on in 2024, as Brazil began making a push for Black heritage travel for the first time ever.