From Rs 0 Flights To Rs 4.4 Lakh Hotel Stays: What Travel Looked Like In 2025

As 2025 comes to a close, many year-end reports are showing us how people travelled, planned, splurged and saved over the past twelve months. Some capture the collective mood of travellers: what they prioritised, how confidently they planned, and where they chose to go when time and budgets allowed. They also help travellers and the industry alike read the signals for the year ahead. From shifting destination preferences to changing booking habits, these annual snapshots reveal how travel continues to evolve alongside economic pressures, digital behaviour and lifestyle choices. Cleartrip's recently released Unpacked 2025 report does that too. It draws on booking and search trends from its platform to map how Indians travelled this year. The data reflects a growing focus on value, flexibility and mobile-first planning, while also pointing to widening travel ambitions. Alongside these broader trends, the report also captures some eye-catching extremes related to travel in 2025.

From Zero-Rupee Flights to Luxury Splurges

At one end of the spectrum was a flight booked for Rs 0 and a hotel stay that cost just Rs 48 a night, highlighting how aggressively some travellers hunted for deals. At the other end were high-ticket bookings that reflected a willingness to splurge: Rs 2.4 lakh for a Delhi-Guwahati flight, Rs 4.43 lakh for Paris-Mumbai, and a Rs 4.41 lakh hotel stay in the Maldives. A flight passenger travelling from Ghaziabad to Bengaluru shelled out Rs 65,000 for excess baggage.

Travel behaviour was just as varied when it came to planning styles: some travellers booked accommodation nearly a year in advance, while others made last-minute decisions, with millions of flights reserved within 48 hours of departure.

Also Read: Top 10 Travel Destinations Indians Searched On Google In 2025

Gen Z Sets the Pace

If one group clearly reshaped travel patterns in 2025, it was Gen Z. According to Cleartrip, bookings from this cohort grew by 650% over the year, marking a dramatic shift in how and why people travelled. Their trips skewed towards quick decisions, experience-led itineraries and social-friendly destinations. International hotspots such as Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok emerged as favourites, while millennials closely followed their mobile-first behaviour. Over 65% of all bookings on the platform were made via the mobile app, reflecting how central smartphones have become to trip planning.

Budget consciousness remained strong across age groups. More than 65% of hotel bookings were for budget and mid-range properties, signalling that value, rather than luxury alone, shaped most travel decisions.

Where India Went And Why

Internationally, Vietnam stood out as the fastest-rising destination, registering a 133% jump in interest, as per the report. Popular Southeast Asian hubs such as Phuket, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok continued to draw consistent traffic. Within India, Uttar Pradesh emerged as the most visited state. There were sharp rises in stay searches for cities like Prayagraj and Bareilly. Spiritual destinations and nature-led escapes also remained in demand, with Varanasi and the Andaman Islands recording steady growth in interest.

Also Read: From Maha Kumbh To Ladakh: Where Indians Travelled Most In 2025

Solo travel gained traction in urban centres, particularly Delhi and Bengaluru. From the capital, travellers gravitated towards Himachal Pradesh, Jaipur and Agra, while Bengalureans leaned towards Coorg, Ooty and Kodaikanal. These were destinations that balanced short travel times with a change of scenery.

Calm, Work, and Digital Detox Getaways

Beyond mainstream travel, quieter trends gathered momentum. "Calmcations" focused on rest and wellness, drew travellers to places like Rishikesh, Coorg and Alleppey. Workations continued to thrive in Goa, Pondicherry and Darjeeling, while destinations such as Spiti, Ladakh and the Andaman Islands became popular choices for digital detox holidays. Adventure-focused trips also held strong appeal, with Bir Billing, Lakshadweep and Auli seeing increased interest.

Also Read: From AI Itineraries To Eco-Stays: 8 Travel Trends That Ruled 2025

Taken together, the report suggests that 2025 was less about following a single dominant trend and more about personal travel styles. It seems that Indians increasingly shaped trips around mood, purpose and experience rather than rigid itineraries. Whether chasing the cheapest deal possible or investing in once-in-a-lifetime stays, travellers in 2025 made one thing clear: how they travelled mattered just as much as where they went.