This Growing Travel Trend Offers A Breath Of Fresh Air When Visiting Popular Destinations

Every traveler has contemplated a trip to the world's most iconic vacation spots. Cancun, Paris, Tokyo, New York City, and Rome are sure to have crossed the desk of every wanderlust-filled individual. While these spots are full of must-see landmarks, vibrant cultures, and unforgettable memories, they are also full of something else: tourists. Popular destinations like these have been feeling the effects of overtourism heavily lately, with some spots like Italy needing to impose fines to combat the rise in tourist offenses. Needless to say, the excess tourism has transformed once-spectacular vacations into a whole lot of crowd-crawling and line-standing.

Over the past year, a new travel trend has emerged in response to overtourism, and it may just be the cure to an overstimulating vacation. According to Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo's Unpack '25 trend report, "detour destinations" are the next best thing, and they have helped travelers get more out of their dream vacations. Instead of only sticking to the top 10 tourist destinations in the world, travelers are expanding their geographical limits to lesser-traveled cities. Instead of bustling Los Angeles, consider a quieter Santa Barbara, just two hours away. Rather than Barcelona's packed cathedrals, stroll the streets of Girona for the same historical charm without the crowds.

According to Hotel Beds, this trend primarily emerged as a plan to combat overtourism, as travelers hope to form more genuine connections rather than spending money on an overcrowded vacation. Not only does overtourism make visiting these areas uncomfortable for locals, but travelers are reaching their limit with busy streets as well. It seems that travelers are also becoming more aware of the impact overtourism has on these communities and are looking for alternatives to practice responsible tourism. The more tourism these cities face, the greater the environmental impacts, displacement of locals, and disturbance of landmarks. For example, 80% of tourists in France only visit 20% of the country, leaving the major cities oversaturated. When tourism is spread throughout the country, it takes the load off of the big cities and brings some fresh faces and a boosted economy to the quieter areas.

Detour travel is also great for folks on a budget. This makes sense, as Gen Z currently makes up most of the demographic of detour destination travelers. Going to less popular areas costs less money, but it won't cost you an unforgettable trip. It turns out you don't need a large budget to have the vacation of your dreams.

There are several ways to plan your very own detour destination, depending on what you want to get out of your trip. A common reason for detour destination travel is entertainment and events. Maybe your favorite artist is on tour, or a festival is coming to a city on the outskirts of a major tourist destination. This is the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: attend an event you're looking forward to while exploring an undiscovered city. However, you don't need an excuse to take a detour; simply being interested in exploring a lesser-known destination is reason enough.

Most travelers still incorporate their detour into the main attraction, hence the name "detour." You can fly into Milan, get a peek at Da Vinci's "The Last Supper," and then take a detour to Brescia, a quieter but similarly stunning Italian destination. This way, you get the best of both worlds without spending your entire trip in an overcrowded tourist city. Or, head straight to your detour and don't even bother with crowds. However you decide to travel, your detour destination will offer a travel experience that many tourists won't think to try.