The team here at Condé Nast Traveler has the privilege of traveling to some of the most faraway, unusual, and esoteric destinations around the world for work—all while checking into beautiful hotels that become so beloved they immediately feel like old friends. (See: CNT‘s Gold List 2026, hot off the digital press.) For example, have you ever seen the prehistoric rock islets of Palau? Or gazed upon the dark skies hanging above Aotea? (That’s in New Zealand.) Or stayed overnight at a convent with nuns in Connecticut? We have, and we’re grateful. Still, most of the best we trips we took this year were the ones meant purely for ourselves—unattached from work, emails, and messages on Slack. Though, admittedly, a bunch of us were blessed with trips for the job that turned out to be exactly what we needed in life.
To celebrate a fantastic 12 months of traveling in 2025, here are the best trips we took this year, from going on a family-first sojourn to Copenhagen, to commemorating a personally significant day to love and grieve in Louisiana, to getting married in a sunset-kissed Tuscany. We hope our stories will inspire your own journeys and adventures to come. (And if this list won’t, then maybe our global and regional compendiums of the Best Places to Go in 2026 will move you to do so.)
In Copenhagen, global associate director of social Mercedes Bleth made it her personal mission to swim in as many of the city’s immaculate harbor baths as she could.
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“It was my third visit and my first international trip with my one-year-old daughter, so we took things slowly with no real plans or itineraries,” Bleth says.
Courtesy Mercedes Bleth
A family-first trip to Copenhagen, Denmark
This summer, I spent two mostly sunny, entirely special weeks in one of my favorite cities: Copenhagen. It was my third visit and my first international trip with my one-year-old daughter, so we took things slowly with no real plans or itineraries. We just chose a different neighborhood to amble through nearly every day, getting to know its bakeries, shops, parks, playgrounds, and public swimming areas. (I made it my personal mission to fling myself into as many of the city’s immaculate harbor baths as possible.) It was such a lovely way to get to know the city more intimately and to go beyond the hot spots my social feeds conjure up again and again. They’re great, of course, but in a city so bursting with delicious spots around every corner, you really don’t need to wait in line for that one cardamom bun you saw on TikTok. But you do need to order a seedy bun with butter and cheese from every coffee shop you enter (I don’t make the rules!) and you should buy a bottle of wine and lie in the grass at any of Copenhagen’s gorgeous green parks. —Mercedes Bleth, global associate director of social
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda has been a long-time dream for global digital director Arati Menon
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While trekking through the Virunga Massif, Menon encountered a tangle of the majestic creatures.
Courtesy Arati Menon
Dreams made reality on a gorilla trek in Rwanda
It isn’t until you’re standing ten meters from a silverback in a jungle clearing—nothing between the two of you but an awed silence—that the immense privilege of witnessing such a moment truly hits you. For as long as I can remember, nourished by a steady diet of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, I’ve carried a deep love for primates. This May, I finally had the chance to see them in the wild in Rwanda. This East African country, of course, offers so much more than primate encounters. My journey began in its capital, Kigali, which swept me off my feet with its green spaces and the kindness of its people. And then there’s its vibrant food scene. But Kigali was only the beginning, taking me one step closer to the mighty Virunga Massif, home to mountain gorillas. I was incredibly fortunate to stay at Wilderness Bisate Reserve, a stunning and sensitively designed refuge on the forest’s edge, cocooned by warm staff and extraordinary meals. On the day we trekked up to see the gorillas, I gave myself permission to cry. This had been a lifelong dream. When I least expected it, our guide shushed us and motioned for us to stop. Just around the bend was an entire tangle of them—mothers with babies, juveniles mock-charging each other, a languid patriarch on his back. I found myself too stunned even to cry. —Arati Menon, global digital director
For commerce writer Jessica Chapel, a trip to the bayous of Louisiana offered some sense of peace on a personally significant day.
Courtesy Jessica Chapel
New Orleans has, Chapel says, “a fearless intimacy with death…the way the city celebrates the living and the ‘gone’ alike.”
Maya Visnyei
Reclaiming a “holiday” on a bayou in Lafitte, Louisiana
In March, I went to the bayou in Lafitte, Louisiana (bear with me), for my late dad’s birthday—a date that usually leaves me stalled. This year, I wanted to take the day into my own hands, and New Orleans felt like the perfect fit. The city has always drawn me with its fearless intimacy with death—the voodoo shops, the street altars, the way the city celebrates the living and the “gone” alike. And I’d always wanted to see the bayou properly, that murky, mysterious landscape I’d imagined since childhood. I flew to NOLA and booked an Airboat Adventures swamp tour, only around 35 minutes from the city center, for the exact day of my dad’s birthday—and found myself on an airboat with a father and daughter beside me. The girl complimented my tattoos, and I took their photo. Somewhere along the ride, I cracked open a Modelo in my dad’s honor. The water was the color of steeped tea; cypress knees were draped with moss like frayed velvet; gators slipped silently beneath us. Out there, in the slow, green tangle, the day finally felt fully mine. I was reclaiming the “holiday” I’d spent too long letting pass in shadow, reconnecting with the part of myself that had always been fearless, muddy, and alive. It became one of 2025’s clearest, most vivid trips—a reminder that sometimes taking action is the only way to feel grounded. —Jessica Chapel, commerce writer
To escape the winter doldrums of London, global audience development manager Abigail Malbon and her partner flew to Mexico.
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Halfway through the two-week trip throuh Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Puerto Escondido, Malbon’s partner proposed and she said yes!
Courtesy Abigail Malbon
Catching some winter sun (and getting engaged!) in Mexico
In late February I escaped dreary and rainy London for the bright colors and vibrancy of Mexico. It was a top-of-my-list trip; the kind I’d been wanting to plan for years, but never managed to get around to it. But London winter will always be incentive enough to (temporarily) leave, so my partner and I booked a two-week trip around Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Puerto Escondido. It was everything I dreamed it would be: inspiring, aesthetically beautiful, invigorating, and completely full of brilliant food. We had no fixed itinerary—outside of a list of taco spots we couldn’t skip—so we spent the fortnight strolling through various neighborhoods and going where the wind blew us. Most special of all was the moment when my partner proposed (a total surprise!) halfway through, which meant we had a week of enjoying the bubble together before flying home. Mexico will always remind me of excitement and love, and I can’t wait to return one day. —Abigail Malbon, global audience development manager
This fall, senior commerce editor Hannah Chubb and her now-husband pulled off a destination wedding in the idyllic setting of Tuscany.
Gary Yeowell/Getty
Tuscany gave Chubb, she says, “temps in the mid-60s and sunsets so bold and beautiful I would have spent my entire salary to secure them.”
Courtesy Hannah Chubb
A picture-perfect wedding in Tuscany, Italy
My big trip for 2025 was one that I’ve been anticipating for over two years…and arguably my entire life. In mid-October, I hopped on a flight to Florence where I stayed for a few nights in one of my favorite Airbnbs ever before driving into the rolling hills of Tuscany for my wedding, which took place at a villa called Tenuta di Sticciano in a tiny town about 40 minutes from the Ponte Vecchio. It was, without a doubt, the most stunning, special, and—okay, I’ll admit it—stressful trip I’ve ever taken (you try hosting 80 of your closest friends and family members for three nights in a foreign country), and I would give my left leg to be able to experience it one more time. I had been so nervous that the fall weather might turn sour for our entirely-outdoor affair, but Tuscany gave us the best wedding gift of all: temps in the mid-60s and sunsets so bold and beautiful I would have spent my entire salary to secure them, had I been given the chance. I’ll be waxing poetic about the food, history, and people you find in Tuscany throughout my entire first year of marriage—and honestly, probably long after that—and I’m so glad I got to take my trip of a lifetime with everyone I love the most. —Hannah Chubb, senior commerce editor
For her honeymoon, associate director of articles Megan Spurrell and her husband went on a grand tour of Japan and South Korea, visiting Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Seoul, Busan, and Jeju Island.
Courtesy Megan Spurrell
“Both destinations were as impressive as I’d expected in my years of dreaming about visiting,” says Spurrell of Japan and South Korea. “Hanging out with my husband was nice too.”
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Going on honeymoon in Japan and South Korea
I guess I’m that girl, but my two-week honeymoon in Japan and South Korea was, obviously, the best trip of my year. I think everyone needs to take an annual multi-week trip to truly disconnect from the realities of adult life, which is part of it, but also because both destinations were as impressive as I’d expected in my years of dreaming about visiting. (Hanging out with my husband was nice too.) Our time in Japan took us to big cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, with a dreamy detour to the ryokan-inspired Gora Kadan Fuji, at the base of the famous mountain. In Korea, we likewise balanced the high energy of Seoul and Busan with a retreat to Jeju Island’s East Coast. We did a mix of Airbnbs for local living, with some honeymoon-worthy hotels (hello, Park Hyatt Kyoto) where the highlight was usually a lazy breakfast in bed. By the end of the trip, we’d filled countless rolls of film, plus a suitcase with K-fashion and K-beauty finds and so many Japanese gachapon toys and 7/11 snacks. The truest marker that it was a perfect getaway? I successfully forgot the password to my work laptop. —Megan Spurrell, associate director of articles
This summer, associate editor Matt Ortile spent a “solo honeymoon” at Las Ventanas al Paraíso, a Rosewood Resort, in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Courtesy Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
Over four romantic days, Ortile gave himself permission to do little else but soak up the sun, eat beautiful meals, and indulge in selfie-taking.
Courtesy Matt Ortile
A solo honeymoon in Los Cabos, Mexico
I spent the Fourth of July at a dreamy hotel in Los Cabos: Las Ventanas al Paraíso, a Rosewood Resort. When I arrived, I was bowled over by the romantic setting on the tip of the Baja California peninsula. Jokingly, I told the hotel team that this could be my “solo honeymoon.” On the afternoon of my last day, after a horseback ride along the coast at sunset, the team surprised me with a private dinner on the beach for one (me), complete with a bonfire and votive candles arranged around my table. Provided with bluetooth speakers, I contentedly DJed my own romantic meal while feasting on crab cakes and ceviche. When the speakers died, I listened to the crashing of the waves. It sounds trite, but it really was refreshing to fly-and-flop, to give myself permission to do little else but soak up the sun and indulge my selfie-taking. (I brought along a tripod. Sue me.) Being alone at a romantic resort like Las Ventanas may sound dispiriting to some. But during my trip, there were moments where I somehow felt myself sitting beside me. At dinner by myself on the beach, for example, even when I caught beachgoers casting confused looks my way, I was quite happy to be my own dining companion. I had no partner who stepped away for a bathroom break, no empty chair next to mine. Rather than absence, I felt a sense of fullness, of giving myself—and taking up—as much space as I wanted. I ate beautiful meals, witnessed heartbreaking sunsets, and enjoyed days of respite. How lucky I was, to have shared it all with someone I love. —Matt Ortile, associate editor
The poet Elizabeth Bishop inspired copy director Damian Fallon to visit the mountain town of Ouro Preto, Brazil, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Courtesy Damian Fallon
Visitors can’t go inside Bishop’s old home, but Fallon recalled “Under the Window: Ouro Preto” as he stood under the very window in the poem.
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A poetic pilgrimage to Ouro Preto, Brazil
In March I swapped the beginning of spring in the northeastern United States for the beginning of fall in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo were on the itinerary, of course, but I also traveled to the state of Minas Gerais, specifically to the mountain town of Ouro Preto, an off-the-beaten-path UNESCO World Heritage Site chock-full of baroque churches, fountains, and bridges. I huffed and puffed my way up and down the cobblestone streets. Atop the crest of every hill, I was met with a new, spectacular view of the town, not least of all because of the constantly shifting clouds reaching down to graze the hilltops and spires. I took breathers in the ornate churches, where I sat awed by the extravagant interiors, and in the cafés, where the aroma of roasting coffee beans would intoxicate any coffee lover like myself. But another reason this town was on my list was to see the onetime home of American poet Elizabeth Bishop, who lived in Ouro Preto in the 1960s. The unprepossessing Casa Mariana, near the main square, is now adorned with a small plaque about her and her time there. You can’t go inside, but you can peer into the rooms where she composed her famous poems about travel and her adopted home, including “Under the Window: Ouro Preto,” in which she talks of the people who long ago traipsed by the very window at which you’re standing. —Damian Fallon, copy director
Work trips can be a total dream too, like commerce director Madison Flager’s journey through Bangkok and Bali.
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In Bali, Flager enjoyed the spiritual experiences of the trip, like receiving rice and ashes on her forehead after a fire blessing ritual.
Courtesy Madison Flager
Bopping around Bangkok and Bali
This May, I was thrilled to get to go on a work trip to Bangkok and Bali. It was my first time in both countries, and I stayed in three phenomenal Ritz-Carlton properties: the new Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok; the beachside Ritz-Carlton, Bali in Nusa Dua; and Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the jungles of Ubud. My time in Bangkok was cut a little short after flight delays, but we managed to squeeze in a ton: a stroll around the trendy Song Wat neighborhood; a visit to Wat Pho to see the its temples and the Reclining Buddha; and a tuktuk bar crawl (I’m still dreaming of the popcorn served at one of the cocktail bars). In Bali, the pace was a little slower and leaned into the spiritual side. The beachside soul purification ceremony was a highlight—as were the many plates of Mie Goreng. The island is just as awe-inspiring as the movies make it out to be. —Madison Flager, commerce director
As associate editor for news and transportation at CNT, Hannah Towey joined a pre-launch train journey aboard the Canyon Spirit through Colorado and Utah.
Courtesy Hannah Towey
Among other activities, Towey says, “I familiarized myself with Utah’s alcohol laws whilst drinking (one shot at a time) through downtown SLC.”
Jay Dash/Courtesy Downtown SLC Alliance
A rail adventure through Colorado and Utah
One of my favorite trips in 2025 was a Southwestern rail adventure aboard the Canyon Spirit, the new US brand from Canada’s famous Rocky Mountaineer. The three-day Rockies to the Red Rocks itinerary officially launches in 2026 and travels between Denver and Salt Lake City with overnight stops in Moab and Glenwood Springs. Along the way, I hiked in Arches National Park, shopped for Indigenous turquoise jewelry in Moab, and familiarized myself with Utah’s alcohol laws whilst drinking (one shot at a time) through downtown SLC. But my favorite part of the trip was taking in the desert landscape through the floor-to-ceiling train windows as our knowledgeable guides Mike and Olivia shared stories ranging from ancient geology and uranium mining to the Mormon church and UFO sightings. There’s no Wi-Fi on board and service is spotty—meaning you really get a chance to settle in, connect with fellow passengers over drinks in the lounge car, or simply let your thoughts wander—something I’d like to do more of in 2026. —Hannah Towey, associate editor
Commerce writer Jessica Sulima took her mother to Silver Sands Motel & Beach Bungalows on Long Island’s North Fork.
John Musnicki/Silver Sands Motel & Beach Bungalows
In the North Fork, Sulima loved the sunset dinners with her mother (pictured) where they slurped the oysters that they caught themselves.
Courtesy Jessica Sulima
Mother-daughter time in North Fork, Long Island
My best trip of 2025 wasn’t a grand tour of Europe or Asia, but rather, a little weekend trip to the North Fork of Long Island. I brought my mom along with me, which was the first time we traveled together, just the two of us. I loved witnessing the tiny ways she expanded her comfort zone, whether that meant making the long drive, or getting on a boat to farm oysters. It couldn’t have been a better time to experience the Peconic Bay—mid-September, still sunny, and graced with that shoulder-season calm. We stayed at Silver Sands (the restored 1950s Greenport motel), in one of their color-splashed beach houses, and could’ve spent the entirety of our days looking out at the water from our breakfast nook. There were a number of episodes I look back on nostalgically: the way my mom and I squealed upon first seeing our rooms; cold morning swims followed by hot coffee at Nookie’s; leisurely afternoons spent reading on floating docks; and sunset dinners where we slurped the oysters we procured ourselves. —Jessica Sulima, commerce writer
With her son and husband, senior features editor Rebecca Misner toured Vietnam, veering away from Saigon and Hanoi to see Huế, Hoi An, and Phú Yên.
Courtesy Rebecca Misner
At the hotel Zannier Bãi San Hô, one of Misner’s picks for CNT‘s Gold List 2026, her family enjoyed some serious R&R and excellent traditional cooking.
Ashjames/Zannier Hotels
Getting attuned to Vietnam’s varied vibes
I truly believe there are no bad trips, just trips you’d do differently. But if I had to pick my very best trip of 2025, it was a city-beach combo I took to Vietnam with my 16-year–old son and husband. It was one of those rare travel experiences where everything from the food, to the people, to hotels was just exceptional. We started in Huế, on the banks of the Perfume River and the imperial capital during the Nguyễn dynasty. We had a tour of the stunning Imperial City and the Royal Tombs, but then left a full day free to just wander around and explore. Our minds were blown by the local coffee scene—hello, salted coffee!—and the overall energy; there’s a big university in the city so there were lots of students zipping around on mopeds. There was a mix of sights, history, and some touristy moments, but moreover, Huế was a real Vietnamese city. Next, we visited Hoi An, which was definitely more touristy but just so pretty. We’d wake at dawn and go for bánh mì before most tourists hit the town. The real highlight was staying at the beach-facing Four Seasons The Nam Hai, which is about as perfect as a resort gets (you get to ride bikes around the property, which always ups the joy level). We took the very elegant Vietage by Anantara, a totally glam train with impeccable service, to the quiet province of Phú Yên, on the south central coast, and checked into hotel Zannier Bãi San Hô for some serious R&R and excellent traditional cooking. We left longing to come back—and with our suitcases full of rice paper and local Vietnamese snacks. —Rebecca Misner, senior features editor
Articles director Lale Arikoglu kicked off 2025 traveling through India; a highlight was shopping in the textile-rich Pink City of Jaipur.
Abhishek Legit/Getty
Even after traveling for two weeks, Arikoglu says she “only just scratched the surface of such a massive and diverse country” and is keen to return soon.
Courtesy Lale Arikoglu
A two-week trip through India
My favorite trip of the year was also my very first: India, a place that I’ve had pinned on my map of places-to-visit-before-I-die since travel became just a twinkle of possibility for me. We started in south Goa near sleepy Canacona (a recommendation that came courtesy of Traveler’s own Arati Menon, who knew I wanted something more low key than the Full Moon parties and clubs of the northern part of the state) and did nothing but read Barbara Kingsolver on the beach, salt-licked from the Indian Ocean, zip around on a moped past mangroves and lumbering roadside cows, and eat dosa and fluffy idlis at Cantine Indienne every day for breakfast. Then, it was onto Udaipur, Rajasthan’s 16th-century “lake city,” where we stayed at the charming, family-run Little Garden Guesthouse, which was so full of character and eclectic antiques that I think of it almost as much as the entire trip itself (though 2026 has a host of new hotel openings to bookmark, too). Viewing the Rajpat palaces were, of course, a highlight, but so was purchasing an exquisite embroidered quilt in the labyrinthine, multi-story crafts shop down the street. After that, we went on to Jaipur via an eight-hour train ride across the state (during which I ate the best samosa of my life, home-cooked and handed to me in tin foil at a rural train station), where there was more shopping, this being the textile-rich Pink City after all, and plenty of mango lassis and crispy dosas to snack on. The culinary highlight, though, was a meal at the restaurant inside beautiful haveli The Johri (another recommendation, this time from Traveler contributor Sarah Khan), which was so good it surpassed my train samosa: the Baigan Ka Salan, a fried marinated eggplant with a coconut and lemongrass gravy, was among the best things I ate in 2025. Eager to cram in as much as possible into our two weeks, we finished the trip in the Himalayas, hiking the Triund Trek for views of the Dhauladhar mountains and Kangra Valley, drinking numerous cups of post-hike Tibetan butter tea at cozy Common Ground Cafe in Dharamshala, and eating spicy mutton momos, washed down with cold Kingfisher beers for posterity. I’m happy to report that I’ve finished the year as happy and full as it began, although, having only just scratched the surface of such a massive and diverse country, still with an insatiable hunger to get back to India as soon as possible. —Lale Arikoglu, articles director
