Traveling in 2025 and Beyond. What to Expect.

If you plan on living the adventure, here are some things you should know. 🚐

Photo by GeoJango Maps on Unsplash

Last year, we experienced more challenges traveling full-time than we ever have as digital nomads, and 2025 wasn’t much better.

Many experts weighed in at the beginning of the year, stating that the best days for traveling were ahead, but often these pieces were written by vacation writers whose perspectives are vastly different from those of us who live on the road. Those of us who do this 365 days a year know the reality of what’s really happening.

Since we started our own journey four years ago, the landscape has really changed!

We’ve learned a lot about the lifestyle during this time, and even though we’re no experts like Kara and Nate, Christian Schaffer, or Marc and Tricia, Donetta and I have some very valuable lessons to share with you.

Hotels are price-gouging travelers.

Hotel living used to be a great way to travel without spending a buttload of money to get started. In 2020, hotel rates were mostly affordable and an incredible deal for all you received. That’s no longer the case.

Post-COVID hotel room prices have exploded due to revenge pricing.

Paying an average of $65 per night for a decent hotel like Comfort Suites has almost doubled for a standard room on weeknights, but on weekends or near a tourist destination, you can expect to pay over $200 per night. If you want a higher-rated option, then be prepared to fork out a lot more.

What’s even more appalling is having to pay a couple of hundred dollars for a shitty Rodeway Inn in the middle of nowhere or shelling out your hard-earned money for zero additional amenities or reduced services.

Corporate greed is raking us over the hot coals and we’re being taken advantage of. 😡

Some hospitality experts expect the prices to drop, but I don’t believe it. The cat is out of the bag and there’s no catching it now. Perhaps our only hope is if travelers get sick of being gouged and stop staying at these hotels.

So if you plan on traveling full-time in 2025, you’ll probably be better off investing in an RV or travel van, because even with the payment, it will save you money.

Travelers are out of control.

I honestly don’t know what’s happened to humanity, but people no longer care about anything but themselves.

Hotel etiquette is almost non-existent as trashy guests create an ongoing list of problems for the hospitality industry, and tourists' behavior has become so annoying and destructive that locals want them gone.

Maybe this is the real reason prices are going up,

During the last four years, I’ve seen abusive guests berate hotel workers, unsupervised kids destroy rooms, grown adults screaming at each other, drug-induced addicts do unspeakable things, and herds of assholes trashing National Parks while ignoring every rule as though the world belongs to them.

Then there’s the drunk guy who smeared his feces up and down a hallway.

People are absolutely horrible, and it doesn’t matter where they come from; there are hordes of these nasty cockroaches in every group. And obviously, these disgusting creatures ruin it for everyone.

Vacation rentals are ruining housing markets.

We used to rent homes on Airbnb and VRBO, but now we’re doing our best to avoid these platforms because these properties have hurt the housing market and made housing inaccessible to people in their own communities all over the world.

There are places we love, like Sedona and Estes Park, where the locals have to rent small apartments for astronomical rates and then get half a dozen roommates just to afford them. Sometimes they have to travel over an hour to work (often for subpar wages) because there are no other options.

The only people winning are the wealthy investors and greedy corporations.

Thankfully, some cities and towns are now passing laws to prevent this, but in many tourist destinations, the damage is already done.

Finally, there’s another reason we despise these rentals: their rates are misleading and not transparent. It all seems like a good deal until you add on all the asinine fees!

Photo by Manuel Joseph from Pexels

Overcrowding is killing the joy of it all.

Many tourist destinations cannot survive without visitors. Their entire economy and livelihood rest solely on the people who visit and how much money they spend while having a great time. But in some places, tourism is getting out of hand, and overcrowding is killing the joy of it all for everyone.

Take our National Parks, for example.

It’s amazing so many people are visiting and experiencing the great outdoors, but with larger crowds come more problems like longer wait times or required reservations. Plus, there’s way more damage to the ecosystem because visitors leave their trash and feed the wildlife.

It’s a tough and delicate balance to maintain.

We, as visitors to other places, have a responsibility to do our part to make the experience better for all; otherwise, we might not have the opportunity in the future, as local economies eventually get fed up with the tourism industry. Just look at what’s going on in Spain and Italy.

The airline industry is a mess.

If you spend any time on social media or news sites, you’ve probably seen plenty of unruly passengers causing problems on airplanes or airplanes having mechanical failures, like losing a door in flight.

This makes air travel very concerning!

Of course, there are the rate hikes, the benefit downgrades, ongoing delays, and changes to the awards or point systems. Then you have to deal with the stupid people who think baggage rules don’t apply to them.

Right now, the TSA is also totally understaffed and underpaid. Sometimes you have to wait hours to get through security.

Flying on an airplane these days is becoming too expensive and stressful. I’d rather drive 2,000 miles and avoid these unpleasant things than to get somewhere “quickly.” Hopefully, the government will require the airline industry to do better.

Prices are increasing all across the board.

If the rising cost of hotels and airfare wasn’t enough, almost everything else is going up in price as well.

Restaurants and fast food places are more expensive. A typical meal for two people now costs $30-$40 on average, and if you add a couple of craft beers to the mix, you’re down at least $60 for a night out. This is one reason we try and cook all of our meals.

The fees for amusement parks, zoos, museums, or any other fun activities have also increased. Then there’s the parking on top of that, which can be $20-$40 per day.

So it’s very important to create a budget; otherwise, you can go broke quickly.

Despite these challenges, don’t give up.

I know this outlook sounds pretty negative and it’s not meant to discourage you from living the road life adventure, but I believe you’re better off knowing what 2024 was like and how things might be as we move forward into the new year.

The good news is we can change it.

If we remember our actions impact the world around us, we can make better choices as we travel. If we use our voices and money wisely, we can influence the hospitality and tourism industry to improve. If we treat locals with respect, they will welcome us with open arms and want us to return.

Whether you’re already on the road or just dreaming about it, we can all do our part.

Don’t give up.

Get out there and experience it all.

Just make wise choices.