How to crowd-proof your vacation in 2025

30.10.2024 - 18:43 / thepointsguy.com

Celia Fuller, a book designer based in Tuckahoe, New York, often lets her personal passions determine her travels. For many years, she joined friends in Montreal to attend Formula 1 races.

"We would return to the same French restaurant every trip and see F1 team members eating there," she said. "Or run into them in the elevator at our hotel. It was cool."

But Fuller has also experienced the downside of traveling for events. Next summer, she plans to attend the Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, Massachusetts, where fans often book their stays far in advance. But, sometimes, when musical acts announce specific performance dates for the biennial event, Airbnb hosts will drop existing reservations to relist properties at higher prices.

And what could be even worse? When your absolutely unrelated-to-the-event travel plans overlap with everyone else's reason for being in town. You'll miss out on the fun but still experience the crowds, booked-up restaurants and elevated hotel bills.

To crowd-proof your vacation in 2025, we've compiled a list of places hosting huge events next year that everyone but superfans — unless you're into that kind of thing.

When: Jan. 20, 2025

The president's official swearing-in overlaps with Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2025. Bloomberg reports that hotels are already nearly sold out, and restaurants will be booked for the whole three-day weekend. Hopefully, that's the worst that will happen.

When: Jan. 29, 2025

The Year of the Snake commences worldwide on Wednesday, Jan. 29, but you can anticipate crowds, traffic and street closures for parades in cities throughout Asia and in popular Chinatowns in places such as San Francisco, Vancouver, Los Angeles and New York City.

When: Feb. 9, 2025

Super Bowl LIX coincides with Mardi Gras parade season next February in New Orleans, creating the perfect storm for the unsuspecting traveler. Hotel rates will skyrocket to reflect room demand. Restaurant reservations will be nearly impossible to snag. Streets will be blocked. And if you choose to fly, expect surge pricing. Right now, a Spirit Airlines round-trip flight from New York City for Super Bowl weekend costs $828. The same itinerary flying a week before? $173.

When: Variable, but the average falls between the last week of March and the first week of April

While you can't predict when the cherry trees will flower, you can accurately predict crowds when the blossoms finally unfurl. Hotels along D.C.'s Tidal Basin will be packed and priced accordingly. In Osaka, hotel rates surged to a 30-year high in March 2024, thanks to a record number of tourists drawn by the weak yen and the popularity of the cherry blossom season. In short, consider planning a trip during Japan's shoulder season