As we look ahead to the new year, we may be planning our 2025 travel bucket list—at least, I know that I am. If you think traveling will be business as usual next year, you may be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised. Here are some important travel changes in 2025 that you should be aware of.
The Good
Passenger’s Bill Of Rights–Trump ended this in 2025
The United States finally has a version of a bill of travel rights!! This is wonderful news!
These rules hold airlines accountable and give passengers on U.S.-based airlines more recourse when things go awry.
Here are some highlights:
Mandatory 24/7 customer serviceRefunds on significantly delayed flights. Domestic flight delay is defined as 3+ hours, and International is 6+ hours.If you get an airline voucher due to delays or other reasons, it is good for 5 years instead of 1.Families are no longer penalized for wanting to sit together.
You can take advantage of some of these new rules now and read a timeline of rollouts by clicking the article below.
Travelers who have visited European countries may be familiar with these policies and may have seen the passenger’s bill of rights posters in airports.
If you are traveling, I strongly suggest getting travel insurance. If you want to chat about it, please get in touch with me.
the final Price is the Final Price
For the past year, California has experienced what all of you will experience in the United States in 2025. NO MORE HIDDEN FEES! No more seeing the price for a hotel as $175 a night; then there is a downtown core fee, a resort fee, an eco-friendly fee, a just-because-we-want-to fee, and then tax on all that for a total of $285.99 a night. It will all be baked in, so the price you see is the price you pay. The total you will pay has to be in a larger and bolder font so that you know the final price you are paying. This is also true with airfare and sites like Ticketmaster.
This will be in effect in May in the United States. I can see this already as a Californian, and it has been pretty great. I love this as a travel advisor because my clients aren’t surprised to pay extra fees upon check-in.
Does this mean that these fees will go away? No. It will no longer be a surprise, and you can plan your budget better before you reach your destination.
I think Afar can describe it better.
The mildly inconvenient
Border security is a big concern in 2025, with many countries expanding and tightening travel visas, with new laws put into effect next year. This will add some tasks to your pre-travel checklist.
Traveling to the UK
UK ETA
A new law goes into effect on January 8, 2025, requiring non-United Kingdom citizens to get a travel visa before entering England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The questionnaire is similar to what you’d have to answer in a TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry interview. The cost is 10 GBP.
United States citizens have enjoyed visa-free travel to the UK, but this is now changing–in case you thought you were still exempt.
You need to apply for this visa even if you are only doing a layover.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
You will need a visa to enter the UK starting January 8. You can apply for this visa up to three months in advance. The turnaround time is approximately three days, and the visa is good for two years.
Travel Advisor tip: Don’t wait until the last minute to apply.
Traveling to Europe
If you plan on traveling to the EU after January 1, 2025, here are some changes you should be aware of.
EES
While things are being worked out with the ETIAS rollout, there is a travel registration going into effect this year for the European Union. (SEE ETIAS BELOW)
This will work a lot like mobile passport, ArriveCan, or like the online form you had to fill out if you traveled during COVID.
ETIAS
Similar to the UK ETA, the European Union is adding a travel visa in 2026 called ETIAS. Although the date hasn’t been finalized—a vague “middle of 2025”—you need to prepare for this to happen next year.
At first glance, this seems pretty straightforward until you continue reading.
- It is approved within minutes—wait no
- It is approved within 4 days—unless
- It may take 14 days if you need to submit more information—unless
- They ask for an interview, and then it is 30 days.
The ETIAS is tied to your passport. Although the visa is valid for three years, you will have to apply again if your passport expires or your name changes. The ETIAS costs 7 EUR.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Apply for the ETIAS at least 30 days before your trip. The approval time varies. Since it is tied to your passport, it is valid for three years or until your passport expires. Date TBD.
Travel advisor tip: I suggest you a) read the expanded information above and b) subscribe to my newsletter so that you are notified when I update this page.
My travel advisor colleagues and I encourage these visas as a precaution for your European travels anyway. If your non-stop flight from Newark to Porto, Portugal gets canceled and you are rescheduled from Porto to London Heathrow then on to Newark, you want to be prepared.
Question: But Kristen, If I want to travel to London and Paris, would I need to fill out two visas?
Answer: Yes. You need two travel visas for this trip–The UK ETA and the EU’s ETIAS. You must complete the visa even if you have a layover in either visa territories.
Traveling to Mexico
Although Mexico has had immigration/customs forms since forever, they haven’t enforced them too strictly for U.S. travelers, I am hearing that since the current president took office, this is no longer the case. If you do travel to Mexico after 2025, I would err on the side of filling out these forms–often called customs forms or tourist card. A few minutes today, could save you hours later. These are often located on the website for the airport you are flying into.
If you work with me, I will add deadline dates to your calendar for when to apply for a new passport and when to apply for the visa. I also work with a great company that handles visas to other countries.
The inconvenient portion of the mildly inconvenient upcoming changes
This is the section of this post that I would like to turn multi-colors and shout from the rooftops.
If your passport expires in a year or less, it is time to make a plan to get it renewed!
To apply for these upcoming travel visas, you must have a valid passport. You will need to get passport photos for both your passport and visa. You cannot use photos taken with your phone.
Photo: Photo by Spencer Davis from Pexels
More inconvenient
REAL ID
It’s finally happening. If you are a U.S. citizen, you need to apply for a REAL ID or have a passport to board a plane. Many of you may have already taken care of this. If, for some reason, you haven’t, make a plan now.
The Department of Motor Vehicles offices are notoriously annoying in the United States, and getting appointments can be pretty frustrating. I myself had to go twice for my REAL ID—they would not accept an electronic signature on my apartment lease. So be prepared with all of the materials you need. Also, you need to be on time for your appointment and still have patience for when they run behind. If you haven’t done it, I get why, but the final of all final deadlines is May 7, 2025.
Stay tuned for more changes by subscribing to my newsletter, Out of Office Curated.
Traveling to the United States
If you aren’t a U.S. citizen, traveling to the United States has gotten harder. There are new rules and an increased fee of $40.
Traveling to Brazil
This is the most invasive of all the travel visas and feels more like applying for a job than going on vacation. Brazil needs to see your last three paychecks and proof that you have at least $2,000 in the bank. I didn’t believe it at first, but here it is in writing.
LGBTQIA+ Travelers
The current United States administration is instituting discriminatory legislation against trans and non-binary travelers. I am going to refrain from commenting as it doesn’t add to the conveying of information. I will keep this section updated the best that I can over the next four years.
Please read this article from AFAR.