We’re built with a desire to explore – and it still shows with travel money
Declan Morton
February 8, 2025
From the eager first steps of a toddler to the strides of an adult, our urge to travel and explore seems innate. For some it’s enough to go regularly to a favorite spot, even if it’s not far from home. For others it’s not just about where they go, but how they travel and how they spend their travel money.
That’s part of the appeal of European river cruises, long distance train journeys, and the Scottish NC500 road trip. For many it’s about the annual holiday. For others it’s a quick city break and popular locations like Paris or the Algarve, slightly off-season.
All these tell us something about the individual, and about the way society values travel. And what better time of year to consider this than the approach of autumn and the dark evenings of a northern winter?
Up-to-Date Travel Trends for 2025
Despite the allure of bargains when booking late, there is still a trend towards booking early to secure the holiday consumers want, not just any old break:
Flight capacity is still slightly below its 2019 levels
This is according to Eurocontrol (the umbrella organisation for European air traffic management), and Summer 2025 is likely to see airline capacity recover to that level, but overall annual capacity won’t catch up until 2026 or beyond. Thus flights will generally be full or nearly so, limiting last-minute deals.
There is a renewed interest in long distance train travel
Numbers remain modest, but as airports remain congested and economy class flights uncomfortable, train travel is now more attractive. It’s an affordable luxury. There are additional benefits too. Rail travel becomes part of the holiday itself, not just means to get from A to B, plus it satisfies a genuine desire to adopt a greener lifestyle.
Tourists are increasingly choosing locations where tourism has a lighter touch.
In their Annual Travel Trend Report for 2025, Lemongrass (a B Corp travel PR agency) highlights this point. They also note a response to more frequent protests against overtourism in destinations like Spain, Greece and Japan. With these factors may come the need to book earlier, to secure the most sought-after accommodation.
Behind these trends are real people. And one of the great pleasures of foreign travel is planning the trip – looking at maps, checking out sites to visit, beaches to relax on, and activities to try. There are practical considerations too: checking travel advice and health requirements and, increasingly, arranging travel money in advance. This is better value and less stressful than doing it last-minute at an airport booth, or even in destination.
Local foreign currency retailers have a golden opportunity here because many consumers really do prefer to shop locally, especially when dealing with cash. However, that only works if the systems in place are convenient, efficient and cost-effective.
Transforming the Travel Money Experience
Money4Travel connects travellers with local bureaux de change, offering the best exchange rates within a 10-minute drive from home or work. By supporting nearby exchangers, consumers get access to better rates and a convenient service. Currency exchangers benefit from increased visibility and a larger customer base. This community-focused marketplace ensures travellers save money, and local currency exchangers can grow their businesses locally. With Money4Travel, everyone wins – travellers can go online for great deals close to home, and exchangers boost sales and loyalty.
If you provide a travel money service, why not join Money4Travel today for a smarter, more connected way to increase your market share?
For currency retailers, software integration with existing systems is seamless, so transactions are smooth and time-efficient. For staff, Money4Travel means minimal paperwork and an efficient way to do business with local customers. It’s a fast, efficient, and cost-effective operation.
And that’s what matters. It enables local retailers to deliver a travel money service of real benefit to their market. It’s a service those customers will appreciate, especially when on holiday, confident in the knowledge of good value, easily achieved.
By Declan Morton, writer and editor at Money4Travel – the online service for foreign currency sales in the UK. More about the author.
For reference
Europe’s airline capacity proves ‘lower than expected’, Travel Weekly, April 2024
Five for 2025: the travel trends agents need to watch out for next year, TTG Media, September 2024
Lemongrass Annual Travel Trend Report 2025, Lemongrass / lemongrassmarketing.com
