Mossy rainforest stream hiking, Okinawa

Recent travel news trends indicate an increase in hiking and camping tours. Travel and World Tour reported that sales of camping and hiking gear have increased recently, indicating a fast-growing market.

Furthermore, in early 2025, researchers at Technavio predicted that the global outdoor backpack market would experience healthy growth over the next five years. In short, hiking has never been more popular. As tour companies vie for tourist dollars, the types of walking adventures now available have never been more diverse.

Put simply, hiking is one of life’s cheat codes, and while local hiking is easiest, there are many levels to pursue. One can find a wide array of different-sized, custom-made and bespoke walking itineraries to suit their time, needs, and budget.

What’s more, each one is different in nature, opening up hiking to groups that might have otherwise passed on the opportunity. Anyone can search for something that suits their needs, and the options available today are mind-blowing.

Walk-based vacations now include some of the following experiences: Themed or specialized walking tours; guided and self-guided treks; multi-day hiking and camping adventures; endurance hiking quests; survival and adventure tours; accessibility and group walks; and local day hiking trips.

DAY HIKING FOR THE WIN

Perhaps the day hike option doesn’t get enough coverage, but some might consider day hikes as minivacations. Just a day’s journey to a peaceful landscape, coupled with cardiovascular output, can work wonders for one’s well-being.

Of course, it helps if you live close to nature. If you don’t, weekend road trips are an affordable alternative.

One can also include day excursions from a central location. Mountain towns like Asheville, North Carolina; Taos, New Mexico; or Jackson Hole, Wyoming, make great bases for multiple-day hikes.

Another hiking format making a quiet comeback is the holy pilgrimage. Perhaps the world’s most famous one is in Northern Spain: El Camino del Santiago (the Journey of St. James).

This holy hike to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in La Coruna, Galicia, is possible via a variety of routes differing in difficulty level.

The Spanish platform Pilgrim dedicates all its efforts to planning this journey for its customers. Its website features a map of routes from Spain, Portugal and even France, which take days or even weeks to complete. Along the way, locals and organizations assist walkers, offering lodgings, food, and warm Spanish friendship.

It is clearly striking a nerve with Americans: the website AmericanPilgrims reports that 2024 showed a spike in U.S. participants. Americans now make up the second-largest cohort (after Spain), and numbers have been rising steadily.

FOR THE LADIES

Female-only vacations are now firmly part of the tourist world. Lonely Planet’s Rebecca Crowe just released her picks for the best women-only tour operators in the Swiss Alps. Companies with names like Outdoor Adventure Girls and Wild Women Expeditions offer routes to some of Switzerland’s iconic peaks and treats.

“Switzerland has long been the destination for Alpine adventure in Europe,” writes Crowe. “It’s little wonder, then, that the ever-growing women-only small group adventure travel market has a well-established foothold in the country.”

Her list of Switzerland’s best hiking outfits for women includes short and long treks through some of the region’s iconic routes. Furthermore, many companies, such as Experience Champery, offer comprehensive adventure trips for skiers, snowboarders and rock climbers.

Naturally, America has its own female-only tour companies, such as Wildland Trekking, which operates nationwide. Groups can now experience Denali, Grand Canyon or Acadia National Parks, safe in the company of other women.

Cruise line company Brittany Ferries found in its “Solo Travel Statistics 2025” that up to 84% of solo travelers are classified as female. It may explain the steady growth of female-only tours. Now, solo travelers who crave safety in numbers are being drawn to such groups.

For those who don’t wish to adopt the group ethos, the report also discloses other figures worth noting. For instance, Japan was named “top solo travel destination for 2024.” Meanwhile, the safest place for lonesome wanderers was Iceland. Overall, Europe won the vote for the best area for first-time solo adventurers.

These vacations should promote themselves. The American College of Lifestyle Medicine calls hiking a “low-cost, accessible intervention to promote health benefits.” Even the short-term advantages are impressive — “decreased blood pressure, decreased stress levels, enhanced immune system functioning and restored attention.”

For those considering combining their vacation with adventure and physical activity, the rewards clearly outweigh the risks.