'Time travel': will you be trying it this year?
Another year, another travel trend. This year, it’s ready to sweep us off our feet in a whirlwind of nostalgia. The so-called ‘time travel’ trend is not literal, and no, this isn’t an '80s Back to the Future trend either. It’s all about the elegance of bygone eras when travel was glamorous, romantic, considered, and utterly decadent.
What is time travel?
Coined by the experts at Original Travel, 'time travel' came after they spotted the rising demand for holidays aboard steamer ships and nostalgic trains, and rooms in Grand Dame hotels. These time travel holidays are sumptuous, slow travel experiences that harken back to a golden age of exploration long before the dawn of the package holiday.
Time travel trips give us the illusion of stepping back in time, whether it’s historic décor, a vintage mode of transport, recreating scenes in history in period costume, or retracing the route of the Grand Tour.
Steam-powered time travel
What could be more nostalgic than travelling under steam power? Whether by boat or train, this old-fashioned way of exploring is wonderfully romantic, and the opportunities to travel this way are dwindling as more and more vintage trains and ships are decommissioned.
Original Travel’s Steam Ship Sudan is a glorious example of a vintage steamer. This 18-cabin ship was built in the early 1900s and lovingly restored to preserve its Belle Epoque style, and today, she still sails the River Nile in Egypt. There’s an Agatha Christie cabin that sells out years in advance, and guests pack their finest 1920s outfits for a memorable voyage.
Closer to home, you can board a glorious steamship in Scotland. The SS Sir Walter Scot has been taking visitors on pleasure cruises across Loch Katrine for over 180 years, and you can board a voyage as part of a Scottish Highlands holiday in 2025 with Country Living. The holiday also includes a trip aboard the Jacobite steam train, crossing the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct, making it the perfect time-travelling trip.
While not powered by steam, we also love India's Ganges Voyager II for a nostalgic journey. This boutique ship has all the modern must-haves you'll want, but there's a storied appeal to its style. It cuts an elegant presence on the mighty Ganges River, taking you to Hindu temples in Kalna, artisan villages, and the Bengali towns of Murshidabad and Baranagar.
Railway journeys: a portal for time travel
It's not just steamer ships that make wonderfully nostalgic time-travelling trips. Railway holidays (under steam power or otherwise) epitomise a bygone age of travel. One of our absolute favourites is the British Pullman, A Belmond Train. It's the ideal way to embrace the time travel trend, where you can dress up and step aboard this storied train for a decadent day trip to Bath or Blenheim Palace.
You can also board heritage railways in Norfolk. The Bure Valley Railway and Poppy Line are steam-powered locomotives, and you can ride both as part of a five-day trip to Norfolk and Sandringham with Lucy Worsley.
To truly embrace the trend, go all-out and book a trip aboard the iconic Venice Simplon-Orient Express on a journey between Venice and Paris, following in the footsteps of royalty and celebrities who have travelled this route since the 1920s.
Retracing the Grand Tour
Time travel can be as much about the locations as the theme. Taking cues from the Grand Tour, which flourished in the 17th to 19th centuries, this cultural pilgrimage for the British upper classes typically included stops in iconic cities such as Paris, Florence, Venice, and Rome.
You can take a mini Grand Tour of your own in 2025, spending three nights in Rome before setting off on a fabulous train journey aboard the La Dolce Vita Orient Express. While this is a brand new train for 2025, It has a decisively 1970s feel, transporting you back five decades.
Time travelling weekends
Holidays that evoke the golden age of travel can be expensive, so if you’d rather indulge in the trend on a smaller budget, we love the idea of a murder mystery weekend set in the roaring 20s with actors bringing this glamorous era to life for a night. Come dressed in your best 1920s outfits and get ready to travel back in time…
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