Why Gen Z Is Choosing Friendcations Over Romantic Trips in 2025

From Baes to Besties, Gen Z Is Rewriting the Rules of Travel

Remember when vacation goals meant sunset photos with your S.O. on a beach somewhere? That vibe is kinda over. In 2025, Gen Z is tossing the idea of romantic getaways to the side and booking flights with their ride-or-dies instead.

Welcome to the era of the friendcation, a vacation not centered around romance but around friendship, deep connection, and low-pressure vibes. Whether it’s a “friendmoon” in Mykonos or a squad road trip to Joshua Tree, Gen Z is saying “Why cry over texts left on read when I can laugh with my besties in a cabin with no WiFi?”

Dating Is Draining, Friendship Feels Freeing

Dating in 2025 is exhausting. Between ghosting, dating apps that feel like full-time jobs, and an ever-growing list of red flags, Gen Z is kinda over it.

One Reddit user put it best, “I’d rather split an Airbnb with my friends and make memories than spend another weekend analyzing someone’s dry texts.”

That same sentiment is all over TikTok too. Search #friendcation and you’ll see videos of friend groups doing matching airport fits, planning surprise birthdays on group trips, or dancing barefoot on beaches with absolutely no romantic tension, just joy.

For Gen Z, emotional safety matters. Friendcations are safe spaces. There’s no pressure to impress, no decoding mixed signals. Just real laughs, late-night convos, and that "we've known each other forever" energy.

Chosen Family Over Traditional Couples

Gen Z grew up watching traditional family and relationship structures break down. Divorce, dating apps, and hookup culture are the norm now. So instead, we’re building chosen families, friendships that feel more stable, more loyal, and honestly, more fun.

These aren’t just surface-level friendships either. We’re talking decade-deep bonds, roommates who became soul siblings, high school besties who still text daily, or Discord groups that turned into travel squads.

The vibe? Think “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” meets “Euphoria” minus the trauma.

One of my favorite memories from last year was ditching a planned baecation to Costa Rica after a situationship flopped and going with my two best friends instead. No drama. No expectations. Just waterfall hikes, dance-offs with strangers, and therapy-level convos in hammocks. Still one of the best trips of my life.

Airbnb, TikTok and Reddit Are Pushing the Trend

This isn’t just a vibe, it’s becoming a legit travel movement. Airbnb saw it happening and rolled out a Friend Getaway filter in early 2025. You can now search for houses that are optimized for group stays, bunk beds, karaoke machines, outdoor movie setups, and even split payment options.

TikTok is basically the unofficial PR team for friendcations. Travel creators  are documenting friend trips with captions like “love language, shared playlists and matching swimsuits.”

And Reddit threads? Full of Gen Z’ers asking for friendcation ideas:

“We’re five friends looking for a cabin in Vermont that won’t cost us our entire rent. Any recs?”
“What’s a good friendcation itinerary for Italy that’s not just tourist traps?”

Friendcations aren’t just an escape from dating fatigue. They’re also more affordable, emotionally fulfilling, and way less likely to end in heartbreak or someone sleeping on the couch because of a fight.

Friendmoons, Friendiversaries and Other Made-Up But Totally Real Milestones

Gen Z is remixing romantic milestones and turning them into friendship rituals. Some examples:

• Friendmoons: Celebrating a major moment like graduating college or quitting a toxic job with a travel buddy.
• Friendiversaries: Annual trips to mark the date you met your BFF, often celebrated harder than romantic anniversaries.
• Group Retreats: Intentional weekends away to rest, reflect, journal, cry, and get lit, all in one trip.

We’re not waiting around for relationships to give us permission to celebrate life. We’re doing it with people who have already proven they’re in it for the long haul.

Less Pressure, More Presence

Friendcations are the antidote to everything that feels fake in our world right now. They're about presence, not perfection. You don’t need to look flawless 24/7. You don’t need to perform love. You just get to be.

And let’s be honest, the group chat energy on a trip? Unmatched.

• Coordinated breakfast orders
• Inside jokes becoming lifetime memories
• Random Target runs that somehow become trip highlights

There’s something healing about laughing until your stomach hurts while watching your best friend try to zip up an overstuffed suitcase at 4AM. That’s love, just not the kind Hollywood sells.

What This Means for Travel in 2025

Tourism boards are catching on. Travel agencies are launching bestie bundles. Hostels are leaning into communal experiences again. Even airlines are starting to offer group perks.

Gen Z isn’t anti-love, we’re just not letting romantic love monopolize our joy.

So if you’ve been waiting for a sign to start planning that group trip you’ve been talking about since freshman year of college, this is it. Grab your besties. Create a shared doc. Pick a place. Book it.

Your chosen family adventure is calling.

Stay connected with the pulse of Gen Z travel trends at Woke Waves Magazine where friendships take flight.

#GenZTravel #Friendcations2025 #GroupTrips #DatingFatigue #WokeWavesTravel

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