By: Stuart Kerr, Travel Correspondent
Published:11/09/2025 · Updated: 011/09/2025
Contact: editorial@holidaymate.com
For decades, Europe has been the dream destination for North American travellers—a place to cram cathedrals, galleries, and historic streets into a whirlwind of two-week tours. But in 2025, the tide is shifting. Visitors from the United States and Canada are not only returning in large numbers, but they are staying longer, travelling slower, and seeking experiences that go beyond the checklist of iconic landmarks. The result is a new era of extended itineraries shaped by wellness, culture, and meaningful exploration.
A Lengthening Itinerary
According to Mastercard’s European travel insights, the average U.S. trip to Europe has stretched from 7.4 days to 8.1 days since 2023, with business and leisure travellers increasingly blending work and holiday into longer stays. This subtle but important shift is echoed by Internova Travel Group, which reports a 22% rise in international trips per traveller and a quarter of respondents planning more leisure-focused journeys in 2025.
Extended stays mean more nights in European hotels, more meals in local restaurants, and more chances to explore second or third destinations on the same trip. What was once a frantic dash through five countries in ten days is becoming a two-week immersion in one or two regions, whether Tuscany, Provence, or the Dalmatian coast.
Wellness and the Slow Travel Movement
The rise in trip length also reflects a cultural pivot. Travellers from North America are joining Europeans in embracing wellness and slow travel. Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 wellness forecast highlights the growing appeal of communal, holistic experiences: hydrotherapy, brain health retreats, silent travel, and longevity programmes. For many U.S. visitors, the prospect of a week at a Tuscan vineyard offering yoga and organic meals is more compelling than a whirlwind of museums.
This ties directly to the trend we covered in Top Wellness & Digital Detox Retreats, where travellers increasingly swap beaches and shopping sprees for balance, calm, and personal renewal. For North Americans, such experiences feel like a luxurious contrast to fast-paced home lives.
Culture Beyond the Capitals
Another driver of longer stays is the spread of cultural tourism beyond Europe’s capitals. While Paris, Rome, and London remain magnets, smaller cities and rural regions are increasingly part of the itinerary. The ETC’s Q1 2025 report confirms that overnight stays by U.S. travellers are rising in destinations as varied as Malta, Cyprus, and Norway, suggesting tourists are mixing bucket-list capitals with deeper explorations.
This trend resonates with our coverage in Is Europe Full?, where overtourism in iconic hubs is nudging travellers towards alternative regions. For example, a family visiting Paris might now extend their trip to Burgundy or Alsace, combining classic sightseeing with a slower-paced cultural immersion.
Economic Headwinds, But Travel Persists
One might expect economic uncertainty to dampen enthusiasm for extended trips. Yet Business Insider reports that despite inflationary pressures, Americans are still prioritising European holidays in 2025, particularly bucket-list and cultural journeys. For many, Europe offers value through variety: whether enjoying the affordable culinary scene in Portugal or stretching dollars in Eastern Europe, travellers can balance costs while enjoying rich cultural rewards.
Longer trips also make financial sense. Once airfare is paid, extending a stay adds value to the investment. This mindset is particularly strong among retirees and remote workers, who can afford the time and flexibility to stay abroad longer.
Tourism’s New Balance
For Europe, the implications are profound. Longer stays mean higher per-trip revenue, but also greater demands on infrastructure and sustainability. Policymakers and tourism boards are already adjusting. Campaigns encourage dispersal to secondary cities, while wellness tourism is being folded into national strategies to diversify beyond overcrowded capitals.
As explored in Travel in 2025: Why Europe Is Bracing, European tourism is in a state of adaptation, and North American visitors are central to this transformation. Their appetite for longer, slower, and more meaningful trips could become a stabilising force—spreading tourism income more evenly and softening the strain on iconic destinations.
Looking Ahead
Longer trips by North American tourists are more than a trend; they represent a cultural shift. A generation raised on quick European jaunts is giving way to travellers who want to connect, restore, and linger. Whether it’s wellness retreats in the Alps, cultural festivals in Eastern Europe, or extended culinary tours in France and Spain, the message is clear: Europe isn’t just a place to see—it’s a place to stay.
About the Author
Stuart Kerr is a travel correspondent for Holidaymate.com, specialising in European slow travel, island escapes, and sustainable tourism. Contact him at editorial@holidaymate.com.
Read more about Stuart here →
