Not to toot our own horn, but if you need a sign to visit Pack Hacker HQ, Travel + Leisure is giving you the go-ahead. After vetting more than 120 destinations, the magazine’s staff has compiled a list of “The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2025,” and Detroit made the list! It’s one of the places to go “For Big-City Thrills” on the list, which also includes destinations “For Cultural Immersion,” “For Nature Lovers,” “For the Food and Drinks,” and “For Adventurous Travelers,” among other categories.
The News
Travel + Leisure staff were looking for places that feel “of the moment,” and they hit upon Detroit, along with places like Hong Kong, Marrakesh, and Rome.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is quoted as saying, “It really is a magical time in Detroit right now, and we hope people will come to check it out for themselves.”
It seems like the travel magazine thought of Detroit after 800,000 people descended upon the Midwest city for the 2024 NFL Draft. They got hooked by places like the Book Tower and the Michigan Central Station, revived with Ford's $1 billion investment. If you’re unfamiliar, the revitalized train station is in the heart of Corktown and is a short stroll from Pack Hacker HQ.
So if the last time you thought about Detroit was when you watched “Robocop” or Eminem’s “8 Mile,” you might want to give it a try.
See the U.S. of A.
Other American cities on the list include Sacramento, California, and Portland, Oregon, which also have a lot to offer travelers.
Travel + Leisure says Portland has great outdoor appeal, with more than 250 public green spaces that include waterfront parks and trails. The city is also a haven for cyclists, with many paths and greenways to explore.
You also might want to check out the city’s underground thermal springs spa and eco-hotel, Cascada, or a 100,000-square-foot addition to the Portland Art Museum in 2025. If you fly into town, the Portland International Airport just got $2 billion in upgrades to its main terminal, so it should be easier to get there.
See the World
To see more of the world, consider visiting Bukhara, Uzbekistan, in September to check out international creatives and local artists participating in “Recipes for Broken Hearts” or the highland castles, mountains, and unique wildlife of Inverness, Scotland.
Beachcombers should check out the “happy coast” of Mexico, Costalegre, new luxury hotels in Grenada, or the 150th anniversary of Santa Monica, California, which has had a recent flurry of new restaurants, hotels, and shops opening in time for the bicentennial.
And if you’re up for an adventure, join the rush to visit Greenland, which is losing billions of tons of ice each year but still drawing travelers looking for thrills. Or “move it, move it” to Madagascar, where you will find endangered lemurs and jeweled chameleons, among other wildlife.