It's Friday, y'all, and it's a beautiful spring day here in Georgia. I don't know about you, but on days like today, I like to get away from politics a little bit and read and write about something else. I'm also sick of media gloom and doom about practically everything since Donald Trump took office. Right now, the fake news is targeting the travel industry with two talking points: people can't afford travel in Trump's economy or people are afraid to either visit the country or leave the country because of all the deportation stuff. I'd also like to put something positive out there to counter all of this negativity.
Last Friday, I wrote an article on how, of all things, theme parks were some of the top destinations people wanted to visit when they traveled this summer. This week, I decided to do another travel article, but this one is a little more interesting, or it is to me, anyway? I hope you enjoy it too.
Hollywood may feel irrelevant to many of us these days, but when it comes to travel, it still has some influence, apparently. Have you ever heard of "fandom travel?" What about "set jetting"? Both of these topics involve scheduling your travel plans based on your enjoyment of various aspects of pop culture, and they're pretty trendy in 2025, especially with millennials and Gen Z.
"Set Jetting" involves traveling to the filming locations or fictional settings of your favorite movies and TV shows. As someone who lives in the vicinity of where parts of shows like "Stranger Things" and "The Walking Dead" were filmed, I can assure you this has been going on for years. But in 2025, it sounds like travelers are getting a bit more adventurous with their set jetting plans.
According to the travel insurance company Faye, these are some of the top places travelers are choosing based on what they've seen on screen:
Hawaii: Travelers are choosing places in Hawaii like Kualoa Ranch, where "Jurassic Park" was filmed, as well as Kauai’s Keahua Arboretum, which played a role in the movie "Avatar." They're also traveling to the Hawaiian city of Kihei, which made an appearance in the show "White Lotus."
New Zealand: "Lord of the Rings" fans are going to New Zealand to experience the natural beauty that served as the backdrop for that film series.
Paris, France: The Netflix program "Emily in Paris" has inspired many people to take a "romantic" trip to France.
Northern Ireland, Croatia, Spain, or Iceland: These were all filming locations for the show "Game of Thrones" that have sparked a bit of a travel craze to these parts of Europe.
Sicily, Italy: I can't imagine anyone needs an excuse to travel to Sicily, but the city also played a role in "White Lotus," and it may see an uptick in travel because of it.
Kiawah Island, South Carolina: I also don't need an excuse to visit South Carolina's lowcountry — and am actually heading out that way for a road trip in a couple of weeks — but the show "Outer Banks" is inspiring people to visit the barrier island beach and golf resort.
London, United Kingdom: Fans of the Netflix program "Bridgerton" plan to visit Greenwich, London, one of the show's primary filming locations.
I was racking my brain, trying to remember if I've ever done anything like this, and to be honest, I can't even think of a movie or TV show that has inspired me to travel, unless you count a little road trip my mom and I were planning before she died. We were going to make a circle and visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri; Ree Drummond aka the Pioneer Woman's Mercantile in Pawhuska, Alaska; and Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas. Somehow, that doesn't sound quite as exotic as Hawaii or Italy.
"Fandom travel" is basically just traveling around the country or even the world to see your favorite musicians and athletes perform. According to a Panterra Research study of adults in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Brazil, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, about a quarter of all travelers will make a trip for a big event like a concert or sporting event this year. This is especially true for women and fans in the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil.
People are planning entire trips around seeing artists like Beyonce in her hometown of Houston, Texas, in June, and Oasis, who will perform numerous concerts in several cities in the U.K. this July. There also seems to be a surge in people traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina, to see Shakira perform later this month, and in August, fans of Kylie Minogue plan to flock to Santiago, Chile, to see her shows.
I was kind of surprised to hear this as a trend for 2025 because I was doing this years ago as a college student myself. I traveled up and down the East Coast to see various artists perform back in my day, and if there was someone I really wanted to see — say, Tom Petty was still alive and touring — I could see myself picking up the habit again. I've also made travel plans just to watch Peyton Manning play, back before he retired. And I have friends who have traveled as far as Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, Baltimore, and London just to see concerts over the last year.
So, what about you? Do you take part in "set jetting" or "fandom travel," or do your tastes in pop culture ever turn into travel plans? Let me know in the comments.
