Top Places to Travel: October 2025

With high season fading and cooler temperatures settling in, October is a prime month for inspirational  travel. From wildlife spectacles and cultural festivals to wellness retreats and design-driven escapes, below are five standout destinations to visit in October 2025.

October marks the tail end of Tanzania’s dry season and one of the final windows to witness the Great Migration in the Serengeti. During this period, more than 1.5 million wildebeest, 400,000 zebra, 300,000 gazelles and 12,000 eland begin making their journey south through the Serengeti’s Western Corridor—a narrow stretch of plains and riverine forest flanking the Grumeti River, known as a key bottleneck along the migration route.

• Staying in Style: For front-row views and a sense of quiet immersion, andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge is a standout. The lodge’s remote location in the park ensures fewer vehicles and more intimate wildlife encounters, while the open-plan design and sweeping river views provide an immediate connection to the surrounding landscape. The lodge’s proximity to the river means wildlife viewing often begins right from the camp. With expert guides tracking the herds in real time, guests are perfectly positioned to catch the action.

Long known for its vibrant culture, cuisine, and design, Marrakech becomes even more accessible this fall with Delta Air Lines launching its first-ever nonstop route from Atlanta (ATL) to Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), beginning October 25, 2025

• Staying in Style: A luxurious base for exploration, Royal Mansour Marrakech sits at the heart of the Medina—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—just steps from iconic sites like the Koutoubia Mosque and Jemaa el-Fna square. Guests enjoy unique cultural access, from complimentary entry to the YSL Museum to exclusive visits to perfumer Serge Lutens’s private home and laboratory, where the renowned fashion designer and perfumer created over 70 signature fragrances. The experience includes a viewing of his antique Berber jewelry, silver artifacts, and personal artwork. The hotel also offers private city tours with Mustapha Chouquir—nicknamed the “Marrakech GPS”—who guides guests through the medina, museums, gardens, souks, and other cultural highlights. Back at the hotel, the Royal Mansour Cooking School invites guests into its state-of-the-art communal kitchen for two-hour workshops in Moroccan, Italian, or pastry cuisine. The classes are tailored to all skill levels and conclude with an alfresco tasting under the veranda, overlooking the hotel’s lush gardens.

Since its founding in 2008, UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa—the first Brazilian hotel accepted as a signatory to the UN Global Compact (a United Nations initiative promoting responsible business practices) — has been a beacon of change in the Bahian town of Trancoso. Among its most impactful achievements is the creation of the Organic Festival Trancoso, a nonprofit initiative launched in 2018 by Charles Piriou and UXUA. Held annually, the event is dedicated to raising awareness about the benefits of organic food and its positive impact on the environment and community.

This October, Trancoso shines with the sixth edition of the festival, taking place from October 29 to November 2, 2025. More than just a culinary gathering, the festival is a platform for conscious tourism, sustainability, and cultural exchange—bringing together 50 renowned chefs, culinary experts, environmentalists, artists, and conscious travelers from across Brazil and beyond. The program features workshops, discussions, regenerative tourism experiences, and meals led by names like Roberta Sudbrack (a former presidential palace chef and Latin America’s Best Female Chef), Morena Leite (Le Cordon Bleu-trained, celebrated for her sustainable Brazilian cuisine), and Oskar Metsavaht (founder of Osklen and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador known for melding sustainability with design).

Guests staying at UXUA during the festival are immersed in all aspects of the programming, with access to chef-led dinners, interactive tastings, wellness and sustainability workshops, and live music and art performances spread across Trancoso. With many events hosted directly on property or in collaboration with local venues, UXUA guests enjoy a deeply integrated experience that blends Brazilian culture, conscious hospitality, and a celebration of community—positioning Trancoso as a global model for responsible tourism and creative, purpose-driven travel.

Designblok 2025 transforms Prague into a vibrant creative hub from October 7–12, showcasing over 200 exhibitors and attracting more than 41,000 visitors—including top designers, architects, curators, and design lovers. This year’s theme, “Courage”, will spotlight bold, boundary-pushing work across craft, tech, and sustainability, including a high-impact female-led exhibition curated by Michaela Kádnerová.

This is the first time the festival takes place in Prague’s Galerie Rudolfinum, one of the city’s most prestigious contemporary art spaces. With flagship venues also spanning the Výstaviště fairgrounds, Prague Castle, and the Museum of Decorative Arts, plus dynamic shows like High Craft and Diploma Selection, Designblok is the essential October destination for design innovation.

• Staying in Style: Almanac X Alcron Prague is the ideal home base during the festival. Housed in Prague’s legendary first luxury hotel (dating back to 1932, once frequented by Chaplin and Churchill), the property blends Art Deco elegance with modern Czech artistry —all just steps from Wenceslas Square, Old Town, and key Designblok venues. This year, they are offering a “Design Hideaway” package that includes stylish accommodations, daily breakfast, two festival passes for DesignBlok 2025, and a mug from Qubus – the first-ever design shop in the Czech Republic. For those seeking deeper creative immersion, the hotel also offers private access to the studio of Linda Pro, a former Designblok winner known for her sculptural crystal handbags.

For travelers seeking a balance of wellness, elegance, and seasonal serenity, head to the South of France in October. At La Réserve Ramatuelle, guests enjoy the best of both worlds: proximity to the glamour of St. Tropez–just six miles away–and a tranquil, clifftop retreat overlooking the Mediterranean. Recently modernized by French designer Jacques Garcia, the property offers 28 rooms (including 19 suites), and 14 private villas nestled amid Provencal gardens.

October brings the added allure of fewer crowds and milder temperatures, perfect for nature-infused Nescens wellness retreats that include guided coastal hikes and new programs focused on women’s health. These two-night retreats feature expert-led sessions in nutrition, yoga, meditation, and postural massage, plus the option for a full medical evaluation through Clinique Nescens.

Guests can also enjoy the expanded Spa Nescens, now featuring reformer Pilates and a contrast therapy zone with an infrared sauna and ice bath. And when the mood shifts to celebration, La Réserve à La Plage, a Philippe Starck-designed beach club with cuisine by Michelin-starred chef Eric Canino and chef Nicolas Cantrel, invites guests to savor the final golden days of the Riviera in style.