Marco Santiago | Cultural Explorer & Adventure Blogger

Set-Jetting: How Film and TV Locations Are Shaping 2025 Travel Trends

Somewhere between reality and daydream, there is a powerful force guiding travelers to far-flung corners of the globe. It’s not a compass nor ancient map—it’s the silver thread of cinema and television, weaving stories so vibrant that we crave to walk those same cobblestone streets or gaze at those ancient forests ourselves. They call it set-jetting. As 2025 unfolds, this phenomenon isn’t just a trend; it’s transforming our wanderlust into pilgrimage.

A New Wave of Pilgrimage

I still remember the electric thrill standing atop the basalt cliffs of Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast, wind howling like a warhorn. Was I just a traveler? Or a Stark riding north, chasing the memory of “Game of Thrones”? This is the spell that set-jetting casts—a sense of déjà vu and belonging for places we’ve never seen, except in dreams shaped by directors and cinematographers.

In the wake of peak TV and global streaming, location is more central than ever. With the rise of epic serials like “The Witcher,” “Ted Lasso,” and “Squid Game,” tourism boards now race to turn their cities into cinematic showcases. Suddenly, the sleepy Croatian town of Šibenik finds itself abuzz with crowds retracing Ciri’s footsteps, while cafes in Richmond, UK, are festooned with Ted Lasso biscuits and optimism.

2025: Set-Jetting Reshapes the Map

“We used to plan our trips around monuments and food; now, it’s the shimmer of a fantastical fjord or the neon glow of a dystopian alleyway that draws us in.”

The data is striking: nearly half of next year’s travelers—according to recent booking trends—confess they are headed somewhere they first fell in love with on screen. Reykjavik saw a double-digit spike after “Trapped” gripped viewers with its icy intrigue. The Spanish deserts of Almería, long a backdrop for spaghetti westerns, are basking in “The Mandalorian’s” otherworldly shadow.

Even lesser-known villages are seeing new dawns. I wandered the candy-colored lanes of Notting Hill and felt not only the romantic pull of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, but the shared delight of other fans there for the same reason. This isn’t mindless phototourism—it’s layered, emotional, and meaningful.

More Than Just Backdrops: Finding Connection

For some, set-jetting delivers pure escapism—a way to infuse daily life with a dose of cinematic wonder. For others, it’s about connection: discovering the local culture that breathes beneath the Hollywood glamour. The best moments come unplanned, like tasting Hungarian goulash at a Budapest bistro, realizing you’re in the same spot where Ethan Hunt plotted the impossible in “Mission: Impossible.”

There’s a joy in the rituals: fans sipping coffee at the “Friends” cafe in New York, or embarking on “The Lord of the Rings” treks through New Zealand’s emerald valleys. These experiences are communal—strangers united by a love of story, swapping theories and laughter amid extraordinary landscapes.

The Future: Where Story and Reality Collide

With immersive VR experiences, set-jetting is poised for further evolution in 2025. Locations are providing interactive tours, local guides are tailoring narrative-rich experiences, and the boundaries of fantasy and reality are tumbling down. But for all the clever tech, nothing rivals the shiver of standing somewhere you’ve only seen on a glowing screen—now suddenly, gloriously real.

Set-jetting is not just about fandom—it’s about a deeper yearning to be part of something grand, to feel like the hero (or antihero) for just a few days. I’ve met lifelong friends at the edge of Skellig Michael’s ancient stone beehives, shared superstitions in the alleys of Tokyo after “Lost in Translation,” and found a bit more of myself in every place I once visited through someone else’s lens.

As 2025 beckons, the world feels more magical—and more connected—than ever. So here’s to stories that send us hurtling across continents, and to the quiet wonders we discover when fiction and reality finally, beautifully meet.

— Marco Santiago