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

The dawn mist clings softly to the Scottish Highlands as I step out onto a moor that feels half-imagined. I can almost see the spectral glimmer of Claire Fraser vanishing into standing stones, her story ghosting through the heather. This place—just a shimmering patch of earth moments ago—now pulses with meaning because I have seen it already, cradled in my favorite series. Set-jetting, the wanderlust-fueled leap from screen to reality, has become more than a trend. It’s a portal, and in 2025, it’s transforming the very way we roam.

The Screen as Compass

Our world is woven, now more than ever, with stories beamed into our living rooms and hearts. Where once guidebooks and glossy travel magazines suggested destinations, now it’s the brooding cliffs of Iceland witnessed in “Game of Thrones,” the sun-soaked alleyways of Palermo from “The White Lotus,” or the kinetic pulse of Tokyo in “Lost in Translation.” Each scene doesn’t just inspire wanderlust; it almost commands it.

2025 sees set-jetting evolving into pilgrimage. When you fly into an airport once glimpsed in a season finale—or sip coffee in a café that’s become a shrine for fans—you’re not just sightseeing. You’re stepping into a living, breathing screenplay, walking in the footprints of characters who have shown us how to dream, love, and rebel.

The Emotional Pull of Place

Late last autumn, beneath the crimson lanterns of Seoul’s Ikseon-dong, I watched K-drama fans spot the exact ramen shop featured in last year’s viral romance. Their faces glowed with the kind of joy that stills the heart: a seeing made sacred. All around the globe in 2025, armies of storytelling pilgrims—solo travelers, couples, Instagrammers, and lifelong best friends—are charting journeys through the settings that have shaped their hearts, each destination a mixtape of memory and cinematic awe.

In the tapestry of global travel, these places are no longer backdrops. They are characters. The sense of belonging and wonder is nearly tribal—a shared reference point bringing strangers together on mountain paths, in dim-lit pubs, or along golden coasts where fantasy becomes tangible.

Destinations in the Spotlight

• Malta’s ancient streets echo with the gladiator shouts of big-screen epics and the whispered intrigues of streaming hits alike.
• The vibrance of Paris is reimagined anew by genres from Emily’s Instagram-perfect France to the gritty noir of European thrillers.
• The wild beauty of New Zealand continues to draw dreamers, with 2025’s fantasy blockbusters breathing new life into its timeless hills and mystical woods.

Behind every trending location, local communities adapt, welcoming screen-inspired explorers with tailored tours, pop-up events, and themed stays. The synergy between pop culture and community enriches both the traveler’s story and the local economy—a beautiful, symbiotic dance of influence.

Immersion Beyond the Scene

True set-jetting is more than ticking boxes; it’s a kind of soulful method acting. It’s about tasting the food, learning the local legends, and feeling the weather on your skin, as your favorite character once did. I still taste the salty chill and hear the echo of ancient sagas from the basalt beaches of Vik, more real for having first crossed them in the mind.

In my travels, my camera roll is now a supercut—part documentary, part fan tribute—threaded with the realization that pop culture doesn’t just reflect our longings. It’s a map for how, and where, we chase them.

So, as 2025 unfurls, expect airports and city squares, lonely lakes and bustling streets to echo with the laughter and awe of set-jetters. The best journeys start on a screen—but they are always, always better written on the wild, wind-battered stage of real life.