From Summit Selfies to Stadium Seats: Father’s Day Travel Trends Shaping Family Getaways | News

This Father’s Day, Indian families are increasingly swapping conventional gifts for shared experiences and meaningful journeys. Instead of celebrating with material presents, travellers are choosing holidays that allow them to spend quality time together, pursue common interests, and create lasting memories.
Insights from Thomas Cook India Ltd. and SOTC Travel reveal that Father’s Day travel is evolving into a celebration of experiences—whether it’s conquering a mountain trail together, embarking on an epic road trip, watching a sporting event, enjoying a wildlife adventure, or simply unwinding over a long weekend.

1. Peak Bonding: Fathers and Children are Taking to the Trails
Adventure travel continues to resonate strongly with fathers who enjoy the outdoors. Families are increasingly choosing trekking holidays that combine physical activity, scenic landscapes and uninterrupted time together.
Popular experiences include trekking through the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand, exploring Kashmir’s alpine meadows, coffee trail walks in Coorg, and living-root bridge hikes in Meghalaya. Internationally, travellers are opting for scenic hiking experiences in Switzerland, New Zealand’s South Island, Japan’s countryside trails and South Korea’s national parks. Beyond the trek itself, the appeal lies in shared milestones—from reaching a summit together to capturing memorable father-child moments against spectacular mountain backdrops.

2. The Great Indian Road Trip Revival
Road trips remain one of the most popular Father’s Day travel formats, driven by flexibility, spontaneity and nostalgia. Many fathers enjoy being behind the wheel, making self-drive holidays an ideal celebration.
Trending experiences include driving through Ladakh’s dramatic mountain passes, exploring Rajasthan’s heritage circuit, cruising along Karnataka’s coastal highways, and discovering hidden villages across the Western Ghats. Internationally, scenic drives through New Zealand, Australia’s Great Ocean Road, Switzerland’s alpine routes and Portugal’s coastal landscapes are gaining popularity. Families are increasingly planning journeys around local food discoveries, scenic pit stops and offbeat attractions, making the journey itself the highlight.

3. Sporting Experiences Take Centre Stage
A growing number of families are planning travel around sporting passions. Rather than simply watching a match at home, travellers are turning sporting events into memorable family experiences.
Strong travel interest is being witnessed for cricket matches across major Indian cities, Formula 1 races in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, tennis tournaments in Australia and France, football fixtures across Spain and sporting experiences in the UK and Europe. For many fathers, attending a live sporting event with their children is becoming a bucket-list experience that combines travel, entertainment and shared passion.

4. Wildlife Safaris: Creating Family Stories in the Wild
Wildlife experiences are emerging as one of the most engaging Father’s Day travel trends. Families are choosing safaris that offer excitement, discovery and opportunities to disconnect from screens and reconnect with nature.
Destinations such as Ranthambore, Kabini, Jim Corbett, Gir and Kaziranga remain favourites. Internationally, wildlife encounters in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Australia, Mauritius and New Zealand are also seeing growing interest. Experiences range from tiger tracking and jeep safaris to whale watching, dolphin cruises, birdwatching expeditions and wildlife photography sessions—creating memorable stories that families continue talking about long after the holiday ends.

5. Multi-Generational Holidays: Three Generations, One Celebration
Father’s Day is increasingly becoming a family-wide occasion, with grandparents, parents and children travelling together. Destinations such as Kerala, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan continue to attract multi-generational groups because they offer experiences for every age group—from houseboat stays and heritage walks to cultural performances, nature excursions and local culinary experiences. Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Mauritius, Japan and Switzerland remain popular choices for multi-generational families thanks to their accessibility, safety, family-friendly attractions and diverse experiences.
To enhance comfort and flexibility, many families are opting for Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel’s Private Van Tours, which offer personalized sightseeing, dedicated transportation and the convenience of travelling together at their own pace, making celebrations more seamless and memorable for every generation.

6. Wellness for Dads: The Rise of Slow Travel
Many families are recognizing that the best gift for fathers may simply be time to unwind. This has led to growing interest in wellness-focused escapes and luxury staycations.
Popular experiences include Ayurveda retreats in Kerala, luxury wellness resorts in the Himalayas, vineyard stays, forest retreats and spa-focused holidays in Goa. International destinations such as Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Thailand and Bali are witnessing increased demand for wellness breaks, spa retreats and slow-travel experiences. Rather than packed itineraries, travellers are opting for more meaningful journeys centred on relaxation, wellbeing and quality family time.

7. Quick International Escapes with High Experience Value
Short-haul international destinations continue to attract families seeking a memorable Father’s Day getaway without requiring extended leave.
Travellers are increasingly choosing experiences such as night safaris and family attractions in Singapore, island-hopping in Thailand, beach escapes in Malaysia, cultural discoveries in South Korea and Japan, wellness holidays in Sri Lanka, and luxury experiences in Abu Dhabi and Mauritius. These destinations offer the perfect mix of convenience, adventure and family-friendly experiences within a short travel window.

8. Passion Travel: Holidays Built Around Dad’s Interests
One of the strongest emerging trends is passion-led travel, where families design entire holidays around a father’s hobbies and interests.
Whether it’s a photography expedition in Ladakh, a golf getaway in Thailand, vineyard experiences in France and Portugal, culinary trails through Japan, Spain and Malaysia, whisky and food experiences in Scotland, cycling holidays in New Zealand, wildlife photography in Sri Lanka or heritage rail journeys across Switzerland, travellers are increasingly personalizing trips to celebrate what fathers enjoy most.

The Bigger Trend: Experiences Over Gifts
Father’s Day travel reflects a broader shift in consumer behaviour, where experiences, emotional connections and shared memories are taking precedence over traditional gifting. Families are increasingly viewing travel as a meaningful way to celebrate fathers—creating moments that last far beyond a single day and strengthening bonds through shared journeys and unforgettable experiences.