Data from the world’s leading hotel groups, travel firms and trend forecasters suggests that 2026 will be the year of quiet escapes, algorithm-shaped itineraries, ultra-personalized retreats and a return to slower, more intentional travel.
Number crunchers, behaviouralists and travel firms have been compiling their data over the last few months to assess where they think the travel industry is heading. From “coolcations” – a trend that emerged a few years ago – to”flashpacking”, a term used to denote upscale backpacking, annual travel trends tend to come with an awkward portmanteau-style word and almost always reflect how we live – or how we want to live.
We’ve sifted through the best of the year’s travel predictions, made-up words and all. These are the top trends on the horizon for 2026.
1. Quiet over everything
One trend is set to dominate next year: “quietcations”. Also called Hushpitality, this movement centres on comfort, silence and finding a way to escape the compounding stresses of modern life. With our always-on digital culture colliding with an endless rollcall of global events reaching us in real time, it’s no surprise that many of us are looking to disconnect.
2. Gen AI over admin
We will undoubtedly see more AI woven into travel in 2026. According to Amadeus research, increasing numbers of travellers are already using generative AI for planning and booking. With major players like Expedia and Booking.com integrating tools such as ChatGPT, it’s becoming easier than ever for robots to plan your holiday for you. Add real-time translation and mobile digital check-ins, and technology is quietly removing much of the admin that used to define a trip.
3. Trust over choice
Call it decision fatigue, laziness or the thrill of letting someone else call the shots: there’s a clear rise in travel experiences where the guest doesn’t have to make any decisions at all.
In the Faroe Islands, choice is being removed in the name of sustainability through their new self-navigating cars initiative; while in other parts of the world, it’s being used to help create genuinely restful and relaxing holidays. In Mendoza, Argentina, Susana Balboa’s Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites has launched a mystery travel option designed to eliminate booking stress and create curated surprises for guests; while in the cruise industry, mystery cruises – where passengers board without knowing the itinerary – are becoming increasingly popular.
4. Roads over runways
According to Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report, we’ll be getting our kicks on road trips in ’26. It notes that the hashtag #RoadTrip has racked up more than 5.9 million tags globally as travellers rediscover the appeal of the open road.
5. Ultra personalized over one-size-fits-all
Gone are the days of booking the same trip as everyone else: the travel industry is moving towards hyper individuality on a grand scale. Specialist tours have emerged to serve specific life stages and situations over the last few years, from divorce and grief to menopause retreats, marriage retreats and even niche interest trips like racket sport holidays and insect enthusiasts tours.
6. Off-grid over tried-and-tested
“More and more of our travellers, especially the anti-Instagram brigade, are turning away from overcrowded hotspots that rarely live up to their over-filtered, uncluttered online image,” says Nick Pulley, founder of tour operator Selective Asia. The result is that off-grid destinations are on the rise, with interest growing in places like Toledo in Spain, Brandenburg in Germany, and, for the more adventurous, Iraq. In the UK, the trend is steering people away from prime tourism counties such as the Cotswolds and Cornwall towards lesser-visited areas like Northumberland, Wales and Somerset, according to a report by Lemongrass.
7. Culture over hedonism
Fuelled in part by “#BookTok”, literary travel is set to keep growing in 2026, alongside its sister trend: “set-jetting” (travel inspired by TV and film). Hotels around the world, even in destinations better known for their nightlife, are getting in on the action. From Ibiza to Madrid, hotel guests can expect anything from rare books and reading retreats to poolside libraries and themed stays.
Several destinations are tipped to hit the bestseller list next year: Cornwall, where the new Harry Potter TV series is currently being filmed; the Yorkshire Moors, the backdrop to Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming Wuthering Heights film; and Greece, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey.
Bina sees this trend as a modern form of escape. “In times of rapid change or crisis, we escape to fiction to explore both our fears and desires,” she says. “That’s why fantasy literature surged in the 1930s and ’40s, when the world was at war. Science fiction got popular in the 1960s, during the space race and counterculture era; and mythic and speculative fiction is rising now as we try to make sense of the collapse and rebirth of old systems. Literary travel is like a catharsis – it helps you get even further into the fiction, both mentally and physically.”