THE TOP 2026 TRAVEL FORECAST
The Shifts Reshaping Luxury, Leisure, and Global Exploration
As we look ahead to 2026, travel reveals itself not as a monolithic category, but as an intricate, ever-evolving tapestry driven by culture, community, technology, and human desire. Travelers are making decisions based not only on where they want to go, but why they want to be there. This shift is driving new expectations for hospitality brands across the globe.
From film-set dreamscapes to adaptive-reuse hideaways, sports pilgrimages to conscious, community-rooted tourism and expanded rail offerings, the motivations shaping next year’s global journeys are rich and layered.
Below, we unpack the six defining trends that will shape 2026, and the strategic opportunities that leaders across the hospitality, aviation, tourism and railway industries must not ignore.
TOP 2026 TRAVEL TREND #1: Screen to Suitcase
According to the 2026 Expedia report, “set-jetting” is becoming one of the world’s most powerful travel motivators.
Once treated as a niche habit of superfans, “set-jetting,” travel inspired by beloved films and shows, has matured into a cultural force. As global content platforms shape our collective imagination, we’re not simply consuming stories; we’re seeking to step inside them. With screen-inspired tourism projected to surge into a nearly $8 billion global market, destinations tied to shows like Downton Abbey, Emily in Paris, White Lotus, or House of the Dragon are experiencing measurable upticks in visitor interest.
What this means for brands is that storytelling now sits at the heart of travel motivation. Hotels near filming locations can build themed packages or behind-the-scenes experiences; destinations can develop narrative-driven itineraries; airlines can spotlight cinematic routes. The future traveler is chasing atmosphere and emotion, and the hospitality brands who understand this desire will be set up for success.
TOP 2026 TRAVEL TREND #2: Hopscotch Stays
Skyscanner predicts the rise of multi-hotel itineraries and the end of the “one-and-done” trip.
Traditional single-stay trips give way to a new model: travelers intentionally booking multiple hotels within one destination to curate multi-sensory journeys. A modern traveler might begin in a small boutique property, transition to a sleek high-rise in the heart of the city, and finish at a wellness-centric retreat on the outskirts, all within one long weekend.
This shift opens an exciting opportunity for brands, including:
• Cross-property partnerships to create seamlessly unique and different itineraries.
• Upsell opportunities for guests exploring different price tiers and experiences.
• Destinations can craft neighborhood-based narratives, turning a single city into a multidimensional escape.
Hopscotch travel isn’t merely a booking habit. Instead, it’s a reframing of place as an evolving experience, inviting hotels to collaborate rather than compete.
TOP TRAVEL TREND #3: Time-Travel Inns
Adaptive reuse becomes luxury’s most compelling architectural love letter.
Travelers are increasingly drawn to hotels with stories, soul, and a sense of place according to the Expedia 2026 report. Nowhere is this more powerful than in the adaptive reuse movement. Former train depots, courthouses, textile mills, monasteries, breweries, and even abandoned factories are being reimagined into elegant retreats where history breathes beneath contemporary design.
These properties offer more than accommodation; they offer identity. Guests become temporary custodians of a building’s past, while operators enjoy the brand equity of heritage architecture paired with modern luxury.
For developers and destination marketers, adaptive reuse is no longer a quirky niche; it is a marker of modern luxury.
TOP TRAVEL TREND #4: Fan Voyage
Sports, fandom and the rise of travel as a cultural pilgrimage.
Travelers are no longer choosing destinations based solely on landscapes or landmarks. Instead, they’re traveling for live moments notes Expedia. More than half of consumers express openness to planning trips around sporting events, niche competitions, cultural tournaments, and even emerging micro-sports. Whether it’s a coastal town hosting a surf championship, a European capital hosting a once-a-year derby, or a small mountain village famed for a local endurance race, fandom is becoming a magnetic travel driver.
For airlines and hotels, this presents an exceptional commercial opportunity:
• Curated flight-plus-stay packages timed to event calendars
• Dynamic pricing strategies for peak moments
• Partnerships with local clubs, venues, and cultural institutions
• Targeted marketing to highly engaged affinity groups
Event-centric travel extends beyond sports and taps into consumers seeking more shared experiences and belonging.
TOP TRAVEL TREND #5: Conscious Adventures
The new era of purpose-driven travel, shaped by transparency and community care.
Travelers in 2026 are asking deeper questions: What impact does my trip have? Who benefits from my stay? How does this destination care for its people and environment? The introduction of the Smart Travel Health Check, inspired by the WTTC, is accelerating a cultural shift toward transparency, ethical governance, and responsible growth.
Consumers increasingly prioritize:
• Hotels powered by renewable energy or regenerative programs
• Destinations with measurable community reinvestment
• Airlines elevating fuel efficiency and sustainability commitments
• Experiences that honor local identity and cultural continuity
This is not a passing trend; it marks a new mindset. Purpose-driven travel blends stewardship with storytelling, positioning hotels and destinations not as passive hosts but as active guardians of place.
TOP TRAVEL TREND #6: Rail Travel
Recommend and Railbookers note that rail travel is becoming one of the most immersive ways to explore the world in 2026.
With new routes expanding across Europe and the return of iconic luxury journeys, travelers are rediscovering railways. Railbookers reports strong growth across all six continents, with travelers choosing trains not just for transportation but for deeper, customizable experiences. Longer journeys define the trend. The average trip for 2026 is expected to last 11 days, and most travelers are booking about 11 months ahead, signaling a desire for more meaningful, extended adventures.
European trains will offer journeys where travel itself becomes the experience. Forbes shares that the restored iconic La Dolce Vita Orient Express will once again offer its opulent Italian routes. Europe’s rail network will add flexibility with new low-cost routes and more accessible cross-country connections, like Lyon-Milan and Marseille-Madrid, for as little as €19.
As we move toward 2026, the common thread uniting these trends is a deepening desire for connection to stories, to places, to people, to moments, and to purpose. Hospitality is no longer defined solely by service excellence but by the ability to create transformative, culturally rich, and emotionally resonant journeys.
Travel is evolving, and the brands (and agencies) who evolve with it will define the next era of global exploration.