Travel Trends We’re Predicting For 2026

This was the BIG question. What’s drawing us in the direction of elsewhere? What are we looking for when we travel? What’s driving our travel decisions right now?  

Value for money, they say, isn’t so much motivated by hunting out the cheapest thing going, but is more about looking around and weighing options before being sure that you’re getting a great price for the type of trip you have in mind – something our Travel Experts are, well, so expert at.  

Travellers are increasingly wanting to shirk the crowds and discover authentic travel moments that don’t look or feel like everybody else’s. Think hunting out quirky, quiet bars frequented exclusively by locals, cleansing your body and mind bathing in a Japanese onsen (where nudity is non-negotiable) or trying your hand at traditional pounamu (jade) carving in Aotearoa New Zealand … oh, we could go on forever.  

A generation ago, building your trip around an awareness of your mortality would’ve seemed a bit of a downer.  But this fearless 21st Century travel phenomenon brings a steady stream of visitors to the Maldives, Niagara Falls and Stonehenge each year and shows no sign of meeting its maker quite yet. 

Other emerging reasons to travel include set jetting (think Hobbiton Movie Set and numerous Middle Earth locations in New Zealand, or those fabulous luxe accommodations featured in White Lotus episodes filmed in Phuket, Hawaii and Sicily), food and wine experiences and (after all that indulgence) wellness holidays filled with life-affirming spa and yoga treatments. 

These are the destinations our Travel Experts reckon our global customers were getting most excited about in late 2025. We’re picking that excitement to remain infectious well into 2026 as people return from their trips with new twists in their travel tales. 

1. Japan | Bathing in a traditional onsen, Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park, the deer in Nara.
2. Vietnam | Floating markets on the Mekong, egg coffee in Hanoi, lantern boat rides at night in Hoi An.
3. Thailand | Secluded beaches in Krabi, Andamanda Phuket waterpark with the kids, Samat Prakan Ancient City in Bangkok.
4. Mauritius | Jungle hiking, sunset catamaran cruises.
5. Bali | Surf’s up May to September, wellness retreats, exploring rice terraces.
6. Australia | Swimming with whale sharks in Western Australia, glamping in the serene Northern Territory outback, sailing in the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland.
7. Italy | Exploring Palatine Hill the birthplace of Rome,  hiking the clifftops along the Amalfi Coast, seeking next-level pasta.
8. USA | Remote Hawaiian beach holidays, Christmas in New York and Aussie NRL in Las Vegas.
9. Sri Lanka | Leopard and elephant safari, whale watching at Mirissa in March or April.
10. New Zealand | Punakaiki’s Pancake Rock blowholes at high tide, Te Papa Museum in Wellington, Hobbiton Movie Set in the mighty Waikato region. 

Our Travel Experts resoundingly also put Japan first for overseas trips with kids. Japan is considered safe, it's city streets are largely spotless and its plentiful public transport runs like clockwork – all factors that top parental tick lists. Throw in robot cafes, state-of-the-art theme parks featuring cultural nods to ninja and anime and you've got the next school holidays covered.  

Some travel items seem like a good idea at the time, become a nuisance, or have simply become uncool in the eyes of people who decide which things should be relegated to the realms of cringy (like the word “uncool”).

Things our Travel Experts have seen falling out of favour include basic neck pillows (especially the bulky ones that actually cause more pain even when you turn them around), carrying lots of adaptors (thank the divine powers of electronics for blessing the world with one internationally recognised USB  wall socket shape for recharging our devices), physical sim cards (inserting a chip no larger than your pinky nail into your phone is fine until you drop it in the crevice of your seat) and selfie sticks (enough said). 

Apart from Trump’s America, other aspects of travel likely to be given the cold shoulder in 2026 include big city stays, crowded tourist traps, large document wallets and heavy/hard suitcases. 

So, what’s topping people’s lists of essential travel items? Our Travel Experts say e-sims are the new saviours of seamless communications while travelling and baggage tracking devices are making for wonderful peace-of-mind. Sleep masks with built-in headphones make getting comfy in your cabin seat quick and fuss-free, as do GOOD QUALITY neck pillows like the non-bulky wrap-around type. 

Other novel goodies on the list include noise-cancelling headphones, drones, packing cubes, passport covers and Plane Pals (inflatable cushions that effectively give kids more stretch and sleep space, even in economy - lucky devils.) 

From discount round-the-world flights to luxe river cruises, family beach getaways to solo journeys of discovery, and romantic city escapes to wellness retreats, the ways we chose to travel were as numerous as Tay-Tay’s Eras gig costume changes. 

When we asked our Travel Experts what patterns were emerging among travellers,  cruise was on everyone’s lips (well, fingertips really, it was an online thingy).

From budget- and family-friendly big ship ocean cruises, to the stream-lined luxe river cruises through Europe and Vietnam, our desire to spend downtime afloat will likely make an even bigger splash in 2026. 

In second place, solo travel has become one of those post-Covid phenomena that continues to gather pace. For a growing number of us the freedom and flexibility we get from venturing out alone allows us to see and do without compromise. And the experience is far from lonely, as you tend to strike up more conversations with guides, locals and other travellers more than you would when confined to the social cocoon of travel companions. 

On the flip-side, small group tours and friendcations also feature strongly. Bonding with besties and teammates in overseas holiday destinations as far flung as Bali, Las Vegas and Tokyo is a trend our Travel Experts predict will party-harder into 2026 and beyond. 

The year ahead promises a mix of both the new and the tried-and-true. New destinations await, as do new ways and hacks of getting there. But one thing will always remain. The best trips never run to script. There are no spoiler alerts, and that sense that we’re never completely the boss of our destiny feels most real when we’re setting off on another adventure. That’s what the joy of travel is about after all.