Skyscanner has launched its “Travel Trends” 2026 report showcasing the seven key trends which will define travelers’ behavior in the coming year and outlining the big trends shaping the future of travel. In 2026, travelers are curating trips that feel more in tune with who they are and what they love. With the cost of living still top of mind, trips in 2026 are being built with purpose. They’re shaped around passions, priorities and a personal sense of “worth it.”
Bryan Batista, CEO Skyscanner said: “Skyscanner’s 2026 Travel Trends report shows how travel is about to get more personal than ever. Whether it’s building a trip around a must-stay ‘destination hotel,’ getting lost in a new favorite book on a reading retreat, incorporating a beauty routine into their travel itinerary or bringing the whole family along for the journey, travel will become more curated, grounded and unique.”
The report combines Skyscanner’s own data with global consumer research and insights from renowned brands including Reddit, Malin + Goetz, All Trails and Penguin Books to identify the seven trends shaping travel in 2026.
The seven trends shaping travel in 2026:
- Glowmads – Beauty rituals will shape how—not just where—we travel. Thirty-three percent of global travelers want to experience local beauty culture and 20 percent say that they’re influenced by TikTok and social media. In 2026, skincare and beauty routines will move beyond social feeds and into real-world travel behaviors. From inflight skincare routines to visits to iconic local beauty retailers to buy cult products, beauty becomes part of the itinerary. While Seoul continues to grow as a global symbol of beauty culture, this trend is less about where to go, and more about how beauty shapes the way people travel.
- Shelf Discovery – Culinary tourism is swapping restaurant reservations for supermarket safaris. Thirty-five percent of global travelers plan to check out or shop at local grocery at their next holiday. To “eat like a local” now means heading to the snack aisle. From Tokyo vending machines and 7-Eleven Slurpees to Iceland’s geothermal baked bread, gastro-tourism is changing. How people travel for food is now part cultural deep dive, part budget hack, offering a unique glimpse into local life that's affordable and authentic.
- Altitude Shift – From snow to stillness, travelers are chasing year-round alpine escapes. Over three quarters (76 percent) of global travelers are considering or planning a mountain escape for summer or autumn 2026. In 2026, travelers will be heading for higher ground—literally. Travelers are heading to higher ground—not just for the ski slopes, but for serenity too. From the Dolomites to Annapurna to the Canadian Rockies, alpine escapes worldwide are luring people year-round for off-peak peace. Skyscanner has seen an increase of 103 percent globally YoY of hotel bookings using our “Room with a mountain view” filter.
- Bookbound – Writing new chapters on how to escape, reconnect and restore. Over half (57 percent) of travelers have booked or would consider a trip inspired by literature. Whether it’s tracing the footsteps of fictional heroes, planning a slow holiday around a reading retreat or chasing the world’s most beautiful bookshops and libraries, people are choosing travel and literature to escape, reconnect and restore. This trend is translating onto how people are searching for hotel bookings, with the use of Skyscanner’s “library” filter up 70 percent globally YoY.
- Catching Flights and Feelings – Meeting matches, mates and maybes on the move. An impressive 55 percent of travelers have gone or considered going, overseas specifically to meet new people e.g. for friendship or dating. As dating habits shift and “catch-up friends” become a thing, more travelers are swapping swipes for real-world sparks—from meeting matches in faraway cities to dating overseas to finding a travel buddy on the road. We saw hotel bookings using the “solo” filter has jumped 83 percent globally YoY.
- Family Miles – Multi-gen trips and family memory making are on the rise. Thirty-one percent of travelers across the world plan to travel with their family, including multi-generational journeys. Multi-generational travel is on the rise—not just to share costs, but to reclaim time together and create long-lasting memories between parents, kids and grandparents. With budget a factor and many 20-somethings living at home, families—especially younger generations – are getting creative about how and where they travel.
- Destination Check-in – Hotels are the main event, shaping where and why we travel. Twenty-nine percent will stay in accommodation that’s part of the travel experience or destination itself. More than ever, travelers are choosing where to go based on where they want to stay. Hotels are no longer a place to just bed down—they’re the destination itself. From stunning architecture to transportive design to the overall vibe, travelers are prioritizing unique stays. And as younger travelers (and their social feeds) fuel the dupe obsession, unusual accommodation is redefining what it means to “travel the world” without the long-haul flight.
The future of travel is curated, considered and cleverer than ever before. With 84 percent saying they’ll go abroad as much—or more—in 2026 vs. 2025, travelers will be stretching their budgets to make room for richer, more rewarding experiences. AI is set to shift from assistant to agentic, where multiple systems work together to solve complex traveler needs, from trip inspiration to in-the-moment support. It’s not just an evolution—it’s a whole new operating system for travel.
Social and search are now the go-to tools for inspiration, research and planning. As search grows smarter, social platforms are reshaping the inspiration phase by surfacing trending spots, niche experiences and recommendations in a way that feels personal and fun.
Source: Skyscanner
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