The Big Travel Trends for 2026 — I Asked 20 Style Globetrotters for the Places and Moods They Predict Will Define the Most Unforgettable Trips This Year

When I think about my 2025, a few epic episodes come to mind: a 112-kilometer hike into Rome's verdant hills, experienced as Italy awakened from the cold. A morning dip in the Rhine River to escape the frenzy of Basel's hottest arts fair. A long-overdue week in Copenhagen, where I lived ten years ago, before it became the epitome of Scandi-cool. A 48-hour trip to the French capital as it shed its bronzed leaves and wrapped up in cotton candy fog. And then, the cherry on top: six days immersed in Venice's grandeur as its canals bathed in a rare moment of calm, visiting storied artisan workshops, and checking in and out of some of its most spectacular boltholes — from legendary hotels to palatial apartments rising tall from gardens tucked behind closed doors.

You may say it's no coincidence that all of the memories I remember most vividly from the last 12 months were memories I made during my travels, and you wouldn't be wrong. I am, after all, a lifestyle editor. But these aren't just impressions I picked up while on the go: they are stories waiting to be told. And I am not the only one to think so.

Embracing travel as a means of gathering anecdotes and returning home with interesting tales to tell is picking up momentum, Tom Barber, the co-founder of Original Travel — a luxury destination specialist which designs bespoke itineraries tailored to globetrotters' unique needs and interests — recounts. "The Grand Tourists of the 17th and 18th centuries recorded increasingly flowery accounts of their travels, but storytelling became less of a focus during mass market tourism." Now, "with journaling, blogging, and social media all part of everyday life," he adds, "travel as a rich seam of content is back in vogue."

The Definitive Guide to Exploring With Intention and Style

For the second edition of Livingetc's travel trends report, your definitive guide to the latest travel trends reshaping the look, geographical location, and meaning of our worldwide explorations, I turned to 20 trusted industry experts — including leading hoteliers, hospitality-versed interior designers, and tour operators — to bring you the hottest scoops on when, how, and where to travel in 2026.

Whether you're looking for the most anticipated hotel design openings or makeovers of the year, or are more simply after reliable advice on the top destinations to visit in 2026, you've landed in the right place. What can you expect to find in this deep dive into the global travel trends set to take over tourism in the months to come, then?

Secrets worth revealing about some of the most underrated yet rising culture and design capitals in the world, local guides to under-the-radar marvels, coveted design hotels from across the globe, and lavish train rides that won't just take you places, but have you embark on a journey through time. And all of that while keeping style, community, and participation at the heart of the travel experience.

Where Should I Go in 2026?

Where should I travel in 2026? is the type of question we have all asked ourselves recently, particularly amid the weather-induced gloominess of the, thankfully, just-passed Blue Monday.

So if you, too, have been wondering what the best destinations to visit in 2026 are, it might be worth knowing they'll span three different continents (to say the least) and spare you from returning to the usual Rome, New York, Milan, and Paris.

Instead of flocking to evergreen tourist hits, in 2026, we're looking at "places that invite you to slow down naturally, where the days don't need much planning but can instead be spent wandering around," Mounia Ezzaher, the hotel manager and owner of Villa Maroc, the first riad hotel in charming Moroccan seaside city, Essaouira, and sister property Les Jardins de Villa Maroc, tells me.

Amber and Charlie Teale, the co-founders of luxury, regenerative, social hospitality brand KABN, a portfolio of Scandinavian design-style cabins immersed in Scotland's suggestive wilderness, seem to agree: the goal of the travel industry in 2026 is "to design experiences that feel calmer and more human, where technology supports the journey without taking center stage," they say.

"Stays in places that make it easy to unplug, where guides replace apps, craft and culture prevail over crowd-pleasers, and the landscape remains the main event."

Georgia — To Tbilisi and Beyond

When it comes to choosing where to travel in 2026, there's only one watchword: "curiosity". Or so thinks Shannon Knapp, the CEO and president of The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) group, which reunites over 400 independent hotels from more than 80 countries among its ranks.

With a rich history of craftsmanship dating all the way back to the Paleolithic era and a thriving, rapidly growing gastronomy and winemaking scene with equally ancient roots, Georgia — a country known for its diverse ecosystems, from dramatic peaks and glaciers to Black Sea coastlines, subtropical forests, and fertile plains, situated at the intersection of Europe and Asia — fits the brief.

If its flair for great taste is something we experienced ourselves at Georgian-inspired, bold London eatery, Kinkally, Knapp assures there's more to uncover when you visit the country firsthand.

"As LHW's collection continues to grow, we've recently introduced exciting new destinations like Georgia, Mongolia, and Beirut," she says.

"In buzzy Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, The Telegraph Hotel, which opened in June 2025, mixes heritage and modernity. Housed within the city's landmark 1970s Central Post Office, it has been thoughtfully designed by Shanghai's leading architectural firm, Neri&Hu."

Boasting an original, beautifully restored Bolnisi tuff façade, inside, "it is a sleek, modern sanctuary that speaks to Tbilisi’s dynamic spirit; a destination for entertaining, drinking, and dining, also thanks to its atmospheric jazz club."

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Caucasus region, the Lopota Lake Resort & Spa, nestled two hours northeast of Tbilisi in the lush Kakheti region, offers a 360-degree hospitality experience.

Once a seven-room guesthouse, this sprawling, 300-room-and-suite, 60-hectare retreat is wrapped in lake, vineyard, and garden views, with anything you may ever want — a fine-dining restaurant and winery, one of the world's most spectacular spas, alongside swimming pools, stables, tennis courts, and bookable horseback and cycling adventures — all within reach.

Italy — Inside Out

If there's one thing that today's revised approach to tourism teaches us, it's that asking yourself, "where should I travel in 2026?" is no longer enough. Instead, to ensure you're not contributing directly to the overcrowding of the most notable destinations, you should put thought into answering the following dilemma: "what other ways are there to explore this place more mindfully?"

That's what Ed Bakos, the CEO and partner of hospitality interior pioneers Champalimaud Design, has been doing in exploring rural Italy "off the beaten path".

"I love small towns like the picturesque Pienza, in Tuscany's Val d'Orcia, or a stay in the Umbrian countryside: these are places where you can immerse yourself in history and artistic traditions surrounded by natural beauty," he explains.

"A visit to the ceramic museum in Deruta, a little city with Roman roots and a dense Renaissance history, followed by a few nights at the thousand-year-old Castello di Reschio, is a great way to recharge, discover, and reconnect with your inner creative spirit."

Choosing Italy's tucked-away borghi over globally known hotspots like Naples and the Amalfi coast, then, doesn't just allow you to keep away from undesired crowds, but makes for a type of immersion in local culture and traditions you'll remember for years to come.

For Sorrel Ashton, who shares personalized luxury travel advice from her base in Wirral via her namesake agency, Sorrel Travel, as far as anticipated 2026 hotel openings go, the address to check out in Italy is one: Falkensteiner Resort Lake Garda. And I must admit I feel quite humbled to see the place I grew up in featured in this Livingetc's travel trends report 2026.

A quietly luxurious, champagne-tinted oasis of calm by Matteo Thun & Partners, the Falkensteiner Resort Lake Garda, expected spring 2026, "is the ultimate botanophile experience," Ashton tells me.

"There will be 97 rooms and suites plus residences set in a lush botanical park of 400+ native plants. While spa lovers will be delighted by the 5,000-square-meter Acquapura Spa, featuring indoor-outdoor pools, family areas, and an adults‑only rooftop wellness area with panoramic sauna and hammam."

Italy preserves its reputation as one of the leading destinations for mountain lovers, with premium addresses in the Dolomites like Aman Rosa Alpina and Forestis leading the charge in redefining the look and feel of European reports centered on ski.

Botswana — An African Paradise, Up Close

That a handful of African cities, from Lagos in Nigeria and Accra in nearby Ghana to Johannesburg in South Africa and Senegal's Dakar, are currently taking over the arts scene, playing host to some of the world's hottest cultural events and, thus, earning themselves alternative design capital status, is no secret.

But in the thickest reserves of the Mother Continent, too, something is up.

Projected to launch at the end of the year, Singita Elela, the first Botswana stay of award-winning, ecotourism and conservation lodges brand Singita, isn't just one of the most exciting 2026 hotel openings — it's where "awe-inspiring architecture, food, and landscape come together naturally," Villa Maroc and Les Jardins de Villa Maroc's Mounia Ezzaher tells me. "And where luxury feels easy rather than overthought."

Known for its spellbinding wetlands and exclusive safari tours (something specialist tour operator Go2Africa are experts at), "Botswana has been a bucket-list destination for a long time," she explains.

"The fact that Singita Elela has fewer than ten rooms says a lot: it's exactly the kind of scale I’m drawn to — intimate, quiet, and focused on the experience rather than the statement."

Rising from the coruscating waters of the Okavango Delta, the unveiling of Singita Elela is awaited by many, including KABN's Amber and Charlie Teale.

"We've stayed at several Singita properties across Africa, and their hyper-personalized hospitality, obsessive attention to detail, and genuine commitment to conservation and community are on another level," they say.

"We've wanted to visit Botswana for years, so this feels like the perfect excuse."

France — Rustic Charm, Reloaded

With some 50 million tourists visiting Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region each year, the French capital remains one of the most coveted 2026 travel destinations. But the appeal of countryside stays isn't just growing in the UK, where farm hideaways are having a moment, but there, too.

Opening this spring, Château la Commaraine in Pommard, Burgundy, "has undergone a meticulous, multi-year restoration," LHW's Shannon Knapp tells me, and one which brings it back to its 1112 grandeur.

"The 12th-century château retains its historic character throughout, with many of the 37 rooms and suites featuring original white Burgundian stone walls, softened by a restrained, neutral interior palette," she says. "Overlooking nine acres of Premier Cru vineyards in one of France's most celebrated wine regions, the property includes its own working winery, offering access to tastings and historic cellars."

The surrounding landscape, Knapp adds, "lends itself naturally to vineyard routes by bike or car, visits to nearby wine villages and the historic Hospices de Beaune, and exploration of Burgundy’s châteaux, abbeys, and canals."

Travelers searching for a more contemporary alternative will find a notable one in Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, nestled among the trailing vineyards that connect the north-eastern towns of Champillon and Hautvillers.

Set inside a surreally evocative, 19th-century former post house, Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa is the first stay in the region to seek out a non-traditional aesthetic.

Architect Giovanni Pace, who led the building's redesign, mastered a transitional style incorporating period accents like cozy fireplaces and textural wallcoverings with floor-to-wall windows and quietly luxurious decor.

Whether wanting to enjoy a picnic outside, going on an electric bike ride, seeing the world from a hot air balloon flying up high, or taking a boat excursion on the Marne, this and more can be arranged for at Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa.

Still in France, futuristic travel and F&B concept Celeste by Zephalto is warming up the engines for its first stratospheric departure, literally. "Launching from the country later this year, this pressurized capsule, created with architect Joseph Dirand, is pared-back, sculptural, and serene, housing just six guests in three cocoon-like lounges," says Tom Barber of Original Travel.

"The focus," he adds, "is on silence, space, light, and proportion, with the curvature of Earth becoming the ultimate artwork outside the window."

"At altitude, guests dine on refined French cuisine crafted for contemplation rather than spectacle. Gastronomy becomes part of a meditative, almost cosmic experience."

Though, costing 10,000 euros a head, with a required deposit of €36,000 per passenger, this is the sort of "once-in-a-lifetime" journey that comes with a ludicrous price tag. Or shall I say a stellar one?

Japan — Island-Hopping and More

Among the 2026 travel destinations experts predict will be huge, there is, you guessed it right, Japan, which, with its traditional inns-cum-thermal stays (ryokan), storied heritage, and moreish gastronomy, continues to lure globetrotters from all over the world.

While traditional hotspots like Tokyo and Osaka drive much of the interest, bespoke tour operators like Walk Japan, which create one-off itineraries across most Japanese regions with a focus on naturalistic marvels, culinary traditions, as well as arts and crafts, among others, and culture-versed travelers like Champalimaud Design's Ed Bakos remind us there's more.

"One of the destinations on my bucket list is the art islands, specifically Naoshima, to see the works of one of my favorite modern architects, Tadao Ando," he explains, describing his work as both "minimalist and deeply soulful."

While the Land of the Rising Sun can't escape being one of the biggest travel trends 2026 brings us, there are still ways to visit Japan and feel restored by its gently paced rhythm.

For Paul Brackley, the founder and CEO of London's hospitality management company Kinsfolk & Co., "Kyoto represents the pinnacle of slow, intentional travel". "In a world defined by speed and saturation, its reverence for ritual, craftsmanship, and seasonality feels increasingly magnetic," he explains.

"The city rewards patience and repeat visits, revealing itself through subtle shifts — light on temple walls, changing menus, the rhythm of daily life. For me, it carries an added pull: an old friend and hotelier now lives there, offering a rare, insider perspective on the city, and placing Kyoto firmly at the top of my bucket list."

Among his personal favorite sites and activities to catch in town are intimate, ryokan-led stays such as Tawaraya or Nazuna Kyoto, "where hospitality is ritualised", early-morning temple visits at the Kiyomizu-dera or Daitoku-ji temples, and Kaiseki dining at Kikunoi or Hyotei, "where the freshest ingredients are treated as art".

KABN's co-founders Amber and Charlie Teale have another ace up their sleeves. "We recently traveled to Fukuoka and absolutely loved it: as Kyushu's gateway, it's calmer, more grounded, and packed with amazing regional cuisine," they say.

"The Ritz-Carlton Fukuoka anchors the city's luxury scene, plus, Fukuoka hosts one of Japan’s major sumo tournaments, which we were lucky enough to attend during our stay. It offers a rare chance to experience a living tradition in a setting that feels intimate and authentic, and we'd love to go again."

The Moods or 'Moments' Defining Travel This Year

Meaning > Moving

If there's one thing that's going up in travel this year, it's the search for "meaning and not just moving," Original Travel's Tom Barber explains. The greatest aspiration for 2026 is "traveling for purpose, not just for pleasure."

"Clients want to learn something, or experience something that will stay with them and improve them," the mind behind the bespoke itineraries platform says.

Amrita Paul, content manager at Asian destination management company Discova, which curates "purpose-driven journeys that are tailored and culturally immersive all across Asia," agrees.

One of the most influential 2026 travel trends is valuing "cultural immersion over performance — hands-on craft, food, farming, and storytelling activities over staged shows — and deeper connection with locals," she explains.

Need an example? In Trei Nhoar, one of Discova's community experiences, Dining Under the Stars offers guests the warm hospitality of Cambodians in a scenic countryside setting, giving them insight into their daily lives and customs and contributing to sustainable tourism efforts.

Set-Jetting > Jet-Setting

If jet-setting, the global elites' habit of seizing up the world by plane, redefined travel beginning from the 1950s, set-jetting, or the increasingly popular obsession with booking holidays in the cities where your favorite films and TV series have been shot, is heralding a new era of tourism as we speak.

When the fifth season of Emily in Paris landed in the Italian capital and on the small screen last month, interest in the Rome properties listed on the members-only, home-swapping platform Kindred soared by 3,221% among UK Kindred users only, a drastic spike that the rising American company dubbed "the Emily effect".

It is a trend that Original Travel's Tom Barber predicts will see Greece's Peloponnese in the spotlight as the peninsula awaits the release of Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster, inspired by Homer's epic The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Robert Pattinson, and scheduled to launch in July 2026.

Presence > Tick-Box Culture

The future of travel, according to active adventure holiday provider Much Better Adventures's co-founder and CMO, Sam Bruce, who specializes in solo, as well as group, 'micro expeditions across the world, "favors fewer boxes ticked and more moments in the present".

"Slower, more carefully researched trips that avoid 'tick-list' travel are much better," Sorrel Travel's Sorrel Ashton weighs in, "as they take travelers away from tourist hotspots in peak seasons, which are often not as enjoyable as people think due to overcrowding."

But what does that look like put into practice?

"The focus is moving away from headline-driven gimmicks and toward moments that feel unique and personal," she explains.

"Luxury clients are increasingly drawn to story-rich experiences — after-hours access to museums, sunrise yoga in a vineyard, or private workshops with artisans and chefs — where the experience feels intimate, the kind of talking point that wows guests at a dinner party."

In other cases, presence-driven travel is all about paying greater importance to the journey itself, like in the case of Belmond's lavish British Pullman.

"A restored Art Deco 1920s train with individually named carriages, with its focus on heritage design and craftsmanship, the British Pullman elevates rail travel into a fully immersive experience," says Kinsfolk & Co.'s Paul Brackley.

Away < At Home

Are luxury apartments the new hotels? This is a question that's been bugging me for a while now, as more and more travelers opt for self-catered stays when traveling around their country or abroad, leading to the rise of style-driven, boutique Airbnb alternatives like Plum Guide, Onefinestay, Boutique Homes, and Welcome Beyond.

It is a mindset shift that, I believe, was accelerated by the post-pandemic period, where the services traditionally associated with hotels began to lose traction in favor of more self-paced, independent city experiences. Designers seem to agree.

"Hospitality in 2026 is increasingly embracing a residential sensibility, blending the comfort and familiarity of home with the care and scale of hospitality," the co-founders of NYC studio Meyer Davis, Will Meyer and Gray Davis, tell me.

Today, design doesn't exist in an echo chamber, but "is used to translate local culture into lived experiences, where interiors, food, art, and programming work together around a clear point of view."

To put it in the words of Kinsfolk & Co.'s Paul Brackley, who's about to unveil The Newman, a bohemian, vibrant boutique hotel coming to London's Fitzrovia this February, "luxury is no longer loud or excessive; it's quiet, thoughtful and rooted."

Planet > Me

That the travel industry still needs to go a long way to ensure worldwide leisure doesn't come at the expense of the natural landscapes that welcome visitors, and the communities that inhabit them, is undisputed.

Travelers might not be all saints, Discova's Amrita Paul laughs, but with a few action points in mind, we can contribute to a world where they can continue explore in harmony with nature.

And so it's up with "longer stays in fewer destinations, community-led tourism models, circular economies that keep tourism spend local, and properties and experiences that respect the environment and culture".

As for the no-gos this travel trends 2026 report wants you to bid farewell to starting today, these are "hyper-short long-haul breaks, overcrowding in already stressed cities, performative sustainability and green-washing without impact, and wasteful F&B and hotel practices that ignore local supply chains."

Suggested Reading

Livingetc's travel trends report 2026 is an invitation to discover more. And what better way to do that than revisiting some of our favorite trip-inspired profiles and destination features from the past few months? Find them all below.

• He's the Creative Director Behind Some of the World's Most Exclusive Hotels — His Travel Non-Negotiables Are Your Cheat Sheet to Looking Sleek on Your Winter Escapes

• I Spent My Weekend Digitally Detoxing at This 'Unplugged' Cabin, And Here's Why I'm Recommending it to Every Doomscroller I Know

• 5 Lessons in Minimalist Country Interiors From Somerset's Coolest Farm-to-Table Restaurant — A 16th-Century Inn Reborn as a Bathed-in-Sunshine, Characterful Hideout

• Forget Airport Stress — These 5 Charming UK 'Staycations' Boost the Style Credentials to Level Up Your Winter Break, Flight-Free

• The Best Ski Resort Hotels in Europe — 10 Stays to Know if You Think Inspiring Design Is a Non-Negotiable, Even on the Slopes

Can't get enough of our expert-led predictions on the biggest 2026 travel trends? Keep up to date on all the coolest holiday haunts with our curated guides, The Weekend Itinerary and Hidden Trails.