Each year, Expedia Group forecasts travel trends and observes those from the previous year with an annual report. In 2026, all trends indicate travelers are looking to have an “experience” rather than just a trip or vacation. A more distinct framing of types of travelers continues to deepen its hold on young travelers, who are often motivated by social media to communicate what kind of person they are via their travel choices.
Destinations trending right now according to the Expedia app and website’s real-time search data show that travelers are taking the roads less traveled by opting for cities and destinations that haven’t yet succumbed to the woes of mass tourism. Travelers don’t just want to go to Paris or Hawaii anymore, they want to have less stereotypical travel stories to share.
Widely searched destinations include Big Sky, Montana; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Phu Quoc, Vietnam; Savoie, France; Cotswold, U.K.
Another Expedia Group subsidiary, Hotels.com finds that travelers are also hoping to apply this new niche travel philosophy to their lodgings, booking hotels, inns. and guesthouses with more character. Small business bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, and woodsy retreats are replacing cookie cutter rooms at corporate hotels. Expedia Group calls these “Salvaged Stays.”
Stats also show that travelers are booking multiple lodgings in the same destination, hoping to see different sides of a city. This trend of “hotel hopping,” has been observed on Hotels.com.
Also becoming popular are slowed down vacation retreats in which travelers are hunkering down to read books and pursue hobbies in quiet relaxed destinations, or what Unpack ‘26 calls “Readaways.” Similarly, some travelers are engaging with the increasingly popular slow travel trend, by traveling to farms. Expedia Group reports 84% of respondents indicated interest in staying on or near a farm.
