How Travel Will Look in 2026 (National Geographic Traveller)

How travel will look in 2026—here's what you need to know

A retro revival, ‘ticket travel’, indigenous firsts — these are among the key trends and developments set to influence the year ahead.

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

This year is shaping up to be one of travel niches. Night owls will be embracing their dark sides and teetotallers will be enjoying juice pairings, while literary types will be looking to plan bookish getaways and runners will start lacing up in new surroundings. Meanwhile, all-inclusives are making a comeback (with a difference), and more of us are set to experience life on the farm. Plus, AI — and bot booking agents— will continue to transform the way we travel. These are the latest trends set to shape how we see the world.

Noctourism

For night owls, travel has never been more exciting. ‘Noctourism’, or nocturnal tourism, is booming, covering everything from stargazing and night-time safaris to after-dark city tours and museum lates. Market research specialist FMI predicts this sector will more than double in the next 10 years, transforming into an industry worth £18 million by 2035. The reason? Alongside overtourism, it’s likely rising temperatures, according to Booking.com — it found 61% of people are choosing nighttime activities while travelling to avoid the heat of the day. “I travelled to Japan in August and found the 40 °C temperatures unbearable,” says Margaret Abigail, a 34-year-old project manager from Kent. “So instead of exploring Kyoto’s geisha district in the middle of the day, when it was also at its busiest, I went when it cooled down after dark and had it practically to myself.”

(Spotlight: What is noctourism—and why is it on the rise?)

Retro revival

Anything new is old news — instead, all things retro are trending. In summer 2025, iconic American airline Pan Am was resuscitated with a one-off flight — the first in over 30 years — and the journey sold out in just three days despite a whopping $59,950 (£45,500) price tag. Meanwhile, historic ‘Mother Road’ Route 66 is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2026, spurring a mammoth renovation of its historic roadside attractions — with Oklahoma even creating a dedicated neon grant to help businesses along the route restore their vintage signage.

(Visit America’s historic love motels before it’s too late.)

Going all-in

Club Med opened as the world’s first all-inclusive back in 1950. Fast forward 75 years and all-inclusives have become one of the most popular ways to travel. In summer 2025, 45% of holidays booked through Advantage Travel Partnership were all-inclusive, up from the previous year, with convenience and value behind the growing demand. But the experience has changed, too — more hotels are upgrading what they offer to give a more authentic stay. For example, Sensoria in the Dolomites is increasingly keeping things hyper-local. “On a recent trip to Sensoria, I liked that the hotel highlighted small, regional producers despite being all-inclusive,” says Willow Tunnicliffe, an events coordinator from Yorkshire. “Even the yeast for the house-made bread came via the chef’s Italian grandmother.”

Novel concepts

Books have provided travel inspiration for centuries, whether that’s for Jane Austen’s Bath, Gerald Durrell’s Corfu or even Bram Stoker’s Transylvania. And now, literary travel is on the rise, in part thanks to social media and a growing movement to reject digital screens. Recent research from online accommodation marketplace Vrbo has found a 265% increase in Pinterest searches for ‘book club retreat ideas’. Skyscanner has also revealed 32% of travellers are interested in visiting a destination namechecked in a book, and 18% are keen to stay in book-themed accommodation. “With 85% of book-buyers reading to ‘relax or escape’, it’s no surprise that reading is a source of wanderlust,” says Rebecca Sinclair, chief brand officer at Penguin Books UK.

(Read: Why Edinburgh is Europe's ultimate escape for book-lovers.)

Gen Z at sea

Cruise passengers are getting younger. In 2019, the average age of UK cruise passengers was 57, according to the industry association CLIA. By 2024, it had fallen to 54.3. Cruise lines have worked hard for it, increasingly offering experiences aimed at younger generations. Roller coasters and Broadway-style theatre shows have been introduced for Royal Caribbean passengers. Meanwhile, Virgin Voyages now offers late-night parties and even has a tattoo parlour in a bid to attract a younger crowd.

(Report: How Gen Z is making cruising cool again)

Niche retreats

Whether it’s a menopause break at Combe Grove in Bath or an active Dartmoor weekend for the bereaved with the Good Grief Project, travel is becoming increasingly personalised. “Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all holiday,” says Josh Dickson of Resurface. “Travel is becoming precision-focused on who we are [and] travellers now seek experiences that actively improve their mental health.” His company runs retreats that combine surfing with one-to-one therapy to help address past traumas and burnout. Elsewhere, there are breaks designed to help people deal with life-changing events such as divorce or becoming a new parent — meeting their needs but also offering something meaningful to learn or do.

Running starts

According to Sport England, the number of people taking part in physical activity has never been higher — and interest in active breaks is also sky-rocketing. In particular, more people are lacing up their running shoes. As a result, a trend has emerged: the ‘runcation’. Research from Airbnb and Strava suggests that 74% of Gen Zers are seeking a rural ‘runcation’ with scenic countryside trails. Tour operators have responded, including 18-to-35-year-old specialist Contiki, which has created new running breaks. “Bookings on our active itineraries surged 105% from 2023 to 2024, with group runs emerging as trip highlights,” says Contiki chief marketing officer, Lottie Norman.

(Runs worth travelling for—7 scenic routes to try.)

Indigenous firsts

Indigenous tourism worldwide is already a £35.5 billion industry — and 2026 is set to be a bumper year for new experiences, with Australia and Canada leading the way. In Australia’s Northern Territory, a partnership between the Anangu people and the Tasmanian Walking Company is set to enable visitors to stay overnight in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park for the first time. Over in Queensland, the new Eastern Kuku Yalanji Bamanga Muruku Tourism Hub will showcase Eastern Kuku Yalanji culture in Daintree National Park. Meanwhile in Canada, Quebec has just created Nibiischii Park — the first national park to be managed by a First Nation, the Cree Nation of Mistissini.

(Indigenous tourism is thriving in Canada—here’s why.)

Pastures new

With the movement to reject digital screens ongoing, travellers are becoming increasingly green-fingered. Research by Vrbo has found that agrotourism is getting more popular, with interest in staying on or near a farm up 84% year-on-year, and guest reviews mentioning farm experiences up 300%. But agrotourism these days has matured to offer a number of different experiences. The Farmer’s Arms in the Lake District, for example, runs an annual gardening school, while at Mantel Farm in East Sussex, guests can learn what it takes to become a beekeeper.

Hot tickets

The FIFA World Cup, Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and the Commonwealth Games are all taking place in 2026, making it a huge year for international sports. But these aren’t the only sporting experiences that are attracting travellers. Increasingly, sports are being used to authentically connect with local culture, whether it’s by watching sumo wrestling in Japan or Muay Thai boxing in Thailand. According to Expedia, 57% of travellers are likely to watch a local sport while away.

Latin fever

The cloud forests of Costa Rica have long been Central America’s biggest calling card, but travellers in 2026 are looking to branch out into exploring other parts of the region. El Salvador, home to colourful villages and world-class surfing, is leading the tourism charge, with visitor numbers growing by 81% since 2019, according to data from UN Tourism. Guatemalais also up 33% over the same period, while the number of visitors to Panama has increased by 17%.

Sober surges

Today, around a fifth of UK adults abstain from drinking alcohol, according to the charity Alcohol Change, and the percentage is increasing among younger demographics. In response to these changing habits, more providers are offering sober options. For example, Pattingham Vineyard in Staffordshire has introduced an alcohol-free version of its tour, where visitors get to learn about wine-making but finish with a round of soft drinks instead, while the two Michelin-starred Restaurant Flore in Amsterdam offers juice pairings instead of wine. Dedicated sober tour operators have also burst onto the scene, including We Love Lucid and Hooked.

(A sober tour of New York City, 90 years after the end of Prohibition.)

Published in the Jan/Feb 2026 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).