Travel Trends 2026: 10 Game-Changing Ways We’ll Travel Next

Travel is changing… and if you’ve felt that pull towards slower, more meaningful adventures, you’re not alone. The way we travel in 2026 looks very different to the whirlwind, checklist-style trips of the past. Travellers are craving depth over speed, intention over excess, and experiences that actually enhance their lives.

In this episode of the Tourist to Traveller Podcast, I explore the 10 biggest travel trends shaping 2026, from iconic road trips and underrated destinations to off-grid escapes, wellness travel, AI trip planning and the rise of overwater villas beyond the Maldives.

It’s about understanding where travel is heading, and how you can use these shifts to plan smarter, more fulfilling bucket list adventures… even with limited time and annual leave.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Global travel trends shaping 2026
• Why slow travel and road trips are having a major comeback
• How eco and regenerative travel are becoming non-negotiable
• How AI is changing the way we plan and experience trips
• New destinations offering overwater villas beyond the Maldives

Helpful Resources & Links

• Blog: Why Everyone Should Do a Yearly Off-Grid Tiny House Stay (And How to Plan Yours)
• Blog: The Future of Travel AI Is Here: How AI Is Revolutionising the Way We Plan, Book & Experience the World

Until next time, go beyond the tourist track and level up your travel experiences. 

Connect & Explore

Find destination guides, travel planning resources and more at touristtotraveller.com, and follow along on Instagram @_touristtotraveller for behind-the-scenes planning and future travel inspiration. 

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Welcome to the Tourist to Traveller Podcast, the show that helps you go beyond the guidebook and turn your bucket list dreams into real adventures. I'm Tahnee, a travel blogger, podcaster, and everyday explorer who's been ticking off epic destinations for over 20 years while balancing a 9 to 5. Each week I'll bring you inspiring stories, destination deep dives, and practical tips to help you plan smarter, travel deeper, and capture those unforgettable moments along the way. So, grab your passport, pack your curiosity, and let's get started. If you've been feeling like travel is changing, you're not imagining it. 2026 is shaping up to be a huge year for more intentional, experience-driven travel. We're seeing a shift away from ticking boxes and rushing through destinations and a move towards slower journeys, underrated places, off-grid escapes, and travel that actually enhances your life, not exhausts it. In today's episode, I'm breaking down 10 major travel trends shaping 2026, what they mean for real travelers like you and me, and how you can use these trends to plan smarter, more meaningful bucket list adventures, even if you're juggling a nine to five. Let's dive in. There are a couple of key influences on the 2026 trends. Now, travel is still going strong. And now that we're a couple of years post-pandemic, people are absolutely looking to travel more. At the same time, we've got cost of living pressures that are rising. We've got people who have gone back into stressful jobs. We also have uh social media influencing the way we travel and where we travel. Booking platforms consistently report travellers are prioritising longer stays, unique accommodation and experience travel, and wellness and sustainable tourism sectors are growing faster than traditional tourism categories. So let's take a look at 10 of the top trends. Trend number one is the iconic road trip. Yes, road trips are back. The great thing about a road trip is that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Road trips are becoming more popular because you get to travel slower and enjoy things along the way. And there are some epic road trips around the world that have a lot of hype for good reason, such as the ring road in Iceland, uh, Islands Wild Atlantic Way, Route 66 in the USA, the Pacific Coast Highway, also USA. If we head over to New Zealand, we've got the South Island Coastal Drives, South Africa has the Garden Route, and I have to give some shout-outs to our local Australian route, such as the Great Ocean Road, and also Western Australia's South Coast. One of the great things about a road trip is all of the great stories that come out of it. And one of my top tips for road trips is to curate a playlist, one that you will play on repeat that really sets the vibe for your trip. But also when you hear those songs afterwards, days, weeks, months, even years down the track, you think back on that road trip and the great memories and the great stories, the experiences that you really got to have. Trend number two is slow travel. Think fewer destinations but deeper experiences. Really learning to take your time. So rather than going to a destination and trying to tick a whole heap of things off a list, here is an opportunity to really slow down and just experience being in a destination. So this can look like uh days that are unplanned, days where you might just be sitting around taking in the world around you. This could also look like renting an apartment as opposed to a hotel room so that you can go to the supermarket and shop and cook and experience local cafes and check out the local library and basically feel like you are living like a local. This is also a great trend that appeals to people who are really busy in their nine to five, where you know you you're quite busy if you're quite overwhelmed in your job, and then you go on a holiday where you're you're running from place to place, you're ticking things off a list. It doesn't really feel like a holiday and it doesn't give you the opportunity to slow down uh and actually reset so that you can come back feeling refreshed. And slow travel really does that for you. Longer stays are increasing across Europe and Asia, especially in rural areas, and I hear lately about so many people, particularly going to Italy for a few weeks to a month, going to a regional area, setting up there, uh, and just experiencing what it would be like to live as a local. Slow travel really gives you the opportunity to shift from tourist to traveler. Trend number three is eco and regenerative travel. We're becoming a lot more conscious about the choices that we make, not just at home, but also while we travel. And there are so many different options out there right now where we can make smarter choices and make choices that are better for the environment. So eco travel is no longer classified as niche or hippie, and travelers are wondering where does my money go? So typically this will look like supporting local guides, choosing community-owned stays, wildlife conservation, and at the very least making decisions that are not going to have a negative impact in those areas. So, some examples here could be eco-lodges, reef safe tourism, choosing plastic-free properties, carbon-aware itineraries, and then avoiding things such as animal tourism. A great example of this is that in 2025 I went to Palau in Micronesia. And in Palau, they have the Palau Pledge, which you actually need to sign as you go into the country. It's essentially you agreeing to protect their environment while you're staying within their country. And then on top of that, there are different fees that you need to pay for visiting different areas, such as going out to the Rock Islands, and those are used to also give back and to protect their environment. Also, in Palau, you can only use reef safe sunscreen. Any other sunscreen is banned from use in the country. So eco and regenerative travel is definitely on the rise. Trend number four is underrated destinations. This has really come about from over-tourism. We've all gone to a destination where you want to see a beautiful, stunning site, but you've got hundreds or thousands of tourists who are in front of you in your photo, and it's so frustrating. But then at the same time, you are one of those tourists that are contributing to the problem. So over-tourism isn't just bad for your experience, it's also not good for locals within that destination. And we've really saw that recently with locals in Spain pushing back against over-tourism. Now, I was in Spain about a month before those protests happened. And I get it. I 100% get it. It's a beautiful country, but my biggest frustration was how busy it was, and it was so much busier than I had ever anticipated. Underrated destinations are a great opportunity to travel without the crowds. And also, curiosity is leading to people getting a little bit more adventurous and exploring areas that aren't necessarily on everyone's bucket list. And this is where social media also plays a positive role because it helps you to see and gain exposure to destinations that you might not have seen before. Once again, Palau is a really great example of this. When I traveled to Palau, people, almost everyone that I spoke to said, What's Palau? Where's Palau? How did you even know that that existed? And I knew because of a post that I saw on Instagram of the Rock Islands, and I thought it was absolutely stunning, and I had to find out what that place was and add it to my bucket list. Underrated destinations is where you can still get great value but also authenticity. Some other great examples of underrated destinations are Vanuatu in the South Pacific, the more regional areas of Japan, secondary cities in Europe, and less visited African and Middle Eastern destinations such as Oman. As an early adopter to some of these destinations, you are rewarded with an experience that you might not be able to get in 5, 10, 15 years' time in the same destination. So, in a nutshell, look beyond the touristy hotspots. Trend number five, train travel is making a comeback. And I'm talking about long overnight train travel. There's something about a long-distance train that is somewhat romantic and sophisticated, especially when it's done well. Sleeper trains with scenic routes are booming. And train travel is part of the experience. It's not just the transportation to get there. Some areas that are really leading here with train travel is Europe, Japan, and parts of Africa. There are also some fantastic long-distance train journeys in Australia. Now, this is not a public transport train where you were jammed in with hundreds of other people. And look, these long-distance train journeys absolutely do exist around the world, but this is not what's trending. I'm talking about trains that are beautiful, that are classy, trains that have restaurants and bars and beautiful cabins where you can have a shower and you can chill out and you can meet other people whilst seeing some incredible scenery along the way. And one of the reasons while rail travel is in demand and growing at the moment is because people are looking for lower carbon alternatives to flying, which once again starts to tie into our eco travel. Trend number six is TV and filmed inspired travel. You know what? I'm forever jealous of TV stars and movie stars, not because of the fame or fortune, but because of the incredible destinations that they get to travel to and work in. And there are shows at the moment like White Lotus that are highlighting different areas and different resorts around the world that are inspiring people to travel there to experience the destination and have the iconic White Lotus experience. Film locations, including iconic sites and resorts, are becoming bucket list stops on people's travels. Second to White Lotus would be Game of Thrones destinations, and they are incredible. So I'm curious, where do you want to go? Because you've seen it on one of your favorite TV shows or films. Trend number seven is off-grid escapes and digital detox travel, and this is one of my absolute personal favorites. This year, people have never been so stressed or tired or overwhelmed, and the and there is a real appeal to disconnecting to reconnect. For many people, an off-grid stay is over a long weekend in a tiny house or the cliched cabin in the woods. It's a few days where you get to escape your life, escape all of the social media platforms, turn off your phone, forget about your inbox, and reconnect with nature. With the rise of burnout and nervous system overload, off-crids days can feel so healing. And just two to three nights offline can really reset your system. Personally, I plan at least one off-crids day per year. And let's face it, one typically turns into two or three. I love to pick a tiny house that has little to no mobile reception where I cannot see another house or road or human being. It's just me, the nature, and the wildlife. I especially love the scenic rim region or the Sunshine Coast Hinterland or the South Burnett area in Queensland, Australia. Because there are so many tiny house options, but also you've got really beautiful scenery. I'll typically drive on a Friday after work, I'll stop in at the grocery store to stock up for my weekend, and then head out to my tiny house. For me, it's a very wholesome experience. I would typically cook every meal. Have a glass of two of red wine by the fire. I'll watch the stars at night and I'll wake up with the sun. And if you haven't done an off-grid stay, I highly recommend it. I actually wrote a blog post on why everyone should do a yearly off-grid tiny house day, and I'll put a link to it in the show notes. Trend number eight is wellness travel. We are really looking to nurture our nervous system in 2026. And there is a rise at the moment in wellness hotels and resorts. Previously, wellness travel might have been associated with the day spa or a yoga retreat. And look, those things can still absolutely be wellness. But in 2026, there are so many other options that fit into that wellness category, such as Nordic sauna experiences that have epic views. Hot cold therapy, nature-based wellness stays, um, off-grid stays can also fall under the wellness category. And wellness tourism is one of the fastest growing travel sectors globally. Trend number nine is AI travel planning. Yes, that means using platforms such as ChatGPT to help you to plan your travels. This is where you can actually save yourself a lot of time and money using AI with the right prompt. It is really important, however, to understand that platforms such as ChatGPT can never replace real-world knowledge or travel agents. And you should always thoroughly research your destination to make sure information is correct and not simply rely on what it's telling you. So, how can AI help you with your travel planning? By letting AI know who you are and how you like to travel, it can suggest travel destinations, it can suggest itineraries, tours, it can help you find flights, deals, the best times to travel. It can help you to plan your annual leave days around the public holidays in your home country or state. I've used this a lot recently, especially with road trip planning. I'm trying to plan a whole heap of different towns, sites, tours, but I don't have the local knowledge. And I used this especially in 2025 when I traveled to Spain. I was doing a road trip with my sister in the south of Spain. We knew exactly where we wanted to go. We knew some of the locations that we wanted to see or some of the sites that we wanted to see there, but we were a bit stuck on how to pull it all together. Where should we start? Where should we go next? Where should we end? In which destinations was the best to hire a driver versus use public transport versus hire a car. It was really confusing, and AI really helped with that. As I mentioned, you have to check everything to make sure it's right. Don't simply rely on AI, and it definitely gave us some information that was either incorrect or just not right for us. But it's a really good start to help you with your travels. I recently created a blog post that includes ChatGPT prompts on the future of travel AI is here. I will add a link in the show notes. So if you're looking for exact prompts that I use in ChatGPT, head to the blog and try it out for yourself. And we finally reached trend number 10. When you think overwater villa, you're typically thinking Maldives, Tahiti, even Bora Bora. They're stunning bucket list destinations, but they're also really expensive. And there's a big rise in resorts and accommodation being developed with overwater villas elsewhere around the world in areas that are just as stunning but so much more affordable. So travelers want to have the classic overwater experience, but at a more affordable cost. Some great examples here are Malaysia, Palau, Vanuatu, and did you know that there are overwater villas even in Saudi Arabia? So think classic overwater villa experience without the price tag and without the crowds. So it's the same wow factor, different story. So keep an eye out for overwater villas that might be popping up in some of the other destinations that you're looking to travel to around the world. So those are 10 travel trends for 2026. Boy, that is a tongue twister. So you don't need to follow every trend. Choose the trends that align best with your values, your energy, your lifestyle, your vibe, and see what is going to be the right fit for you because travel in 2026 is more about intention than excess. If this episode has sparked ideas for future trips, I'd love you to take one thing from today and ask yourself, how do I want travel to feel in the next chapter of my life? I've linked the blog post we talked about in today's episode in the show notes. And if you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who's dreaming about their next adventure. So until next time, travel deeper, travel smarter, and go ahead and book your 2026 travel. Thanks for tuning in to the Tourist to Traveller Podcast. I hope today's episode has inspired you to travel more authentically and plan your next adventure with confidence. Don't forget to head to touristtotraveller.com for today's show notes, resources, and free guides to help you plan like a pro. And if you love this episode, please hit subscribe and leave a review. It helps more travelers like you discover the show. Until our next adventure. Go beyond the tourist track and level up your travel experiences.