Trending Destinations Right Now
The Best Travel Destinations for 2026 — What's Trending and Where to Book Now
Every year, the data tells a story about where the world wants to go next — and 2026's story is one of the most interesting in years. Travelers are moving away from the most overcrowded destinations and toward places that offer depth, authenticity, and beauty without the August chaos of the most obvious choices. Eastern European cities are surging. The Greek mainland is having its biggest moment in decades. New Zealand is the fastest-rising trending city destination in the world. Sardinia is drawing people who've done the Amalfi Coast and want something equally beautiful but still their own. And the phenomenon of set-jetting — booking a trip based on where a film or TV show was shot — is now an $8 billion industry that is reshaping the travel map in real time.
This guide draws on data from Expedia's Unpack '26 report (24,000 travelers across 18 countries), Tripadvisor's 2026 Travellers' Choice Trending Destinations, Google Travel Trends, Kayak's 2026 travel forecast, and eDreams ODIGEO's booking data to tell you where the world is going in 2026 — and where the best trips still exist before the surge catches up with them.
2026 Travel Trends — The Data in Brief
- Tripadvisor #1 Madeira, Portugal — top trending destination worldwide for 2026
- Expedia Top 3 Sardinia (+63%), New Zealand (+71–200%), Greek Peloponnese (set-jetting)
- Kayak US Data Prague +180%, Sofia +136%, Krakow +106%, Albania +65%, Jordan +50%
- eDreams Most-Booked Bangkok, Paris, Rio de Janeiro — top three globally booked cities
- Set-Jetting 2026 Peloponnese (The Odyssey), French Riviera (White Lotus S4), Yorkshire, Croatia
- Google Trends "Beach clubs Mallorca" breakout search; Christchurch NZ +200% vs 2025
- Big Picture 21.7 million Americans expected to cruise in 2026; AI travel planning up 350%
Greece & the Peloponnese — the Biggest Story in 2026 Travel
Greece · Expedia Set-Jetting Forecast & Condé Nast Top Pick · Trending: Peloponnese
Expedia 2026 Set-Jetting Forecast — #1 European Destination
Greece in 2026 has a specific and time-sensitive reason to be at the top of every travel list. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey — shot entirely on IMAX film cameras across the Peloponnese coastline of Messinia — opened in cinemas on July 17, 2026. The set-jetting data is unambiguous: 81% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers now plan holidays around film and TV locations, and every documented post-release pattern from prior surges shows search volumes for a destination spike sharply in the weeks immediately following a major release. The Peloponnese — already named Condé Nast Traveler's top European destination for 2026 before the film opened — is now experiencing the convergence of editorial momentum and cinema-driven demand that makes it the single most talked-about travel destination in Europe right now.
The Peloponnese deserves the attention entirely on its own terms. The region contains Nafplio — widely considered the most beautiful small city in Greece, with a Venetian waterfront, a Byzantine castle above it, and a quality of evening light that photographers specifically travel to capture. The ancient theatre at Epidavros has acoustics so precise you can hear a pin drop from the back row and still hosts live performances each summer. Mycenae, where Agamemnon's death mask was discovered, is one of the most compelling Bronze Age archaeological sites in Europe. The wild Mani peninsula — stone tower villages, dramatic coastline, a fierce independent spirit — is unlike anywhere else in Greece. Costa Navarino, the luxury resort complex in Messinia where Nolan's crew based their Peloponnese shoot, is one of the finest resort destinations in the Mediterranean.
The Islands Are Still Exceptional
Beyond the mainland, the Greek islands remain in strong form. Santorini and Mykonos are as extraordinary as ever. Milos — flagged by multiple 2026 trend reports for its volcanic landscape and 70+ beaches — is the rising star of the Cyclades. Naxos continues to offer the finest value in the archipelago. And Crete, as European Region of Gastronomy 2026, is the outstanding choice for travelers who want the complete Greek experience: ancient history, extraordinary food, and beaches that rival anything in the Mediterranean.
Discovery Escapes Tour · Greece
Greece Island Hopping — Athens, Santorini, Mykonos & Naxos
Athens guided city tour (Acropolis, Parthenon, historic Plaka), ferry to Santorini (caldera walk, wine tasting, Akrotiri ruins), Mykonos (Chora, Little Venice, Delos day trip), Naxos (Portara, mountain villages, local food). 4-star boutique hotels, local expert guides, all ferries included. Fully customisable — add the Peloponnese, extend to Crete, swap islands.
From €1,999 per person€100 deposit to secure · Free date changes · Add Peloponnese or Crete
View Greece ToursThe French Riviera — White Lotus Season 4 & the Côte d'Azur Moment
France · Expedia Set-Jetting Forecast · White Lotus Season 4 filming now
Expedia Set-Jetting 2026 — French Riviera: White Lotus S4
HBO confirmed it: White Lotus Season 4 is filming across Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Monaco, and Paris, with the story set during the Cannes Film Festival. Production began April 15 and runs through October. The two hotels at the centre of the shoot are the Airelles Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez — reimagined on screen as the White Lotus du Cap — and the 1929 Art Deco landmark Hôtel Martinez in Cannes, appearing as the White Lotus Cannes. Every prior season of White Lotus has produced a measurable surge in travel bookings to the filming location. Sicily after Season 2. Thailand after Season 3. The French Riviera is next.
The Côte d'Azur doesn't need a television series to justify itself — Nice, Antibes, the Îles de Lérins off Cannes, the clifftop village of Èze, Monaco's extraordinary concentration of extravagance in three square kilometres — but the White Lotus effect is real and it is coming. The travelers who benefit most from set-jetting trends are those who book before the surge rather than after it. The Rome to Nice and Barcelona tour places two nights in Nice — with the Monaco and Èze day trip — in the heart of a nine-day Mediterranean arc. It is the most natural and elegant way to experience the Riviera as part of a larger trip rather than as a standalone booking at inflated season rates.
"The French Riviera has always been beautiful. In 2026, the whole world is suddenly remembering it at once. The time to go is now."
Discovery Escapes Tour
Rome to Nice & Barcelona — 9 Days
Rome (Colosseum, Vatican, Roman Forum), Florence (Duomo, Ponte Vecchio), Cinque Terre (guided day tour with boat cruise option), Nice (Old Town, Promenade des Anglais), Monaco and Èze day trip, Barcelona (Gothic Quarter, Sagrada Família). 4-star hotels, skip-the-line guided tours, all trains and Nice–Barcelona flight included.
€2,799 From €2,199 per person€100 deposit to secure · Free date changes · Fully customisable
View Tour & BookNew Zealand — the World's Fastest-Rising Destination
New Zealand · Christchurch +200% search interest vs 2025 · Google Trends #1 Trending City
Google Trends 2026 — Christchurch NZ: +200% vs 2025
Christchurch, New Zealand tops the list of trending cities globally for 2026 travel, with search interest up nearly 200% compared to 2025. The driver is partly Avatar: Fire & Ice — Expedia's Set-Jetting Forecast lists Wellington, New Zealand as a 2026 cinematic destination — and partly a broader rediscovery of New Zealand as a travel destination that offers the kind of dramatic, diverse, unspoiled landscape that is becoming increasingly rare. Fiordland and Milford Sound. Aoraki/Mount Cook and the Southern Alps. Queenstown's combination of alpine adventure and genuine sophistication. Lake Tekapo, where the night sky is so dark it's been classified as a UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve.
New Zealand pairs naturally with Australia on a single long-haul itinerary — the flight across the Tasman is one hour and the contrast between the two countries is remarkable: Australia's scale and heat and reef against New Zealand's compactness and green and fjord. The Australia and New Zealand Highlights tour covers Melbourne, Uluru, Cairns (Great Barrier Reef), Sydney, Christchurch, and Queenstown in 12 days. It is, by the reviews of those who've done it, one of the most consistently extraordinary trips in the Discovery Escapes range — and it covers both the #1 trending city destination globally (Christchurch) and the Great Barrier Reef, which has its own separate resurgence of interest driven by climate-aware travelers who want to see it while it's still fully intact.
Discovery Escapes Tour · 14 Reviews · ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8
Australia & New Zealand Highlights — 12 Days
Melbourne & Great Ocean Road (Twelve Apostles, wild koalas), Uluru sunset tour & outback BBQ dinner, Cairns Great Barrier Reef full-day cruise, Sydney sightseeing (Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Bondi), Christchurch & Southern Alps tour (Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo), Queenstown Skyline Gondola & Milford Sound cruise. 5-star hotels in Australia, 4-star in NZ. Fully customisable.
€4,499 €4,299 per person€100 deposit · Free date changes · Add Auckland or Fiji extension
View Tour & BookSardinia — Italy's Breakout Destination
Italy · Expedia Unpack '26 · +63% Search Interest vs 2025
Expedia Unpack '26 — Sardinia: +63% search growth
Sardinia ranks third globally in Expedia's Unpack '26 trending destinations — search interest up 63% year-on-year — and the appeal is exactly what experienced Italy travelers have been saying for a decade: the island offers the best of the Mediterranean without the crowds and prices of the Amalfi Coast or the tourist saturation of the Cinque Terre. The water is extraordinary. The Costa Smeralda in the north has some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. The food — fresh seafood, bottarga, Cannonau wine, the extraordinary pane carasau flatbread — is distinct from mainland Italian cuisine in ways that reward attention. And the nuraghe — the mysterious Bronze Age stone towers found only in Sardinia, built without mortar and still standing after 3,500 years — give the island an archaeological depth that most visitors never expect.
Sardinia is most naturally visited as part of an Italian itinerary — a fly-in to Cagliari or Olbia and a few days on the island, combined with Rome, Amalfi, and Sicily for a southern Italian circuit that covers the finest and most varied version of the country. Every Discovery Escapes Italy custom tour can include a Sardinia extension. It is the kind of place most people discover once and immediately start planning to return to.
05Madeira — Tripadvisor's #1 Trending Destination in the World
Portugal · Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice 2026 · World's Top Trending Destination
Tripadvisor 2026 — Madeira: World's #1 Trending Destination
Tripadvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards for 2026 name Madeira the single most trending destination on earth — and the community of travelers who've been there in the past five years will not be surprised. The Portuguese archipelago, 900km southwest of Lisbon in the Atlantic, offers something that is increasingly difficult to find: a warm, dramatically beautiful destination with year-round mild weather, extraordinary hiking, excellent food and wine, and an atmosphere that is genuinely its own rather than a version of somewhere more famous. The Levadas — ancient irrigation channels that run along the cliffs and through the laurisilva forests, forming one of the finest walking networks in Europe — are unlike anything else in the world. Funchal's covered market, the Mercado dos Lavradores, is one of the most beautiful market buildings in Portugal. The black sand beaches of the north coast and the natural sea pools of Porto Moniz are extraordinary.
Madeira pairs naturally with mainland Portugal as part of a Portugal custom itinerary — Lisbon, the Douro Valley, Porto, and a flight out to Madeira for the final few nights. The combination of Atlantic island and continental Portugal is one of the finest travel itineraries available for those who want beauty, food, culture, and warmth in a single trip. Discovery Escapes Portugal tours can include a Madeira extension on request.
"Madeira is the destination that every experienced traveler recommends to people who ask where to go next when they've run out of ideas. There is always somewhere left. This is one of the finest ones."06
Eastern Europe — Prague, Krakow & Sofia Are Having Their Moment
Central & Eastern Europe · Kayak 2026 Data · Prague +180%, Sofia +136%, Krakow +106%
Kayak 2026 — Prague: +180% · Sofia: +136% · Krakow: +106% US search growth
The Kayak 2026 travel forecast is unambiguous about the direction of US traveler interest in Europe: away from the most expensive and most crowded western cities and toward Central and Eastern Europe, which offers extraordinary culture, history, and food at prices that are consistently 30–50% below their western equivalents. Prague leads with a 180% increase in US search interest — the highest of any European city. Sofia, Bulgaria, is up 136%. Krakow, Poland, is up 106%. Bulgaria overall is up nearly 140%, and Albania is up 65%. The pattern reflects a broader shift that travel data has been signaling for two or three years: travelers are actively seeking places with depth and authenticity that haven't been priced out by the overtourism dynamics affecting Paris, Rome, and Barcelona.
Prague's Gothic and Baroque old city is one of the most architecturally beautiful in Europe — the kind of medieval streetscape that survived the 20th century largely intact, with a Charles Bridge at dawn and a castle above the city that photographs from every angle. Krakow's Rynek Główny — the main market square — is larger and more dramatic than anything in Western Europe and is surrounded by a restaurant and bar scene that has developed remarkably in the last decade. Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, is the most affordable major city in the EU with a growing arts scene, extraordinary Ottoman and Byzantine architecture, and a food culture that is distinctly its own. These are not compromise destinations. They are outstanding ones that happen to cost less.
07Spain in 2026 — Mallorca, the F1 Grand Prix & Alicante Leading the Data
Spain · Tripadvisor & Google Trends · Alicante #1 UK trending, Mallorca beach clubs breakout search
Tripadvisor 2026 — Alicante: #1 Trending European Destination for UK Travelers
Spain dominates the Tripadvisor Summer Travel Index 2026 with four destinations in the top ten trending spots for British travelers. Alicante leads — a city most visitors know as an airport transfer point and almost nobody knows as a destination, with a medieval old town, a hilltop castle, and a seafront that is genuinely beautiful. Google Trends flags "beach clubs Mallorca" as a breakout search in 2026, with Port de Sóller specifically identified as the top trending Mallorca location — consistent with the broader rediscovery of the island's northwest coast and the Serra de Tramuntana mountains as a sophisticated alternative to the resort areas of the south.
September 12–14, 2026 adds another dimension to Spain's 2026 moment: Madrid hosts its inaugural Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix, the first time the race has been held in the capital, on a circuit incorporating street sections through the city. This is a sportscursion opportunity — Expedia's term for travel combining destination exploration with a major sporting event — that is generating significant demand and fills the city for the race weekend in a way that makes advance booking essential. For anyone with flexible September dates, the race weekend in Madrid combined with a few days in Barcelona or Seville before or after is one of the finest city break combinations in Europe this year.
Discovery Escapes Tour
Spain & Portugal — Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Lisbon & Porto
Barcelona (Gothic Quarter, Sagrada Família, Gaudí centenary year), high-speed AVE to Madrid (Prado, flamenco, Gran Vía), AVE to Seville (Real Alcázar, Barrio Santa Cruz, Triana), Lisbon (Alfama, Belém, Fado), Porto (Douro Valley wine, Livraria Lello, river views). Local expert guides, 4-star central hotels, all trains included. Add Granada, the Algarve, or San Sebastián.
From €2,299 per person€100 deposit · Free date changes · Fully customisable — add Granada, Algarve, Basque Country
View Spain & Portugal ToursThe Biggest Travel Trends of 2026 — and What They Mean for Your Trip
Beyond the specific destinations, the data from 2026's major travel platforms points to several broader shifts that are reshaping how people plan and experience travel. Understanding them helps explain why certain destinations are surging, what kind of trip is most likely to deliver the experience people are actually looking for, and where the best value still exists.
Set-Jetting Is Now a Mainstream Travel Driver
Set-jetting — traveling to destinations because of their appearance in films and TV — is now an $8 billion industry in the US alone, according to Holafly's Screen Tourism Forecast Index. 81% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers plan holidays around film and TV locations, and 53% of global travelers report higher interest in screen-inspired travel. The 2026 set-jetting calendar is unusually rich: the Greek Peloponnese for The Odyssey (July 17 release), the French Riviera for White Lotus Season 4, Yorkshire for Wuthering Heights, and Croatia's Dalmatian Coast for The People We Meet on Vacation. For each of these, the pattern is the same — bookings rise sharply in the weeks after release, and the travelers who benefit most are those who go before the surge rather than in the middle of it.
Travelers Are Choosing Depth Over Distance
The data across multiple platforms points to a consistent shift: travelers are choosing fewer destinations with more time rather than circuit-touring the maximum number of cities. European Travel Commission data shows multi-city trips within one country up 5% year-on-year. Expedia identifies "Hotel Hop" itineraries — multiple stays in a single destination — as an emerging 2026 trend. The experiential travel movement — cooking classes, food tours, local cultural immersion rather than landmark-ticking — is growing consistently across all demographic groups. The implications for trip planning are clear: the best trips in 2026 are the ones that give each destination enough time to reveal itself rather than scheduling it between two others.
Sportscursions — Sport as a Reason to Travel
Expedia coined the term "sportscursion" for the growing trend of combining destination travel with major sporting events. The global calendar is full of major sports events in 2026, with the FIFA World Cup dominating headlines. For Europe specifically, the Madrid Formula 1 Grand Prix (September 12–14) is the standout sportscursion opportunity, generating significant demand for the race weekend. The Ryder Cup in Ireland, the European Athletics Championships in Zagreb, and various Grand Slam tennis events also contribute to a sporting calendar that is giving travelers specific, time-bound reasons to visit specific cities at specific times.
Eastern Europe Is the Value Story of the Year
The Kayak data is unambiguous: US travelers are actively seeking European destinations that offer cultural depth without the pricing pressure of Western Europe's most visited cities. Prague is up 180%, Sofia is up 136%, and Krakow is up 106% in US search interest for 2026 travel. This is not a budget-first trend — it is a quality-of-experience trend, driven by travelers who want to walk medieval streets without competing with two other tour groups at every corner, eat at excellent restaurants without booking six weeks ahead, and stay in central historic hotels at prices that don't require a special occasion to justify.
Where to Book Before the Crowds Arrive — 2026 Summary
- Book Now Greek Peloponnese — The Odyssey surge is already underway post-July 17 release
- Book Now French Riviera / Cannes / Saint-Tropez — White Lotus S4 airs later this year
- Still Time Sardinia for late summer / autumn — +63% but still genuinely uncrowded vs Amalfi
- Still Time Madeira year-round — world's #1 trending but still absorbs visitors gracefully
- Autumn Sweet Spot New Zealand September–November — +200% searches, ideal conditions
- Great Value Now Prague, Krakow, Sofia — all surging in search but still well-priced
- September Event Madrid F1 Grand Prix September 12–14 — hotels filling fast
- All Tours Browse all Discovery Escapes tours →
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most trending travel destinations for 2026?
Tripadvisor names Madeira, Portugal as the world's top trending destination for 2026. Expedia's Unpack '26 report identifies Sardinia (up 63%), New Zealand (Christchurch up 200%), and the Greek Peloponnese as the fastest-rising destinations. Kayak data shows Prague (+180%), Sofia (+136%), and Krakow (+106%) as the fastest-growing European city destinations from US searches. For set-jetting, the Peloponnese and the French Riviera are the standout 2026 picks.
What is set-jetting and where should I go for it in 2026?
Set-jetting is traveling to destinations because of their appearance in films and TV shows. It is now an $8 billion industry in the US alone. The top 2026 set-jetting destinations are the Greek Peloponnese (The Odyssey, released July 17), the French Riviera including Cannes and Saint-Tropez (White Lotus Season 4, filming now), Yorkshire in England (Wuthering Heights), and Croatia's Dalmatian Coast. The key timing insight: search volumes and booking demand spike sharply in the weeks after a major release, so the travelers who benefit most are those who book before that surge rather than in the middle of it.
Where is good value for travel in 2026?
Eastern Europe offers the strongest value in the world for cultural city travel in 2026. Prague, Krakow, and Sofia all provide extraordinary historic city centres, excellent restaurants, and well-developed tourism infrastructure at prices 30–50% below their Western European equivalents. In the Mediterranean, Greece's lesser-known islands (Naxos, Folegandros, Sifnos) offer comparable beauty to Mykonos and Santorini at significantly lower prices. Sardinia, despite its rising search interest, remains genuinely more affordable than the Amalfi Coast for equivalent experiences.
What are the biggest travel trends for 2026?
The major trends identified across Expedia, Google, Kayak, and Tripadvisor data: set-jetting is now mainstream and is directly reshaping destination demand; sportscursions are growing as travelers combine major events (F1, World Cup, Grand Slams) with destination travel; Eastern European cities are the value story of the year; reflective and wellness travel is growing as a counter to the party-destination trend; search interest in AI travel planning is up 350% year-on-year; and cruise travel is making a significant comeback, with 21.7 million Americans expected to cruise in 2026.
What is the best tour for 2026 from Discovery Escapes?
The most requested tours in the Discovery Escapes range for 2026 are: the Greece island hopping itinerary (driven by The Odyssey and Peloponnese momentum), the Rome to Nice and Barcelona tour (covering Italy, the French Riviera, and Spain in nine days), the Australia and New Zealand Highlights tour (12 days, the #1 trending long-haul destination), and the Spain and Portugal circuit (five cities across the Iberian Peninsula in 10–14 days). Every tour is fully customisable and requires only €100 deposit to secure.
Plan Your 2026 Trip with Discovery Escapes
The destinations are trending. The question is whether you book before the surge or after it. Custom tours from €1,899 per person — only €100 deposit to secure your spot.
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