Travelers are increasingly booking vacations based on experiences, rather than destinations. According to Accor’s 2026 travel research, 25% of respondents begin their travel search with “a vibe or a feeling”. Early signs suggest that travel trends in 2026 center around journeys that feel authentic and center hands-on experiences.

Hands-On Experiences

Museums, hotels, cruises, shops, and airports are turning waits or overnight stays into immersive experiences. According to CNTraveler, museums are removing artifacts from behind glass screens and curating participatory visits involving touch and feel.

For example, the V&A East Storehouse in London lets visitors touch some of the more than 250,000 photos. This trend extends to other spaces like the London Museum, Washington D.C.’s National Geographic Museum of Exploration, and Glenbow in Calgary.

Another new trend is “grocery-store tourism,” where visitors seek out and wander through “authentic stores” rather than simply finding the closest grocery store to gain a better sense of local culture.

Event Travel

In 2026, we’re seeing more and more travelers booking trips around specific events, such as concerts, festivals, sporting events, and more. Live events drive 89% of Accor respondents’ trips, and they book suites based on how they enhance these live experiences. For example, watching the Monaco Grand Prix from the hotel balcony at the Fairmont Monte Carlo.

Luxury Train Hopping

Luxury rail travel continues to gain momentum this year, according to CNTraveler. Adventure travel specialists Explore Worldwide also reported rail bookings for 2026 are up 41 percent year over year.

Many new lines have opened around the world within the past year, with some routes only lasting a few days. La Dolce Vita Orient Express, for example, launched eight round-trip itineraries departing from Rome in April 2025, with each lasting from one to four nights. Travelers are increasingly combining multiple luxury rail journeys into multi-week trips, hopping from one train to the next.

Ancestry Travel

As Xavier Chambolle, founder of Tours Accolade Québec, notes, “As genealogy becomes more accessible through digital records and DNA tools, travelers are looking for ways to bring that abstract family data into real places and historical events.”

With the popularity of series like Long Lost Family and Who Do You Think You Are?, the drive to reconnect with one’s heritage is dictating travel decisions for many. Italy, for example, has an experience called My Bella Vita Travel, where a tour operator builds family trees from government archives, followed by an investigation of the towns and craft itineraries.