New Year, New Adventures: 3 Travel Trends We Will See in 2026
- Raquel Lira
- Jan 5
- 2 min read
From seeking purpose to safe adventures, the 2026 traveler trends reveal that travelers are not only ready to explore, but are seeking cultural immersion, safety, and the opportunity to learn.
1. The Evolution of the Destination: Between the Classic and the Emerging
Travelers still love Europe, but new explorations set the pace for 2026 (according to Omio data):
The European Pillars: Italy, Spain, and France remain at the top of the most booked destinations in Europe, reaffirming their cultural and gastronomic appeal.
The Awakening of New Europe: A notable increase in bookings is observed for Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and the United Kingdom. This suggests a search for destinations with a strong component of nature and safety.
Safety is the Priority: 33% of travelers will prioritize safe and stable destinations. This stability becomes a decisive factor when choosing a destination.
2. Travel with Purpose: Education and Personal Transformation
The new adventure is no longer just about leisure, but about personal investment, a key driver for young travelers:
The Educational Tourism Boom: The Tourism Management School highlights that travel motivation is increasingly linked to global education. Exchange trips, language stays, summer programs, and international internships are growing.
Integral and Conscious Experiences: Tourism becomes more conscious, digital, and transformative. Travelers seek experiences that provide well-being, learning, authenticity, and positive impact. This includes cultural immersion through different experiences.
The Strength of Generation Z: Omio data points to a clear generational gap: 34% of Gen Z want to travel more, compared to only 26% of Boomers, driving the demand for this purpose-driven tourism.
3. Sports and Cultural Travel: The Intertwining of Passions
Sports events are now the pretext for cultural immersion, a trend highlighted by Expedia/Hotels.com/Vrbo and Marriott:
The Stadium is Just the Beginning: Sports travel is evolving. Fans seek to go beyond the stadium lights; they want authentic local experiences, cultural rituals, and genuine connections.
The Experience is Everything: As Marriott underscores, people travel to experience an event as part of a broader experience. Culture, sports, gastronomy, and community intertwine in increasingly integral itineraries.
The Latin American Momentum: Latin American travelers, in particular, are seeking these "life memories" and want to connect with their passions, from sports to gastronomy.
The year 2026 calls us to a new era of more conscious, transformative, and educational travel, where cultural immersion, professionalization, and skills learning are the new currency of global adventure.
BEO World is positioned right at the center of these trends, creating adventures that will not only be a memory but a life investment that combines authentic cultural immersion, global skills learning, and personal connections.
Are you ready to give your passport a purpose that will open the doors to the academic and professional world?
Fuentes
– Omio. NowNext 25 Travel Report.
– Expedia Group (Hoteles.com y Vrbo). Unpack 26 Travel Report.
– Marriott International. Statements and trend analysis presented in the virtual panel “The Latin American Traveler: Trends, Priorities, and the Future of Tourism.”
– Tourism Management School. Studies and analysis on the growth of educational and conscious tourism for 2026.
Comments