After another year spent on planes, trains, ferries, and far too many cobblestone streets in the wrong shoes, I’ve noticed something changing in the way people are choosing to travel, myself included. Luxury travel in 2026 isn’t about adding more to an itinerary but about traveling with more intention.

I’ve been noticing this shift everywhere, from conversations with hotel managers who say guests are staying longer and relying more on concierge teams to arrange specialty tours and insider access, to friends taking trips inspired by their own family roots. Travelers want depth. They want connection. They want a sense of meaning woven into the experience.

The trends emerging for 2026 reflect that evolution beautifully. They are shaped by travelers who want to understand a destination rather than skim its highlights. And as the most popular places become increasingly crowded, many are looking to the wider world for quieter, equally compelling alternatives. These are the kinds of journeys I’m looking forward to most this year.

In a world overflowing with AI tools and automated recommendations, true luxury has become human guidance. Travelers want advice from people who have actually been there. Experts who know the rhythm of a place, understand what’s worth prioritizing, and can open doors that algorithms can’t. Travelers are turning to experienced planners and knowledgeable local guides to create itineraries that feel tailor-made and genuinely special.

Private after-hours access at major museums, vineyard dinners hosted by the winemaker, studio visits with artisans, or fashion tours led by designers themselves, these are the kinds of experiences travelers are seeking out. The hallmark of this trend is authenticity, with journeys shaped by intention, insider knowledge, and a level of personal connection that transforms a trip from memorable to exceptional.

The days of sprinting through multiple countries in a single trip are fading, replaced by a growing desire to settle into one region and really understand it. Travelers want to feel the cadence of a place, not just pass through it. That means choosing a single destination and giving it the time it deserves.

More travelers are staying long enough to see the big, postcard-famous sights and everything that would have been missed on a quick trip like enjoying the neighborhood bakery they end up visiting every morning, the tiny museum with a masterpiece hanging in a quiet corner, and the flea market tucked into a residential street where you might find a vintage scarf or an old designer bag for a fraction of the usual price. These longer stays give people the chance to settle into a routine, discover their own favorite spots, and understand a place beyond its headline attractions.

Villas, countryside estates, and small design-forward hotels make it even easier to slow down. They give travelers space to breathe and enough time to explore a destination the way locals do. In 2026, more people want that balance of seeing the landmarks but also finding the hidden gems that tell the real story of a place.

One of the most meaningful trends emerging for 2026 is heritage travel, reimagined through a luxury lens. Travelers aren’t just looking up a town name on a family tree and stopping by for a photo. They’re working with historians, researchers, and local experts who can help them understand where their families came from and what those places looked and felt like generations ago.

A friend of mine recently traced his parents’ history through Italy, visiting the small church where they were married and holding their original marriage certificate in his hands. He walked the streets where his mother grew up, stepped inside the family home she talked about for years, and even tasted the bread from the century-old bakery she visited as a child, a place that, remarkably, is still using the same recipes. Experiences like that give travelers a connection that goes far beyond sightseeing.

Remote, wilderness-focused escapes with the comfort and care of world-class hotels are becoming a major draw for 2026. Travelers want the feeling of being far from everything without giving up the details that make a trip feel special.  Warm hospitality, thoughtful experiences, and a sense of total ease even in the most remote settings.

Certain properties capture this balance beautifully. Places like Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, where you can spend the evening watching marine life from the underwater restaurant Or Giraffe Manor in Nairobi where wildlife moves through the property as naturally as the guests do. In Bali, ONIRIA’s striking bamboo construction offers a calm, restorative retreat that feels both natural and elevated. And in the U.S., Amangiri is setting the bar for remote luxury, a place where the desert feels endless and the experience is shaped around the landscape rather than competing with it.

What travelers are looking for now isn’t just isolation; it’s access to wild places without the stress or discomfort usually associated with being off the grid. It’s waking up to silence, spending the day outdoors, and returning to a space that feels intentional and restorative.

Wellness travel is evolving, and more people are gravitating toward traditions that have existed for centuries. I’m seeing more travelers plan entire trips around places where the healing element comes straight from the landscape itself, natural hot springs, mineral-rich pools, cold-water rituals, and coastal therapies that locals have relied on for generations.

Japan’s onsen towns are a perfect example. Travelers aren’t just visiting for the novelty of a hot spring; they’re looking for ryokans where the water comes directly from the source and where the bathing rituals are treated with the same care as the food. In Italy, classic thermal destinations like Saturnia and Bagni San Filippo are drawing visitors who want long soaks in steaming, mineral-rich pools set against ancient stone and forest. Slovenia’s historic spas continue to grow in popularity for their warm, therapeutic waters, and Greece’s thalassotherapy centers, especially on islands like Crete are attracting travelers who want treatments rooted in the sea.

Resorts are responding with cold-plunge circuits, natural spring-fed pools, quiet soaking areas, and wellness programs built around seasonal rhythms.

Food has become the anchor of the modern luxury itinerary. Culinary travel isn’t new, but it’s becoming more intentional. Travelers are building their itineraries around food, not just the restaurants they want to try, but the traditions, producers, and stories behind each dish. It’s less about securing the hardest reservation in town and more about understanding a region through its flavors.

In France and Italy especially, people are planning days around visiting small vineyards run by families who have been farming the same land for generations or joining truffle hunters who know the forest paths by heart. Others are signing up for cooking classes in private homes, learning regional recipes that never make it onto restaurant menus, or tasting wines in historic cellars where you can feel the age of the barrels in the air.

These kinds of experiences give travelers a stronger sense of place than any reservation ever could. For many, 2026 is the year food becomes the framework for exploration.

Luxury rail travel is gaining real momentum again, and more travelers are choosing it for the same reason they’re embracing slow, immersive trips elsewhere: it offers time. Not rushed hours in an airport or a frantic connection, just uninterrupted stretches where the scenery becomes part of the experience.

Some of the most talked-about routes right now are the ones that blend history with comfort. The Orient Express La Dolce Vita runs through Italy with suites that feel more like boutique hotel rooms than train cabins. In Scotland, the Royal Scotsman continues to draw travelers for its combination of Highland views and onboard dining that focuses on local ingredients. And in South America, the Andean Explorer remains one of the most striking journeys you can take, crossing mountains and high plains with an ease that makes the landscape feel almost surreal.

What people appreciate most is the pace. You can sit in an observation car with a coffee or a glass of wine, watch the countryside change right in front of you, and feel present in the place you’re traveling through. For many, that slower rhythm is the appeal, a reminder that getting somewhere can be just as memorable as arriving.

Set-jetting isn’t fading; it’s shifting into something more thoughtful. Travelers aren’t interested in quick photo stops at filming locations anymore. They want to experience the world of a show or film the way the characters might, with a focus on atmosphere, craftsmanship, and a sense of place.

Bridgerton fans are reserving stays at filming locations like England’s grand country estates, arranging carriage rides, and touring the halls where key scenes were shot. Crazy Rich Asians has people heading to Singapore to stay at the same iconic hotels, dine at the hawker stalls and restaurants featured in the film, and explore the exact neighborhoods seen on screen.  And Emily in Paris enthusiasts are signing up for pastry classes, visiting rooftop viewpoints, and boutique shopping experiences that appear throughout the series.

It’s travel shaped by the desire to step directly into a story, to feel, even briefly, like you’re part of the world you watched unfold on screen.

As the most famous cities continue to draw bigger crowds each year, I’m seeing more travelers look toward places that offer just as much culture and beauty but with a softer pace. These aren’t the secondary destinations; they are simply the ones that haven’t been overrun yet.

Valencia’s contemporary art museums and beachside paella houses are becoming just as compelling as Barcelona’s charms. Porto’s riverfront cafés, wine cellars, and historic tram lines offer a quieter counterpart to Lisbon. Lyon’s food scene rivals Paris, and in many ways surpasses it, especially for travelers who want to explore the markets and bouchons without hour-long waits. Annecy’s lakefront promenades and local bakeries feel just as charming as Geneva.

What travelers appreciate is the balance, the museums, markets, architecture, and food they want without feeling like they’re moving through a crowd. Choosing these destinations has become a subtle marker of insider travel, the kind that comes from knowing where the real experiences are hiding.

If there’s one clear shift happening in 2026, it’s that luxury travel is becoming more about intention than intensity. Travelers aren’t trying to fit in as much as possible anymore. They’re choosing the experiences that feel meaningful. Whether that’s spending time in a place that shaped their family history, taking a cooking class with someone who has been making the same dish for decades, or heading out on safari and staying at a lodge where the wildlife and the hotel feel equally unforgettable.

The trips people value most are the ones that feel personal and thoughtfully put together. Across all of it, the future of luxury travel is moving toward depth and experiences that help travelers feel connected to a place, not just present in it.