Hottest journey development of 2026: ‘One huge journey’

One journey firm is looking 2026 the 12 months of “one big trip,” as vacationers prioritize high quality over amount.

“We’re looking to take the family to Costa Rica,” mentioned traveler Trevor Dunaway, who instructed us he’s planning one huge trip supplemented by shorter visits to see household and pals.

The deal-tracking web site Going reports people are planning fewer trips in the new year. The common variety of home journeys in 2025 was 3.23. In 2026, the common quantity drops to three.11.

For worldwide journey, common journeys fall from 2.02 to 1.86 journeys per traveler.

“If they are taking one big trip, they’re really being intentional about it and not just traveling just to travel,” mentioned Going journey skilled Katy Nastro.

WATCH: Travelers discuss concerning the one huge trip they plan to absorb 2026

Hottest journey development of 2026? One huge journey

Saving up for ‘one big trip’

That intentional strategy has pushed extra individuals to make use of worth and flight alerts as an alternative of regularly refreshing search outcomes.

“Even if you’re not ready to, say, book that hotel, keeping pricing alerts on are really a great way to get notified without having to do all that searching week after week,” Nastro mentioned.

To make these bucket-list journeys value the price, Going recommends vacationers e-book summer season holidays by March for one of the best offers.

“Waiting is the worst thing you can do,” mentioned frequent traveler Monae Scott. “The price is only going to go up, and then you’ll end up with a horrible seat.”

According to Going, you possibly can probably save a whole lot by shifting your trip timeline by two to a few weeks.

The least expensive summer season journey dates to think about:

• May to early June 
• Late August to September 

More 2026 journey tendencies

For 2026, Going additionally discovered crowds to be a deterrent for a rising variety of vacationers.

Last 12 months, Going discovered 41% of vacationers selected a vacation spot particularly as a result of they thought it will have fewer crowds.

And whereas many individuals are turning to AI and social media as a supply for journey inspiration, the primary useful resource is a bit old style.

“Family and friends are the number one resource that people go to first when they’re starting their travel planning,” Nastro mentioned.

If you’re planning a once-in-a-lifetime journey this 12 months, begin early, set alerts for flights and resorts and be versatile on dates, so that you don’t waste your cash.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been transformed to this platform with the help of AI. Our editorial staff verifies all reporting on all platforms for equity and accuracy.

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