Priceline Travel Trends: Get Inspired with 2026’s Travel Obsessions

Feeling slightly bored by your journey prospects? I do know the place to search out your newest inspiration.

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To piggyback off my exploration of a few of the coolest Viator excursions that you need to e book over the approaching months, I’m presenting Priceline’s newest tendencies for the approaching 12 months. The annual ‘Where to Next’ report forecasts incoming tendencies primarily based on Priceline’s final 12 months in web site knowledge.

In different phrases, the reserving platform analyzes its reserving and search stats. Those stats are primarily based on flights, accommodations, automobile leases, cruises, and bundled packages. (Here’s your reminder: in the event you’re searching for low cost bundles, head to Priceline’s main home page, then scroll down to search out their greatest offers in ‘spotlights this week’.)

While I can’t assure that Priceline’s data-first strategy has precisely predicted subsequent 12 months’s journey tendencies, I promise it’s an effective way to get impressed in your subsequent journey. I may also be slightly biased as a result of this 12 months’s report features a part devoted to ‘Midwest Quests’, and I’m a agency believer that the Midwest doesn’t get sufficient love from vacationers.

Ready to see the Priceline Travel Trends? Let’s dive in.

Priceline journey tendencies for 2026: get impressed in your subsequent large escape

Little Treat Travel

Have you been craving a solo getaway? Priceline predicts that, subsequent 12 months, extra vacationers will put money into quick, weekend-long escapes—one thing the report is asking a ‘me-kend’. Even in the event you can’t swing a complete weekend, don’t neglect about single-day escapes, particularly these that allow you to unwind in nature, get away out of your cellphone (and different screens), or take a look at a brand new artwork exhibit or pop-up restaurant.

According to the report, these are 5 locations good for a me-kend getaway:

• Lake Tahoe, California
• Edmonton, Canada
• Punta Gorda, Florida
• Page, Arizona
• Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico

Midwest Quests

Don’t let the coastal hype blind you to the truth that the Midwest has main-character vitality. According to Priceline, it’s the right trip spot due to its steadiness of small-town appeal, vary of adventures, and scrumptious eats. (As a Midwesterner, I wholeheartedly agree. Absolutely zero bias concerned.) Compared to large cities on the coasts, the Midwest can be budget-friendly.

If you’re searching for a Midwest journey, begin right here:

• Bloomington, Illinois
• Saint Charles, Missouri
• Cedar Falls, Iowa
• Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Columbus, Ohio

Expedition Beach

According to Priceline, a peaceable seashore day may not lower it for intrepid vacationers in 2026. If you need to take your seashore trip to the following stage, go for dramatic cliff views, colourful coral reef snorkel adventures, and even hikes via the luxurious jungle. In quick, get off the resort for a extra memorable seashore journey.

Priceline suggests going to those 5 locations—and I’ve additionally made a advice, too:

• Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
• Kahuku, Hawaii
• Goa, India
• Quito, Ecuador
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Cefalu, Sicily (my choose!)

Tailgate Tourism

If you’re a tailgate champ, think about reserving that journey to a preferred faculty city in 2026. It’s the right time to journey for a giant recreation, in keeping with Priceline. But which college cities do it greatest? And which act as a gateway to different standalone locations?

Here’s the place you possibly can count on a implausible journey that features a large recreation day:

• Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio)
• Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
• University of Texas (Austin, Texas)
• University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)
• University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

Kidfluence

Gen Alpha may not be planning their very own journeys but, however their Gen X and Millennial mother and father are letting them steer trip plans. According to Priceline, Gen Alpha tastes revolve round storybook locations impressed by popular culture. It’s the right time to let playfulness and spontaneity prepared the ground.

If you need to let your kiddos assist design your 2026 getaway, these are nice spots:

• Hawaii
• NYC
• Japan
• Paris
• England

Dejaview

Along with ‘kidfluence’, subsequent 12 months’s vacationers are additionally getting in contact with their inside youngsters. The Dejaview development that Priceline has recognized focuses on getting again to the locations that impressed us, from seashores we visited throughout childhood to theme parks that spark a way of child-like pleasure. Don’t be afraid to get again to your roots in 2026—even when meaning retracing your steps to go to a spot you’ve gone earlier than.

If you’re on the hunt for that feeling of nostalgia, right here’s the place to go:

• Disney World & Disneyland
• Universal Studios
• Grand Canyon
• Niagara Falls
• Myrtle Beach
• Cape Cod