“Travel searches are rising, fares are falling, and more people are looking beyond the US for places to go,” Sarah Kennedy, Kayak travel trends expert, told Yahoo Finance.
In February, Sandra Warner Banker and her husband, Richard, plan to spend eight days in Malta as participants in an educational travel program offered by the not-for-profit Road Scholar.
“Trips off the beaten path are a favorite of ours because you see and interact with the locals and their customs that you normally don’t get to do in the busy tourist areas,” Banker, who lives in Aylett, Va., said.
Locales that have typically been overlooked are on the radar for an increasing number of travelers.
For Road Scholar, the top trending destinations for 2026 are programs in Malta, Ecuador, Azerbaijan, and even Oklahoma — all places that you might not think of immediately to visit. Since many of the program’s participants are retired (the average age is 72), many have the flexibility to travel off-season, when the prices are lower.
Hitting the road in higher numbers
What’s leading more people to plan trips? For one thing, the price is right.“International airfares are down about 10% or more for summer travel, domestic is down 3%, and summer ‘26 long-haul fares to Europe and Asia are trending especially low, making 2026 prime for global trips,” Kennedy said. Summer fares to Europe are down 14% from last summer, she added
Eastern Europe, for example, is having its time in the spotlight, driven by travelers “chasing ‘big trip’ energy without the big price tag,” according to Kennedy. “People are widening their searches and discovering cities they may have overlooked before.”
Seven of Kayak’s 10 fastest-growing destinations are in Eastern Europe — including Prague, Sofia, Krakow, Budapest, and Sarajevo, which is also seeing some of the biggest airfare drops — 36% over 2025.
‘What’s happening’ here
Phish fans, have you booked your spring trip to Las Vegas for the group’s residency at The Sphere?
“We’re seeing people plan trips around what’s happening, not just where they’re going,” Kennedy said. “Big events create urgency. That now-or-never feeling is a powerful reason to go, especially when airfare makes it doable.”
Sports fans, for instance, are poised to hit arenas around the world. This will be a year “fueled in a big way by sports tourism,” according to Melanie Fish, Expedia Group’s travel expert. “It’s experiencing a new wave of fanaticism.”
Roughly 6 in 10 travelers say they’re likely to attend a local sporting event while traveling, rising to 7 in 10 among Gen Z and millennials combined, she said.
While it might be the allure of catching sumo wrestling in Japan or Banana Ball in Savannah, Ga., there are two blockbuster events on the jumbotron: First up, the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in February.
Then North America will be the spotlight of the sporting world as the men’s World Cup will be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico, kicking off June 11 in Mexico City through the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. All told, 104 matches will be held in 11 cities.
Travelers planning to attend either of these major events should keep a few tips in mind, according to Fish. Set up price alerts to ensure you’re getting the best airfare, and try to book refundable options. Bundle travel: Air and hotel packages can save money. “To make your budget stretch further, consider flying into a city that is a couple of hours away, and travel to the game from there,” she said.
Book and movie madness
People are also eager to visit countries inspired by a movie or TV show they’ve watched, according to Expedia’s research. More than half of travelers say they’re more interested in taking a screen-inspired trip than they were a year ago.
These getaways include: Yorkshire, UK, the location for the latest adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” and “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale”; Tuscany, Italy, featured in Noah Baumbach’s new film “Jay Kelly,” starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler; the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia, the setting for in the Netflix movie “People We Meet on Vacation”; and the seaside town of Dubrovnik, which was used as the main location of King’s Landing in “Game of Thrones.”
There is nothing quite as delicious and stress-busting as curling up with a good book on vacation. “Travelers are renting private vacation homes for the growing trend of ‘readaways,’” Fish said. “As #BookTok continues to dominate social media, interest in literary-themed travels is surging.”
There’s even a three-bedroom apartment to rent above Nantucket Bookworks, an eclectic store in the heart of town.
More Americans are cruising
For many Americans, cruising has become the preferred way to roam. In fact, almost all US cruise passengers have taken multiple cruise vacations, Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, told Yahoo Finance.
“Cruising’s popularity keeps growing as the industry makes improvements to ships and investments in ports,” Barber said. “There’s also more variety now in itineraries, especially for people who are looking to take shorter cruise vacations versus week-long trips.”
AAA projects 21.7 million Americans will go on ocean cruises in 2026, up from 20.7 million this year and 14.2 million in 2019.
Who’s on board? It’s mostly an older crowd of couples. The bulk, 65% of adult US passengers, are 55 or older, 27% are aged 35-54, and 7% are 18-34, according to a AAA report. Nearly half of American cruise passengers are traveling as a couple, while 20% are cruising with kids. 7% are traveling solo, and the rest are going in groups.
In 2026, the Caribbean will be the most popular cruise destination for Americans, according to AAA data.
“That’s why Miami, Port Canaveral, and Fort Lauderdale, all in Florida, are the busiest cruise ports in the world,” Barber said. A slender 7% of US passengers are expected to take Alaska cruises next year, and 5% are projected to cruise in the Mediterranean.
Travel hacks
For travelers who know where they want to go, I suggest setting up alerts that notify you via an email or text whenever fares rise or fall. Major travel apps, such as Expedia, Hopper, Kayak, and Skyscanner, offer fare tracking, as does Google Flights. If you have flexibility, you might run a search on Kayak’s “best time to travel” tool.
Don’t book too early. If you’re more than six months out from your trip, prices tend to be higher, Fish said.
In general, traveling midweek — Tuesday or Wednesday — will shave domestic airfare. And opt for the first flight of the day to avoid delays that frequently pop up once daily flights hit the skies.
A credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees is essential if you’re leaving the US. Ask for your overseas purchases to be charged in the local currency for the best exchange rate.
And remember to pack a few good books.
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