Tripadvisor Report Highlights Shift Toward Experience-Driven Travel in 2026

Tripadvisor’s 2026 Trendcast report, based on over one billion user reviews and contributions, identifies a significant shift in travel planning, with travelers increasingly prioritizing meaningful experiences, adventure, and pet-friendly options over traditional destination-focused trips.

Tripadvisor has released its second annual Trendcast report, analyzing global travel trends for 2026. Drawing on search, booking, and behavioral data, as well as user-generated content from more than one billion reviews, the report highlights how travelers are changing the way they plan and experience trips. The findings indicate a shift away from simply visiting destinations toward a greater emphasis on activities, experiences, and personal connections.

Key Trends Identified in the Report

The report outlines several notable trends shaping travel in 2026:

– Pet-Friendly Travel: Bookings for pet-friendly experiences have increased by 260% year-over-year, indicating that more travelers are including their pets in vacation plans.

– Extreme Adventure: There is a 79% year-over-year growth in extreme adventure experiences, such as glacier tours, lava field excursions, and heli-hiking.

– Experience-Driven Planning: Travelers are increasingly organizing trips around specific activities and experiences, rather than focusing solely on destinations.

– Family and Child-Led Travel: Experience bookings with children’s tickets are up 19% year-over-year, with strong growth in heritage tours and cooking classes.

– Evolving Nightlife: Bookable music experiences and communal nightlife options, such as DJ sets on the water and listening bars, are gaining popularity.

– Sports Tourism: Major marathons and sports events are attracting significantly more visitors, with marathon-related travel seeing increases of over 200% in some cities.

Detailed Breakdown of Emerging Travel Trends

Active and Adventure Travel: The report notes a rise in “Sweat Jetting,” where travelers seek out active vacations centered on physical challenges. Fitness tourism, including marathons and cycling adventures, is becoming a key motivator for travel. For example, the Chicago Marathon has seen a 300% increase in visitors, while the Boston and Berlin Marathons have experienced increases of 228% and 222%, respectively. Sports-related experiences, such as stadium tours, have also increased by 25% year over year.

Extreme Experiences: Travelers are increasingly interested in high-impact adventures that push personal limits. Activities such as glacier tours (+29%), lava field excursions (+79%), and heli-hiking (+56%) are seeing significant growth. Destinations like Ladakh for snow leopard treks and Rome for underground catacomb tours are attracting those seeking unique and challenging experiences.

Family- and Child-Led Travel: Families are adopting a new approach to travel planning, giving children a greater say in destination and activity choices. Bookings for experiences with children’s tickets have risen by 19%, with heritage tours up 40% and cooking classes up 47%. Popular options include Harry Potter tours in London, K-pop experiences in Seoul, and pizza-making classes in Rome.

Nightlife and Music Experiences: Nightlife is shifting from traditional clubs to more intentional, communal music experiences. DJ sets on the water have seen a 29% increase in bookings, while listening bars have grown by 64%. Venues such as Tokyo’s Bar Martha and New York’s Public Records are examples of this trend. Other options include silent disco boat parties and wellness music experiences.

Pet-Friendly Tourism: The report highlights a significant increase in pet-friendly travel, with bookings for dog-welcome experiences up 260%. Travelers are planning entire vacations around their pets, with options ranging from dog-friendly bike tours in Monterey Bay to cat cafes across Asia.

Methodology and Data Sources

The 2026 Trendcast is based on Tripadvisor’s internal data from 2024-2025, including experience bookings, hotel demand, and review mentions. The company partnered with consumer trend forecaster Stylus to combine cultural insights with proprietary data, providing a forward-looking perspective on travel trends.