Data from Airbnb shows travellers prioritising shorter, more intentional trips, a renewed pull towards nature, and experience-led journeys tied to global events, food and personal discovery. Rather than long, restorative holidays, travellers are increasingly designing trips around specific moments, whether that’s a two-day international city break, a national park visit, or a once-in-a-lifetime cultural event.
Airbnb highlights that across demographics, there is also a move away from passive consumption towards hands-on experiences. Culinary classes, outdoor adventures and immersive local activities are gaining ground, while solo travel continues to grow as travellers place greater value on independence and self-directed exploration.
Here are some key takeaways from Airbnb’s findings:
- Gen Z travelers are fueling a trend in 1-2 day international city getaways, favoring quick, high-energy and culture-packed trips over longer vacations.
- Travellers are stepping away from screens and “touching grass”, with interest in U.S. national parks surging 35 percent, and bookings for nature and outdoor experiences outpacing all other categories.
- 65 percent of the top-searched 2026 travel dates and cities align with major global events such as the Winter Olympics, Coachella, and FIFA World Cup, with event tourism showing no signs of slowing.
- Partout en France, une constante se dessine : la gastronomie arrive en tête des expériences que les voyageurs souhaitent vivre et partager.
Gen Z and the rise of short international getaways
Airbnb shares that Gen Z is leading one of the most noticeable shifts in travel behaviour: the growth of 1–2 day international trips. These short-haul escapes are growing faster than extended vacations, fuelled in part by viral social media trends promoting cross-border “day trips” and high-energy city breaks.
Rather than beach resorts or slow travel, younger travellers are maximising limited PTO by choosing cities that offer dense cultural experiences — live music, historic neighbourhoods, nightlife and local food scenes — all within a compressed timeframe. Popular destinations reflect this preference for vibrant, culture-rich environments, including Buenos Aires, Busan, Mexico City, Marrakesh and Stockholm.
In Latin America, cities such as Buenos Aires, Maceió and João Pessoa are attracting travellers with late-night cultural scenes, street music and strong café and food cultures. In Asia, Busan, Nakano and Ko Samui combine urban energy with hands-on activities such as cooking classes and art workshops. Meanwhile, Mexico City and San Juan continue to draw interest for their creative scenes, architecture, music and food markets.
Across these destinations, the appeal is less about relaxation and more about intensity. Travellers want to “do more” in less time, favouring cities where culture, cuisine and social experiences are tightly packed.
From screens to scenery: national parks surge in demand
Airbnb’s data shows that alongside fast-paced city travel, 2026 is also shaping up as a strong year for nature-based travel, particularly to national parks. Searches for stays “near a national park” in the U.S. are up 35 percent for 2026, and nature and outdoor experiences are now the most-booked experience category overall.
U.S. national parks are receiving particular attention as the country marks its 250th anniversary, alongside milestone centennials for parks including the Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah and Grand Teton. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is among the top trending global destinations for 2026, with searches up more than 135 percent among solo travellers alone.
Popular U.S. destinations include Acadia National Park, Yosemite, Shenandoah, Jackson Hole (near Grand Teton) and the Great Smoky Mountains. Internationally, travellers are pairing nature with nearby urban or coastal hubs, such as Crete (near Samaria Gorge National Park), Sardinia (near Gennargentu National Park), Goa (near Mollem National Park) and Jakarta (near Ujung Kulon National Park).
The broader cultural movement encouraging people to step away from screens is also visible online, with more than 85,000 posts using the #touchgrass hashtag on TikTok, a signal of how strongly this narrative is resonating, particularly with younger travellers.
Event-led travel shows no signs of slowing
According to Airbnb, aajor global events continue to shape travel patterns, with 65% of the top-searched travel dates and cities for 2026 aligning with large-scale cultural, sporting and music events. These include the Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Carnival and Coachella.
Rather than treating events as add-ons, travellers are increasingly building entire trips around them; turning tickets into the anchor for broader journeys that include local experiences, regional exploration and extended stays. This “mainstage tourism” reflects a wider trend toward travel as a form of personal storytelling, where attendance at global events becomes a defining moment of the trip.
Solo travel moves into the mainstream
Based on Airbnb’s data, solo travel is continuing its upward trajectory, supported by online conversations that frame independence and self-discovery as aspirational. Several destinations are seeing triple-digit growth in solo traveller interest, including Idyllwild in California, La Altagracia in the Dominican Republic and Tromsø in Norway.
These travellers are gravitating toward scenic, slower-paced environments — mountains, coastlines and islands — where wellness, reflection and outdoor activity are central to the experience. Popular solo destinations include the Algarve and Costa del Sol in Europe, the Florida Keys, Inverness and Isère, as well as the North Carolina Mountains and Tromsø.
Across these locations, common activities include hiking, yoga, spa and wellness experiences, coastal walks and nature-based excursions. As “me time” increasingly replaces “plus one,” solo travellers are curating trips focused on restoration, creativity and personal growth rather than social validation.
Culinary travel becomes more participatory
Interestingly, Airbnb finds that food-led travel remains one of the strongest experience categories heading into 2026, but with a clear shift toward participation. Bakery classes, cooking workshops and wine experiences are among the most-booked activities, with viral food content on platforms like TikTok driving interest in hands-on culinary learning.
Popular experiences include croissant baking classes in Paris, mochi-making in Tokyo and cake baking in Lisbon. At the same time, wine tourism is expanding beyond traditional regions, with rising interest in destinations such as Bangalore, the Finger Lakes, Melbourne, Traverse City and Var in France.
Bakery-focused travel hotspots include Istanbul, Lisbon, Paris, Taipei and Tokyo, reflecting a broader demand for food experiences that combine skill-building with cultural immersion.
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