For Nikolova, the shift reflects how experiences now function as a form of social currency. “Today, with social media, experiences are much more tangible and can serve as evidence for status for a long time and with larger audiences,” she says. “Part of the status comes also with the fact that adventure travel is also perceived as typical for people with richer travel careers and people who have moved beyond the typical and mass experiences.”
7. Culture over hedonism
Fuelled in part by “#BookTok”, literary travel is set to keep growing in 2026, alongside its sister trend: “set-jetting” (travel inspired by TV and film). Hotels around the world, even in destinations better known for their nightlife, are getting in on the action. From Ibiza to Madrid, hotel guests can expect anything from rare books and reading retreats to poolside libraries and themed stays.
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Several destinations are tipped to hit the bestseller list next year: Cornwall, where the new Harry Potter TV series is currently being filmed; the Yorkshire Moors, the backdrop to Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming Wuthering Heights film; and Greece, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey.
Bina sees this trend as a modern form of escape. “In times of rapid change or crisis, we escape to fiction to explore both our fears and desires,” she says. “That’s why fantasy literature surged in the 1930s and ’40s, when the world was at war. Science fiction got popular in the 1960s, during the space race and counterculture era; and mythic and speculative fiction is rising now as we try to make sense of the collapse and rebirth of old systems. Literary travel is like a catharsis – it helps you get even further into the fiction, both mentally and physically.”
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