#Trending This Week - Sight-Doing, Private Access, Book Club Tourism, International Travel Intent, And Solo Friends
Issue 288 • April 14, 2026
The summer vacation season is not that far off. Where are people heading and what are they going to do once they get there? We’ve got some new reasons why people are traveling as well as an interesting pivot in who they are traveling with, what they seek out, and the things they want to do once they get to their destination. Check it all out in our three-minute read below.
Access Is The New Luxury Travel Currency
As destinations across the globe battle overtourism, the demand for ultra-luxury, exclusive experiences away from the crowds is steadily rising. For high-net-worth individuals, the new currency of luxury isn’t about ownership (presumably of a yacht, or a multi-million-euro holiday home) – it’s about access, at least that’s according to the World Luxury Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Travel Trends Report. As the ultra-rich navigate the globe, they are seeking out hyper-personalised, authentic travel experiences not open to the general public. Read more in EuroNews here.
Book Club Tourism Is A Thing
Literary tourism has become big business lately — about $2.4 billion’s worth, in fact, and projected to balloon another billion or so by 2034. Last year saw an explosion of bookish itineraries ranging from solo retreats to far-flung literary pilgrimages. And as the trend continues to evolve, another sub-category has entered the chat: book club travel. An expanding set of independent tourism companies are catering to bibliophiles looking to live out their favorite stories firsthand — and do it in good company. Read more in Town & Country here and National Geographic here.
International Travel Intent Is At A High
U.S. leisure travelers are carrying strong travel momentum into 2026 — planning more trips and increasing budgets, signaling sustained demand, according to MMGY’s newly released Portrait of American Travelers “Spring Edition.” International travel intent is at a multiyear high, with 36% of U.S. travelers planning an overseas trip in the next six months, the strongest level since before 2020, signaling renewed confidence in long-haul travel and continued demand for global experiences. Read more at Insider Travel Report here.
“Solo Friends” Is A New Travel Category
Solo travelers have become a rising priority for cruise lines across the board, and now one cruise line has identified a promising new niche: groups of solo friends traveling together. There is an increase in the amount of people, either women or men, wanting to travel together that are solos because they don’t want to share with their friend in a cabin. They want to travel with their friend, but they want to have their own individual space. Read more in Latte Luxury News here.
From Watching To Learning: Sight-Doing
One of the defining travel trends of 2026 is what researchers are calling “sight-doing” — a shift away from passive sightseeing toward hands-on skill-based activities rooted in the destinations travelers visit. Nearly 80% of Millennials and Gen Z are now pursuing local workshops, such as kayaking in the Philippines or crafting musical instruments in Indonesia, to foster a much deeper appreciation of local culture. Examples of this trend including tile painting in Portugal, wood carving in Switzerland, calligraphy in China, and batik dyeing in Indonesia. Read more in Travel And Tour World here.