January is traditionally a busy month for holiday planning. With festive fun packed away for another year, the reality of going back to work in cold, grey weather makes us all yearn for a sun-drenched escape. Unsurprisingly, 2026 is set to be no different, as January sees UK travel companies brace themselves for a booking boom. In fact, the Civil Aviation Authority estimates 200,000 more travellers will book trips this month compared to the 4.3 million who did in 2025 – and we’re firmly of the opinion that, if you can’t beat them, join them. 

In that spirit, we’ve delved into the 2026 travel trends promising to shape the way we rest, relax and recharge this year. From literary-inspired escapes – nodding to a surge in bookings for cruises down the Nile to mark the 50^th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s death – to swapping the Med for mountains this summer, here’s how to be ahead of the crowds in 2026. 

Paws-port adventures

Around 30-36 per cent of UK adults own a dog – and a report by the Dogs Trust suggests about 70 per cent of owners want to take their dog with them on holiday. Pet tourism and dog-friendly hotels in the UK has been growing steadily since the pandemic and, when Original Travel’s 2025 family travel survey asked children what they missed most while away, the top answer was the family pet. As a result, 2026 will see pawparents and their pooches going abroad together – and thanks to the Euro Tunnel and Bark Air, a private jet service for dogs, it’s perfectly possible to travel with pets in tow. Bone voyage!

Best dog-friendly hotel in Europe: Le Bristol, Paris

Pampered pooches will love the palatial Le Bristol Paris, where dogs and cats are welcome to roam halls that have hosted Hollywood and fashion icons. From the hotel’s resident Burmese cat, Socrate, resplendent in his bespoke Goyard collar, to the hotel’s location on the iconic Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, Le Bristol exudes Parisian joie de vivre. 

Escape from the hustle and bustle of the city at Le Jardin Francais, the hotel’s courtyard garden and one of the city’s best kept secrets in the warmer months, or enjoy French fare at a selection of refined dining options, including Epicure: Le Bristol’s Michelin-starred restaurant by new executive chef Arnaud Faye. Dogs up to 15kg are welcome, and will be made to feel right at home with embroidered mats, gourmet meals (steak for one, anyone?) and even monogrammed treats. 

From £1,500 per night. 

Fictioneering

The White Lotus effect gave the travel industry its first taste of ‘set-jetting’, whereby travellers flock to the real-life locations of their favourite movies and TV shows – but books evoke an equally strong wanderlust, creating a 2026 trend for what Original Travel has dubbed ‘Fictioneers’. As the sole UK operator of the Steam Ship Sudan – the Nile steamship on which Agatha Christie sailed and the inspiration behind her 1937 novel, Death on the Nile – Original Travel reports that the Agatha Christie cabin is more in demand than ever, with fans of the Queen of Crime booking years in advance. 

Other locations Original Travel report are popular with Fictioneers include Colombia, due to its connections with writer and journalist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Naples, thanks to Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend, and Jamaica, due to Ian Fleming’s adoration for the Caribbean island, where he built his home, GoldenEye, in Oracabessa Bay and wrote all 14 Bond novels.

Molly Cooper, co-founder of Curated Spaces, says 91 per cent of travellers are interested in trips centred around reading and this – coupled with reading-related terms in Vrbo guest reviews surging 285 per cent year-over-year, and Pinterest searches for ‘book retreats’ and ‘book club retreat ideas’ up 100 per cent and 275 per cent, respectively – has cemented the literary-inspired escape as an emerging travel trend. She says: “Reading retreats allow guests to reclaim time – not just for books, but for being. Hotels like Cowley Manor – birthplace of Alice in Wonderland – and Miiro Templeton Garden in Earl’s Court, which was once home to Beatrix Potter, pay homage to their literary roots with design details and a dedicated library.”

Best book-bound hotel: Cowley Manor Experimental

Cowley Manor has been at the heart of English history for more than 300 years, with the first iteration constructed in 1695. The land was once owned by Edward the Confessor, the property designed by the renowned R.A.Briggs, and the estate a safe haven for locals during the war. It is also widely recognised as the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and nods to the whimsical story can be found throughout thanks to interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon: a small hidden door here, White Rabbit door knockers there, and a bespoke checkerboard carpet throughout. Elsewhere, discover 36 bedrooms and suites, the award-winning C-Side Spa, Jackson Boxer-led restaurant, Experimental Cocktail Club, Cotswolds Bar, lounge, library and plentiful living rooms. 

From £250 per night.

Mountain summers

According to Mr & Mrs Smith, travellers are looking to the mountains for their summer sojourns, rather than the beach. As high-summer alpine travel surges, with the Dolomites especially in demand due to the 2026 Winter Olympics, this trend echoes the rise in nature-first, wellbeing escapes. Pinterest also reported mountain destinations as the top choice for disconnected travel, seeing a 530 per cent increase in searches for ‘quiet travel destinations’. 

It’s no secret that the Med is becoming increasingly hotter during the summer months, and for some, the idea of 35-40°C is not ideal for languid lounging. It comes after a 2025 report published by the European Travel Commission (ETC) found 81 per cent of Europeans have tweaked their holiday plans because of factors related to climate change. No surprise then that a summer holiday in the mountains provides a cooler (both literally and figuratively) alternative to a trip to St Tropez. 

Best mountain resort: Grand Forest Metsovo, Greece

A world away from Santorini – and cooler in the most literal sense – are the rugged Pindus mountains in north-western Greece, which draw skiers in winter, and hikers from spring through to autumn. Perched atop a private mountain within the Pindus National Park is Grand Forest Metsovo: a five-star Mr & Mrs Smith hotel renowned not only for its curated concierge, but panoramic views of the surrounding black pine forest and picturesque town of Metsovo. Take in the vistas from the comfort of one of the 62 suites, thoughtfully designed with beamed feature ceilings and exposed stonework. This is Greece like you’ve never seen it before. 

From £160 per night.

The return of the road trip

Both Hilton’s 2026 Travel Trends Report and Smart Flyer’s 2026 Travel Trends confirmed the return of the road trip – but not as you know it. According to a report by Booking.com, the classic road trip is shifting gears in 2026, with Brits looking to embrace spontaneity and discovery while finding new companions along the way. The journey itself is no longer just about the drive, but a space for memorable experiences with fellow adventurers, with 79 per cent of travellers open to car-sharing on holiday and more than half (54 per cent) willing to use an app to find travellers on a similar route. What is so attractive about a road trip? Respondents said they ultimately make travel more spontaneous and flexible (73 per cent), let them meet new people (72 per cent), and allow them to share driving responsibilities (72 per cent).  

Best road trip: Route 66, USA

According to a recent study conducted by Brand USA, road trips rank among the top three most in-demand travel experiences driving international interest in visiting the United States – and 2026 is the perfect time to visit as one of the country's most storied highways, Route 66, celebrates its centenary in November. Nicknamed the Mother Road and stretching over 2,400 miles through eight states, it offers classic Americana at its very best, alongside quirky sights, small towns, and diverse landscapes. “Route 66 is more than a highway – it’s a living symbol of America’s pioneering spirit,” says Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California and chair of the Route 66 Centennial Commission. “From the bustling Chicago gateway to Santa Monica’s epic Pacific sunsets, this legendary road connects people not just across miles, but through generations of shared discovery.” 

Among the must-see museums and attractions along the highway are the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, Illinois, where visitors can see memorabilia and snap a photo with the largest Route 66 shield mural. Looking for somewhere quirky to stay? Arizona’s retro-style Americana Motor Hotel is located along Route 66, a 1.5-hour drive from both the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest National Park, and features 89 artful rooms with thoughtful design touches like 1970s skiwear-inspired headboards, plus a year-round heated pool, telescopes for stargazing and rentable bikes to venture around town. 

Last-minute stays

Last-minute staycations are on the rise, with the Mr & Mrs Smith curation team reporting that this type of UK break has almost doubled since 2024. Somerset is proving particularly popular, thanks to properties such as The Newt, as is Dorset, which is benefitting from the arrival of Louma Country Hotel. Aimee Hodgkin, director of hotels and curation, said: "What we're observing across 2026 is a traveller who knows what they're looking for – not just a beautiful bed, but a hotel with integrity, intention and a story to tell. These trends reflect both what we're seeing in the data and how we're shaping our collection: championing places rooted in craft, designed with care, and driven by a deep sense of place.”

Best last-minute escape: Louma Country Hotel, Dorset

Set in the heart of Dorset’s Marshwood Vale, Louma Country Hotel is a charming 17-key boutique country hotel set within 100 acres of rolling farmland. A working estate with horse stables, free-roaming livestock, and a flourishing 33-acre vineyard, is a country escape at its very best, all overlooking the Jurassic Coast. Easily accessible via direct train from London to Axminster, guests are warmly welcomed to the estate with transfers in Louma Country Hotel’s privately branded Land Rover Defender. 

Guests enjoy a full-board stay inclusive of breakfast, lunch and farm-to-fork-style dinner, alongside access to the property’s standout Wellness Barn and Spa, featuring state-of-the-art TechnoGym equipment, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and saunas, and holistic therapies by Wildsmith Skin. Reconnect with nature and unwind in rural luxury with vineyard tours and tastings led by in-house experts, guided farm walks and animal feeding, yoga atop the Cow Barn with panoramic estate views, stargazing beside the vines, and seasonal foraging and kitchen garden workshops. Yes, please. 

From £617 per night. 

Nature escapes over city breaks

Off-grid and nature-based travel will feature heavily among the UK’s most in-demand holidays of 2026. Digital burnout, paired with a declining human connection to nature, is creating a widespread consumer desire to ditch busy city-based travel in favour of quiet off-grid breaks. It’s no surprise, then, that Unplugged – the leading off-grid and digital detox cabin company in the UK – has seen a 44 per cent rise in bookings in 2025 and launched 20 new cabins to meet demand. 

Hector Hughes, co-founder at Unplugged says: “ A recent study found that human-nature connection has declined 60 per cent in the last 200 years which can be linked to urbanisation and spending more time indoors behind screens. This lack of connection to nature is driving people to crave weekends in the wilderness, rather than weekends around concrete.”

Best nature break: Unplugged, across the UK and Spain

Unplugged launched in 2020 to provide an antidote to increased screen time and digital obsession. With more than 30 locations across the UK, and even one in Spain, all cabins are designed to make escaping to nature as comfortable as possible. There are no tents here, but sustainably built wooden lodges run solely on solar power and stocked with luxury, eco-friendly brands such as Piglet bedding and Dark Arts coffee. Each cabin is also fitted with panoramic windows adjacent to the double or king size bed, allowing guests to wake naturally and swap blue light for starlight. 

At all of Unplugged’s cabins, guests lock their devices in a lockbox for four days (there’s a three-night minimum stay), and are given an old school Nokia for emergencies, a physical map, compass and a Polaroid camera. This is the scientifically-proven optimum time required to reap the wellbeing benefits of a true digital detox, which include: better sleep, reduced anxiety and stress, sharpened focus and productivity, improved mood and human connection. You’ll return from your Unplugged stay a new person. 

From £390 per cabin. 

Read more: The best new luxury hotels opening in 2026