UNPACK ’26 SUMMER TRAVEL TRENDS: DOMESTIC DEMAND RISES AND HOTEL PRICES DROP IN POPULAR INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS

May 21 2026 08:00 BST

Hotel hopping boom: travellers double up stays to chase live events and make the most of bleisure escapes this summer

Kick Off or Take Off? Football fever sends fans to host cities as savvy travellers head elsewhere for deals

Lights, camera… getaway: film and TV hits spark a summer surge in screen‑inspired travel

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2026-- Today,Expedia Group has released its Unpack ’26 Summer: The Trends in Travel, the latest edition of its industry-leading report, revealing how travel behaviour is shaping summer travel decisions.

Demand for domestic travel is dominating summer holiday planning. Social conversation about domestic holidays has increased by 77% year-over-year globally, while 45% of Britons are more interested in UK breaks than they were last summer.* From major sporting events and concerts to screen-inspired travel, Unpack ’26 Summer builds on insights from the flagship Unpack ’26: The Trends in Travel™ report to highlight where travellers are headed this summer. Each trend is backed by first-party data from Expedia® and Hotels.com®, as well as insights from travellers and social listening.

“This summer, travel isn’t slowing down - it’s being reshaped,” said Melanie Fish, Travel Expert and Spokesperson at Expedia Group. “As major global events and rising costs influence decisions, travellers are either staying closer to home or seeking out destinations where they can get more for their money.”

Expedia - Destinations of the Summer

Domestic travel is shaping up to be the season’s unexpected but understandable travel trend. Rather than far-flung destinations, more travellers are gravitating towards nearby escapes, from beach towns to walking trails just a short drive or quick flight away. Searches for coastal towns like Scarborough and Tenby are up 40% this summer, and interest in rural destinations or hotspots with easy access to national parks have spiked too.

2026 Destinations of the Summer – The Stay-Here Summer
Destination	% Search Increase	Key Draw(s)
Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire	90%	Historic market town, access to rural walking routes
Sudbury, Suffolk	60%	Scenic countryside, arts and antiques, gateway to Constable Country
Reading, Berkshire	60%	Riverside walks, dining and easy London access
Nottinghamshire	40%	Castles, stately homes and Sherwood Forest
Scarborough, North Yorkshire	40%	Classic British seaside resort
Harrogate, North Yorkshire	40%	Elegant spa town and Yorkshire Dales gateway
Tenby, Pembrokeshire	35%	Tenby Harbour, Caldey Island (accessible by boat) and Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Glasgow	30%	Live music, nightlife and museums
Paisley, Renfrewshire	30%	Paisley Abbey and cultural / textile heritage
Canterbury, Kent	30%	UNESCO-listed cathedral city with historic charm

Explore the Destinations of the Summer.

Hotels.com -Hotel Hop Summer

Hotel Hopping - booking multiple hotels on a single trip - is gaining momentum as travellers look to experience more of the destination and make the most of their stays, with demand increasing during the summer season.

This summer, key motivations for hotel hopping include:

Event Hopping — Hotel hoppers are planning their summer hotel stays around events to see their favourite musical artist or cheer on their favourite sports teams. Pairing a hotel near the concert venue or stadium with a second stay in a different part of the city means travellers can experience more of the destination in one trip.
- Sing along to Harry Styles in London (12 June – 4 July): Stay at Abbey Point Hotel for the show, then hop to Leonardo Royal London St Paul’s to be right where the London action is.
- Indulge in strawberries and cream at Wimbledon (29 June – 12 July): Stay at the Pelican London Hotel & Residence for the matches, then hop to the boutique St Paul’s Hotel in Hammersmith for its lively mix of entertainment and cultural venues.
- Feel the thrill at the British Grand Prix (2-5 July): Stay at The Greyhound Coaching Inn in the charming town of Lutterworth for the race weekend, then hop to Stanbrook Abbey near Worcester for a quintessentially romantic countryside retreat.

Bleisure Hopping — There’s no better time to add a leisure stay onto a business trip than summer. Bleisure travel is trending online with over 165k mentions, and the hottest destinations dominating social conversations for bleisure hotel hopping include*:
- Helsinki (+71%): Stay at the Solo Sokos Hotel near Stockmann, then hop to Espoo to stay at Noli Otaniemi and explore Nuuksio National Park.
- London (+47%): Stay at The Ned near Borough Market, then hop to Brighton to stay at the Sea Spray to enjoy the coast.
- Oslo (+46%): Stay at the Karl Johan Hotel just steps from Norwegian Parliament, and then hop to the Sundvolden Hotel near King’s View to enjoy golf and the on-site spa.
- Paris (+24%): Stay at Le Cinq Codet near Rue Cler, then hop to the French countryside and stay at Château de Courcelles near Reims.
- Other trending summer bleisure destinations: Cape Cod (+97%), Lake Michigan (+88%), Seoul (+36%), Chicago (+35%), Sao Paulo (+28%), and Boston (+23%).

Check out Hotel Hop Summer combinations.

Kick Off or Take Off?

With the world gearing up for the major football moment in North America this summer, traveller behaviour is diverging. Sports fans are booking last-minute trips to host cities to be part of the excitement, while others are heading elsewhere to take advantage of lighter crowds and lower prices in popular destinations across Europe, Asia, and South America.

As football anticipation builds, interest is surging across North American host cities in June and July. Kansas City, US; Philadelphia, US; and Monterrey, Mexico, are topping the list of destinations for fans eager to watch a match in person.

2026’s Kick-Off Destinations*
Destination	% Search Increase	Destination	% Search Increase
Kansas City, U.S.	+700%	Boston, U.S.	+80%
Philadelphia, U.S.	+210%	Los Angeles, U.S.	+60%
Monterrey, Mexico	+210%	Seattle, U.S.	+55%
Atlanta, U.S.	+200%	Miami, U.S.	+45%
Houston, U.S.	+120%	Vancouver, Canada	+40%
Dallas, U.S.	+115%	Toronto, Canada	+25%
Guadalajara, Mexico	+95%	San Francisco, U.S.	+25%
Mexico City, Mexico	+85%	New Jersey, U.S.	+20%

While match-day crowds are concentrating in North America, deal-seekers are travelling elsewhere. Average daily rates for hotels in some popular European, Asian, and South American holiday spots are down nearly 25% this summer even as interest has climbed over 35% year-over-year on average, making these destinations a compelling alternative for travellers looking to escape the games and find better value.

2026’s Take-Off Destinations*
Destination	% Decrease in Average Daily Rate	Destination	% Decrease in Average Daily Rate
Fukuoka, Japan	-35%	Courchevel, France	-20%
Buenos Aires, Argentina	-35%	Krabi, Thailand	-20%
Nara, Japan	-30%	Manchester, U.K.	-15%
Thasos, Greece	-30%	São Sebastião, Brazil	-15%
Shenzhen, China	-25%	Kyoto, Japan	-15%

The 2026 Set-Jetting Summer Forecast

From streaming hits to blockbuster films, Set-Jetting - travel inspired by TV shows and movies - continues to shape summer demand. Expedia first spotted the Set-Jetting trend in 2022 and predicted a surge in interest in 2026 for destinations like Yorkshire, inspired by Wuthering Heights; Samoa (Polynesia) and Hawaii inspired by the soon-to-be-released Moana (Live Action); and Peloponnese, Greece, inspired by the upcoming The Odyssey as part of the Unpack ’26 forecast.

Several destinations, both expected contenders and surprise breakouts, have since emerged as Set-Jetting standouts this year:

Yorkshire — Search interest spiked by 60% in the first six weeks after the release of the Emily Brontë adaptation, and searches for this summer are up 35% year-over-year.
Muskoka, Canada — Interest climbed by 110% after the debut of Heated Rivalry, alongside strong interest in other featured cities including Boston (+85%), Montreal (+65%), and Toronto (+55%).
Rome — As Emily in Parisexpanded its storyline in season 5, so did interest from fans of the show, with searches for the city increasing by 35% in the two months after the season dropped.

With an influx of films and shows planned for summer releases, the 2026 Summer Set-Jetting Forecast highlights a fresh slate of screen-inspired destinations poised to transform on-screen scenes into warm-weather travel plans, from the vibrant, cultural streets of Glasgow, to the dramatic peaks of Italy’s Dolomites.

The 2026 Summer Set-Jetting Forecast
Destination	Film/Series Inspiration
Rhode Island, U.S.	The Real Housewives of Rhode Island
Devon	Sense and Sensibility
The Dolomites, Italy	Cliffhanger
Glasgow	Mint and Half Man
Australia	Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad