As travellers rewrite their playbooks, Booking.com’s 10th annual Travel Predictions reveal a powerful trend: travel is no longer about escape, but self-expression. Based on insights from 29,733 travellers across 33 countries and territories, including 1,033 from New Zealand, the research outlines ten defining shifts shaping how the world will explore in 2026.
“In 2026, travel is becoming a reflection of who people truly are, with journeys built around interests that perhaps in the past felt too niche or bold to explore. From Hobbiton’s rolling hills to Fiordland’s ethereal fjords, New Zealand continues to inspire romantasy-style escapes and introspective road trips alike,” says Melissa Ellison, Area Manager for New Zealand, Booking.com.
“Kiwi travellers embrace a future of tourism that’s partly AI-driven and highly personalised, yet also quieter, slower, and more intentional. Whether that’s a campervan journey through Te Waipounamu or a weekend retreat in Waiheke Island, they are stress-testing relationships, stepping into fantasy worlds, turning their kitchens into reflections of their journeys, and looking at new ways to experience road trips and vacation rentals with enhanced technology features.”
The 2026 travel predictions reflect a future where fantasy, technology, emotion, and sustainability collide to create trips that are built not around landmarks, but individuality.
1. Romantasy Retreats: Escaping Into Enchanted Worlds
For centuries, books have been travel companions. In 2026, with romantasy exploding in popularity, they become portals. More than half of Kiwi travellers are ready to follow their favourite fantasy worlds into reality: 58% say they’d visit a romantasy-inspired destination, and 42% are open to a role-play retreat based on a beloved book, game, or film.
Technology is part of the transformation: 71% are open to AI-powered suggestions that match fantasy aesthetics, recommend secluded “storybook” stays, or pinpoint real-world filming locations. With its Tolkien landscapes and cinematic scenery, New Zealand is positioned as the world’s ultimate romantasy backdrop, a place where imagination and geography blur.
2. Humanoid Homes: The Future of Vacation Rentals
In 2026, holiday homes evolve into something more futuristic: humanoid homes. These robotic-enhanced rentals merge comfort, sustainability, and novelty. 69% of Kiwi travellers are open to booking a stay assisted by cleaning bots or robotic chefs, and 53% say cleaning bots would influence their choice. 44% are most excited about a robot preparing their meals, while 23% want robots managing sustainability behind the scenes.
Beyond convenience, 28% are intrigued by the novelty, and 20% by the bragging rights of staying somewhere that feels straight out of science fiction. This new category combines curiosity with luxury, creating the perfect blend of comfort and innovation.
3. Turbulence Test: Love, Friendship, and Teamwork on Trial
In 2026, holidays double as the ultimate compatibility test. Nearly 61% of Kiwi travellers are open to taking a trip with a potential partner, colleague, or new friend specifically to see how well they connect. More than half (58%) would travel to a remote location to test how companions handle discomfort, and 52% are intrigued by role-reversal retreats where the usual planner hands over control.
54% would even embrace travel with severe constraints, such as budget limits, language barriers, or minimal connectivity, while 67% would take the backseat to see if their travel partner steps up. Gen Z travellers (79%) are the most experimental, using custom itineraries to test adaptability and teamwork.
4. Shelf-ie Souvenirs: Turning Kitchen Shelves into Cultural Showcases
In 2026, souvenirs shift from novelty to nourishment. 55% of Kiwi travellers would buy design-led kitchenware or pantry items on vacation, while 47% would even travel to destinations known for their pantry products or artisan ceramics.
It’s a reflection of a deeper movement: 22% of travellers say edible souvenirs help them relive their journeys each time they cook, and 19% value items that showcase local craft, sustainability, and tradition. Kitchens become personal galleries of global culture, a shelf of stories instead of magnets.
5. Roadtrip Rewired: Embracing Shared Journeys on the Open Road
The open road is being redefined. 77% of Kiwi travellers are open to carpooling on holiday, and 45% would use an app to find others on the same route. 75% love the spontaneity of shared road trips, 73% are drawn to the social connection, and 78% appreciate shared driving duties.
Younger generations are especially adaptive: 68% of Gen Z Kiwis would use self-drive or AI-guided routes, compared with 44% of Boomers. Meanwhile, 55% of all Kiwi travellers would use AI or generative AI to map scenic, off-the-beaten-track drives. Roadtrip Rewired transforms independence into shared discovery, freedom with a playlist and company.
6. Destined-ations: Travel Written in the Stars
In 2026, astrology guides the suitcase. 42% of Kiwi travellers say they’d change or cancel plans if a spiritual advisor or guide warned against the timing, while 37% would reconsider trips based on horoscope advice. 32% would adjust plans if Mercury was in retrograde, and 33% plan holidays aligned with celestial events like solstices or moon phases.
Among younger generations, this alignment is even stronger: 46% of Gen Z and 47% of Millennials actively consider mystical or astrological cues. For them, travel becomes an act of spiritual timing; a journey written in the stars.
7. Glow-cations: Skincare Specific Travel, Driven by Tech
The wellness trip gets a high-tech glow-up. 70% of Kiwi travellers are open to booking a glow-cation that includes multiple treatments tailored to their skin’s needs. 45% would use AI to find destinations aligned with their skincare requirements, while 65% are open to personalised hydration stations and 54% to smart mirrors offering real-time skin analysis.
Meanwhile, 70% are drawn to suites designed with circadian lighting and soundscapes that enhance sleep and skin repair. From DNA and microbiome testing to thermal rituals and tech-led beauty diagnostics, glow-cations turn travel into a form of renewal that shows on the outside.
8. Hushed Hobbies: Quiet Pursuits for a Louder Sense of Calm
Silence is the new luxury. 34% of Kiwi travellers say they would holiday specifically to feel closer to nature (including 43% of Gen Z), while 21% want slower, quieter pastimes like birdwatching, fishing, and foraging. Over 51% would consider moth or butterfly watching, 72% would enjoy birdwatching or fishing, and 61% would choose stays that include foraging for meals.
Technology has a supporting role, helping identify species or track seasonal migrations, but the real appeal lies in stillness. In 2026, serenity is status.
9. PastPorts: Where Memories Become Destinations
Nostalgia gets a GPS pin. 60% of Kiwi travellers say they would use AI-powered photo mapping to revisit the exact locations of meaningful moments. 53% would recreate those trips with family or friends, 45% seek destinations that make them feel young or connected, and 39% see these journeys as milestones, a way to reflect, reconnect, or find closure.
With technology turning a memory into a map, travel becomes both retrospective and restorative. A return not just to places, but to versions of ourselves.
10. Modern Milestone Missions: Travel That Celebrates You
The new luxury? Celebrating yourself. 64% of Kiwi travellers say they don’t need a traditional reason to travel, and 75% justify a trip simply because they’ve worked hard and deserve it. 19% would visit a dream destination just because they want to, while 22% would travel to mark a new job or tax refund. 14% would book a trip after a breakup, and 20% would travel to celebrate sobriety or a fitness milestone.
“At Booking.com, we’re continuously evolving to make it easier for everyone to experience the world and fully lean into their dream trips by offering more choice, flexibility and convenience than ever before,” says Ellison.
This is travel as self-recognition, not waiting for permission, occasion, or validation. In 2026, the destination is the reward.
Learn more about Booking.com’s 2026 Travel Predictions.
