Pick & Mix Travel, Summer Shade & Final Travel Boss: Omio's NowNext 2026-2027 Travel Report Reveals The Top Six Trends Shaping Journeys For The Year Ahead
43% want to travel more often, as travellers consider multi-stop trips, heat-aware holiday plans, and level up their travel-planning game.
BERLIN, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Omio, the leading multimodal travel booking platform, released the 3rd edition of its annual NowNext Travel Report, developed in partnership with YouGov.
Travel demand remains strong, but the landscape is shifting as travellers adapt their trips in response to financial pressures, personal passions and extreme heat. The report includes the TRAVEL NOW barometer, reflecting on the current-day status of last year's insights, with TRAVEL NEXT exploring six emerging trends in how consumers want to tailor their holidays over the next 12 months. YouGov surveyed 8,505 adults in Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US. The report is based on 7,357 respondents with any likelihood of travelling in the next 12 months.
TRAVEL NOW
- TRAVEL RISING: 73% say they are likely to take, or have already booked, a holiday or leisure trip in the next 12 months, while 43% want to travel more often, up from 32% who selected the comparable response in 2025.
- HOME & AWAY: 66% expect to travel within their own country, while 46% expect to visit another country within their continent.
- ASIA APPEALS: Among regions outside respondents' own continent, Asia leads at 18%, up from 13% in 2025.
- THE TACTFUL TOURIST: Over the past two years, concerns about tourism pressures have affected some travellers' decisions and behaviours. Reported changes include travelling outside the busiest season (22%) and researching local attitudes or visitor rules (15%).
- WORLDWIDE WEARY: 75% report that global events or disruption will influence how they plan their trips in at least one way. More than a third (36%) will choose destinations perceived as safe and stable.
- MONEY MATTERS: 78% expect to take at least one action to manage travel spending, led by searching for better deals or planning flexibly (32%), travelling off-season (30%) and planning further ahead (29%).
- TRIP OR BUST: Gen Z are more determined than ever to make a trip happen. 34% plan further ahead versus 23% of baby boomers, and 26% reduce other spending versus 16% of baby boomers.
TRAVEL NEXT
PICK & MIX TRAVEL
From taking a train to another city to catching a ferry to an island, multi-stop trips let travellers build bespoke itineraries and get more from one holiday. In the next 12 months, 48% are planning or seriously considering a holiday with multiple destinations within the same country or region. Among those who have taken, are planning or seriously considering such a trip, 35% say it makes a holiday more varied, memorable or special, while 31% want a fuller sense of a country or region. Better use of time or money appeals to 30%; 27% like combining familiar and lesser-known places, and 27% want the journeys between stops to be part of the experience.
TRAVEL, RETREAT, RELAX, REPEAT
While tripmaxxing appeals to some, others want to slow things down. In our fast-paced world, familiar places and less demanding holidays offer a welcome change of pace. Asked which types of holiday sound more appealing now than a few years ago, 30% cite returning to a familiar destination and 30% a trip mainly for rest. Ease matters too: 25% favour a destination that is easy to reach and navigate, while 22% say staying in one place rather than moving between stops has become more appealing. For 14%, choosing somewhere predictable is more appealing.
SUMMER SHADE
Coolcations can mean more than heading somewhere cooler. Asked what they would consider when planning a future holiday or leisure trip during hot weather, 76% selected at least one specific way to adapt. Travelling in a different month or season leads at 37%, while 21% would consider a cooler or higher-altitude destination or add a cooler stop. Heat can shape the trip itself too: 23% would consider restructuring their day around cooler hours, and 29% would consider adapting the timing, route or transport mode of a journey.
FANS GO THE DISTANCE
Travelling for big events and hobbies isn't new, but the sacrifices enthusiasts are prepared to make to get there are revealing. When asked what they have done, would seriously or may consider for a passion-led trip, 71% selected visiting a destination they would not otherwise have considered, 64% spending significantly more, and 61% accepting a longer or less comfortable journey. The trade-offs reach beyond the journey: 60% selected using most of their annual leave, 54% giving up or postponing another holiday and 51% missing or rearranging an important personal occasion or commitment.
IN SEARCH OF CONNECTIONS
While we rely on smartphones more than ever, shared journeys can still make space for conversation. When travelling by train, bus, plane, or ferry, 78% express at least conditional openness to interacting with people they don't already know, compared with 14% who would prefer to keep to themselves or their current companions. That openness takes different forms: 25% enjoy meeting and getting to know new people, 24% welcome conversations about the trip or destination, and 22% enjoy unexpected connections while travelling.
FINAL TRAVEL BOSS
It might be 2026, but planning travel still has pain points. Among travellers who took a holiday or leisure trip involving multiple bookings, destinations, or transport connections in the past two years, 68% reported at least one planning or trip-management issue. 16% said one person ended up responsible for most of the planning and travel administration, while 14% had to track bookings and tickets across different emails, apps or websites. Travellers are also levelling up their preparations with practical steps and digital tools: 83% generally take at least one action to reduce the impact of possible disruption. These include checking for planned disruption, strikes or severe weather (36%), leaving extra time between connections (30%) and using a travel app to monitor the journey and receive live updates (23%).
Naren Shaam, CEO of Omio, said: "Travellers are increasingly looking to be proactive and shape journeys around their own priorities - from multi-stop trips to slower, familiar holidays - while being prepared to adapt when plans change. Our goal is to make increased complexity easier to manage, giving consumers more control, while leaving space for the spontaneous human connections that make journeys truly memorable. At Omio, we're building an AI-native platform that helps travellers discover, compare and book the right journey for them, with less friction from inspiration to destination."
Read the full NowNext 2026-2027 Travel Report:
https://www.omio.com/nownext-report
Methodology
Omio developed the NowNext 2026-2027 Travel Report in partnership with YouGov, a renowned international online research data group. The total sample size was 8,505 adults in the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, the USA, and Brazil, of whom 7,357 said they were very likely/somewhat likely/not very likely or didn't know whether they would take a holiday or leisure trip in the next 12 months. The report is based on respondents with any likelihood of travelling in the next 12 months (excluding not at all likely). Fieldwork was undertaken between 3 and 10 September 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted equally by country to produce an 'average' value.
The report also includes proprietary Omio user data.
About Omio
Omio is the world's leading multimodal travel platform, moving more than one passenger every second. Omio makes complex journeys across modes, borders and operators easier to plan, navigate and book. Part of Omio Group's wider portfolio of global travel brands, Omio supports its customers in their desire to explore more of the world by train, bus, flight and ferry, with bookable travel from over 3,000 transport providers across 54+ markets. Omio is powered by an international team from over 50 countries, working across offices in Berlin, Prague, Bangalore and Singapore. omio.com
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