Travel in 2027: The year of the anti-optimised holiday

Lemongrass Marketing’s 2027 Travel Trend Report reveals travellers are moving away from bucket lists, biohacking and AI-generated itineraries towards deeper, slower and more emotional experiences

5th October 2026: Forget the jam-packed travel itinerary. In 2027, travellers will be less interested in seeing and doing more – and far more interested in feeling better, going deeper and experiencing travel on their own terms.

That is the headline finding from Lemongrass Marketing’s 2027 Travel Trend Report, which identifies 15 interconnected trends set to shape the global travel and hospitality industry over the next 12 months.

The report reveals a fundamental shift in traveller behaviour: after years of optimisation, hyper-personalisation and pressure to make every trip count, people are increasingly seeking restoration over achievement, depth over volume, connection over consumption and trust over noise.

Five overarching forces sit behind the trends: Human Sustainability; Depth and Meaning; Joy and Connection; Trust in an AI World; and Intentional Consumption.

The Lemongrass Travel Trend Report brings together perspectives from a diverse panel of leading voices across travel and beyond, from travel explorer and author Levison Wood, academics Esther Sternberg M.D. and Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand, and bookshop pioneer Starlin Marot, to wellness experts, leading travel editors and travel futurists –whose insight and commentary help unpack the forces shaping the traveller of tomorrow.

In 2027, the traveller is asking: “How do I want to feel?”

Mirjam Peternek McCartney, CEO and Founder of Lemongrass Marketing, says: “For years, travel has been caught up in the language of optimisation - more destinations, more experiences, more personalisation and more efficiency. But our 2027 trends suggest that travellers are beginning to ask a much more human question: how do I want to feel?

“This isn’t a rejection of technology, luxury or ambition. It’s a recalibration. People want travel that gives something back – whether that means feeling calmer, understanding a place more deeply, connecting with other people, or simply having the freedom to enjoy a moment without having to maximise it.

“The really interesting thing is how interconnected these trends are. AI makes human judgement more valuable. A desire for restoration drives slower travel. Information overload creates a hunger for depth and expertise. Economic uncertainty makes luxury more intentional.”

The five headline travel trends for 2027

1. The anti-optimised holiday

The era of the jam-packed itinerary is losing momentum. Travellers are tiring of holidays that feel like another productivity exercise and are instead looking for simpler itineraries, longer stays, fewer destinations and more unstructured time. The ultimate luxury? Permission to do nothing.

2. Nervous system design

Wellness is moving beyond treatments, diagnostics and biohacking. Hotels and destinations will increasingly design the entire environment around restoration, from lighting and acoustics to nature, nutrition, movement and human connection.

The best wellness experience may increasingly be the one guests barely notice – because they simply feel better.

3. From bucket list to depth list

AI can now tell us almost everything about a destination before we arrive. The result is a growing appetite for what algorithms cannot replicate: genuine understanding and human judgement.

Expert-led experiences, cultural trails, literature, history, architecture, workshops and local conversations will increasingly replace the pursuit of “hidden gems” and checklists.

4. Epistemic vigilance and the AI trust gap

As AI makes destination research almost effortless, trust becomes the new differentiator.

Travellers are becoming more alert to AI-generated information, synthetic imagery and sponsored recommendations – increasing the value of first-hand knowledge, local expertise and human judgement.

In 2027, trust, “we’ve been there and seen it first-hand”, may become one of the most powerful assets a tour operator or travel agent can have.

5. Luxury’s great trade-off

Luxury is not disappearing. It is becoming more strategic. Travellers are increasingly deciding where to splurge and where to save – perhaps flying economy to stay in an exceptional hotel or choosing one extraordinary holiday over several average ones.

Understanding what a traveller will compromise on, and what they absolutely will not, will be key.

The ten supporting trends to watch

Alongside these five overarching shifts, the report identifies ten further trends that reveal how the changing relationship between people, places, technology and consumption will play out across the industry.

6. Male reset

A changing conversation around masculinity is creating a new travel market for men seeking physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Fitness, nature, mindfulness and outdoor experiences are increasingly being used to facilitate connection, resilience and meaningful friendship, rather than simply performance.

7. From coolcations to adapted destinations

Climate change is changing not just where people travel, but what they expect destinations to be able to cope with.

Rather than simply escaping heat, travellers will increasingly value adaptable destinations with resilient infrastructure, flexible experiences, strong local knowledge and tourism businesses able to respond when conditions change.

8. Citizen science

Travellers are moving from observing nature to actively participating in its protection. Wildlife monitoring, water sampling and recording species can transform nature-based travel into something more meaningful – giving guests a role in conservation while creating a deeper connection with the places they visit.

9. Earned travel

Convenience has become ubiquitous – and that is precisely why travellers are beginning to crave friction.

From navigating remote landscapes to embracing independent discovery, serendipity, uncertainty and effort are becoming part of the appeal. The journey is no longer simply about getting somewhere; the discovery itself is the experience.

10. The joy economy

Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, economic pressure, climate anxiety and digital overwhelm, travellers are actively seeking joy.

Not performative happiness or luxury for luxury’s sake, but play, surprise, connection and experiences that make people feel genuinely alive. Travel is increasingly becoming a form of emotional restoration.

11. Mystic outlands

Fantasy, folklore and storytelling are pulling travellers towards atmospheric landscapes that offer wonder and escape.

Dark skies, ancient forests, literary connections and folklore-rich destinations are becoming powerful tourism assets as travellers seek to step into another world, not simply another destination.

12. Female narratives

Travel is increasingly being experienced through voices that have historically been overlooked.

Female guides, historians, conservationists, chefs, artists, entrepreneurs and community leaders are bringing new perspectives to destinations – shifting the question from simply where are we going? to who gets to tell the story?

13. The giving journey

Travellers increasingly want to leave places better than they found them, but meaningful contribution needs to be locally led.

The opportunity for travel brands is to connect guests with credible conservation and community initiatives, making positive participation accessible without falling into the pitfalls of traditional voluntourism.

14. Journeys without sacrifice or sermon

Sustainable travel is shedding its association with compromise.

Rail, for example, is increasingly attractive not simply because it is a more responsible option, but because the journey can be more comfortable, scenic, flexible and enjoyable.

Sustainability wins when it delivers the better experience – not when travellers are told they should choose it.

15. Near is the new far

Distance is losing some of its aspirational power. With time, cost and continuing global uncertainty increasingly influencing decisions, domestic, regional and short-haul travel is gaining appeal.

Staycations, rail journeys, off-season breaks and nearby international destinations offer flexibility, lower logistical stress and the ability to escape without spending hours getting there.

Travel’s next chapter is more human

The 2027 Travel Trend Report from Lemongrass ultimately points to an optimistic shift. Travellers are not retreating from the world. They are recalibrating their relationship with it – choosing fewer but deeper experiences, prioritising wellbeing without turning it into another performance, questioning what they are told and placing greater value on genuine human connection.

For the travel industry, the message is clear: the next generation of successful travel experiences will not simply be more personalised, more luxurious or more technologically advanced. They will be more meaningful.

Mirjam Peternek McCartney concludes: “The opportunity for travel brands in 2027 is to stop thinking about trends in isolation and start responding to the deeper human needs connecting them. Perhaps that’s the most hopeful trend of all.”

The Lemongrass Marketing Annual Travel Trend Report 2027 can be accessed here 

ENDS

For further information, please contact: Jo McConnell, Lemongrass Marketing: E:jo@lemongrassmarketing.com

Notes to Editors 

Lemongrass Marketing helps travel brands get found, be trusted and get booked. 

Lemongrass Marketing is an award-winning communications agency for travel, hospitality and wellness brands.

The way people choose where to travel has changed. They might ask AI, read a magazine article, search on Google, watch a video or follow a recommendation on social media. Often, they will do several of these things before they book. 

Lemongrass Marketing brings PR, digital PR, SEO, AI visibility, content and creator marketing together in one strategy, helping travel brands show up in the right places with a clear and trusted story – so more people can find them, trust them and ultimately book with them.

A certified B Corp™ and two-time Sunday Times Best Places to Work winner, Lemongrass Marketing has spent 20 years helping travel brands grow in ways that are good for business, people and place.

lemongrassmarketing.com

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Editors notes

Award-winning PR, Digital PR and Content Marketing Agency for Travel Brands