From Palau to Phnom Penh — where to travel in 2026

Grocery shopping, reading and beauty are set to top Skyscanner’s list of the top travel trends for 2026.

The flight comparison website has released its 2026 Travel Trends report, offering a snapshot into how Brits will be looking to travel in the months ahead – and where.

The reasons we travel are diverse, but this year, one standout theme (according to the report) is an increase in people looking to travel for food, solo and a for a bit of peace and quiet.

According to a survey, 43 per cent of travellers will be looking to explore grocery stores while abroad, while 13 per cent are planning to shop for local skincare and beauty products (interestingly, 15 per cent of travellers also admit to doing their beauty routine mid-flight).

Getting lost in a good book also seems to be a trend; 40 per cent of people apparently want to travel places simply so they can get away from it all and read. Reading is also influencing the destinations people want to travel – a third of people plan to visit a destination mentioned in a book, while 18 per cent are planning to stay in book-themed accommodation.

In an age of self-care, it also seems as though hotels are disproportionately influencing where we travel: 45 per cent of travellers have picked a destination based purely on accommodation, which rises to 61 per cent for Gen Z.

But where are we going? Japan and Iceland are once again on the list of top trending destinations for next year, though Salerno in Italy has apparently seen the largest percentage increase in searches for Brits – with a 211 per cent increase.

That’s followed by Koror in Palau and Kochi in Japan – as well as Bilbao in Spain, which has seen a 97 per cent increase.

Salerno, Italy (Shutterstock / Boris Stroujko)

Salerno, Italy: +211%

Koror, Palau: +156%

Kochi, Japan: +106%

Bilbao, Spain: +97%

Rabat, Morocco: +87%

Akureyri, Iceland: +83%

Rijeka, Croatia: +75%

Kaunas, Lithuania: +59%

St John’s, Canada: +58%

St George’s, Grenada: +56%

In terms of good value, some of the best destinations aren’t that far from home. Cologne in Germany has seen a 44 per cent drop in flight prices in the last year, while Kaunas in Lithuania is 31 per cent cheaper and Madeira in Portugal is 26 per cent cheaper.

Tbilisi, in Georgia, also looks to be an attractive destination: flights there are 21 per cent cheaper than usual. Or of course, you could head for Goa in India, where flight prices are down 34 per cent.