From Whycation to Participation: What Tripadvisor’s 2026 Data Reveals About How We Travel Now

We’re already in 2026, and the industry has been circling around one big idea: intention.

Last year, Hilton introduced the concept of the “Whycation,” arguing that trips are increasingly driven by emotional motivation rather than geography. I discussed that shift on the CoStar News Hotels podcast with Stephanie Ricca, where we explored skillcations, analog resets, and the growing desire for connection over consumption.

We’ve also looked at Skyscanner’s 2026 Travel Trends, which framed indulgence through a more intentional lens, and Expedia’s Unpack ’26 report, which spotlighted slower exploration, farm stays, and skill-building.

Now Tripadvisor’s Trendcast 2026 adds something slightly different to the conversation: behavioral proof.

Developed with consumer forecaster Stylus and grounded in millions of bookings, reviews, and forum conversations, the report shows how that intention is translating into actual purchase decisions.

And what travelers are buying is involvement in the experience itself.

Sweat Jetting

Active travel is no longer a niche segment quietly ticking along in the background. It is shaping demand in visible ways.

“Mara-cations” and “race-cations” have moved from buzzword to booking pattern, with athletes and their crews building entire itineraries around start lines rather than sightseeing. Major marathon weekends now generate extraordinary surges in visitation in host cities, according to Tripadvisor:

• +300% Chicago Marathon

• +228% Boston Marathon

• +222% Berlin Marathon

And it’s not limited to road races. Travelers are heading to places like Chamonix to run mountain routes or tackling ultra-marathons in destinations such as Patagonia, turning endurance events into full-scale travel moments.

Beyond race weekends, experiential outdoor activity continues to climb. Glacier tours and heli-hiking are seeing sustained growth, reinforcing the idea that movement is no longer a side activity.

What stands out is not simply the appetite for fitness, but how central it has become to identity. For many travelers, the marathon is the trip. The glacier hike becomes the story they tell long after the stay. Fitness is no longer something squeezed in before breakfast; it is often the reason to book in the first place.

Investigative Drinking

Wine tours have evolved into something more granular and more curious.

Travelers are seeking hyper-regional, ingredient-driven experiences that feel educational rather than indulgent:

• +280% matcha experiences in Japan

• +55% soju experiences in South Korea

• +36% mezcal and pulque experiences in Mexico

This curiosity extends into the zero-proof space, where travelers are frequenting bars built around local botanicals and craft mocktails.

The shift here feels less about restraint and more about depth. People want to understand what they are drinking, how it is made, where it is grown, and who is behind it. The tasting becomes a conversation, not just a pour.

credit: Tripadvisor 2026 Trendcast

Future Foodists

Food tourism continues to surge, but it is moving well beyond restaurant reservations.

Tripadvisor reports:

• +36% street food tours

• +25% culinary and gourmet tours

• +466% bookings at Seoul’s Gwangjang Market

  
  

Travelers are spending mornings wandering through markets, talking to vendors, and signing up for hands-on classes where they learn to make something themselves. Craft and artisanal workshops are up 75 percent year over year.

This is where the “skillcation” theme becomes tangible. Guests are not simply dining well; they are rolling pasta with a nonna, learning how cacao is fermented, or understanding why a particular grain matters to a region. The meal becomes part of a larger narrative.

Extreme and On the Edge

Adventure travel is also gaining ground, particularly experiences that feel challenging but guided.

• +79% lava field excursions

• +29% glacier tours

• +34% cliff jumping and diving

What stands out is how accessible these experiences have become. Structured tours, improved infrastructure, and knowledgeable guides are bringing once-intimidating environments into reach for a broader audience.

The appeal lies not only in the scenery but in the sense of accomplishment. Travelers are increasingly returning home with more stories about what they did - the climb, the jump, the icy plunge - and less about the property they stayed in.

It’s a Kid’s World

Family travel is becoming more participatory and increasingly shaped by children and teenagers.

Experience bookings with children’s tickets have risen:

• +19% overall experiences

• +40% heritage tours

• +47% cooking classes

Parents are designing itineraries around shared activities, from K-pop experiences in Seoul to pizza-making classes in Rome. Children are not simply along for the ride. They are influencing where the family goes and what they do once they arrive.

This reflects themes Hilton highlighted in its Whycation report around skip-generation travel and family influence. Tripadvisor’s booking data shows how that influence is translating into actual purchasing behavior.

We heard a similar perspective at 50 Best Unpacked in London, where Simon Lynch, Global Product Director at Scott Dunn, put it bluntly. “Eighty-five percent of parents say their teenager’s happiness determines where they travel,” he said. “Yet most luxury brands don’t even show teens in their marketing. Meanwhile, dogs are everywhere. They’re celebrated by almost every property you can think of. And yes, dogs are wonderful, but they’re never going to become your future guests. Teenagers will.”

We'll get into pets in a bit, but Simon's sharp observation about teens aligns closely with the data. Family travel is no longer about keeping children occupied while adults relax. It is increasingly being designed around shared participation and around the next generation.

Thrill of the Find

Retail experiences, too, are moving toward involvement. Bookings for local and authentic shopping and crafts experiences are up year over year:

• +60% vintage discovery tours

• +75% craft classes

• +52% hands-on local workshops

Travelers are gravitating toward objects with provenance and process. A hand-thrown ceramic bowl from a workshop in Portugal carries a different kind of memory than something purchased in an airport boutique. The souvenir now has a backstory, often one the traveler helped create.

Flex-Lux

One of the more interesting shifts identified in Tripadvisor’s Trendcast 2026 is what it calls “Flex-Lux,” a move toward modular luxury experiences.

High-end travel once required full commitment. The buyout villa. The private jet charter. The fully private dining room. Increasingly, however, travelers are carving out smaller slices of that experience.

Tripadvisor’s data shows rising demand for these more flexible luxury formats:

• +80% bookings for hotel and resort day passes

• +53% private guided tours

• +17% semi-private tours

  
  

The report highlights how hotels and restaurants are responding. Where private dining rooms once required significant spend, semi-private pods and enclosed spaces now offer a similar sense of exclusivity at a lower threshold. Craft in New York has created curtained spaces for intimate groups. The Summerhouse in Singapore has introduced geodesic garden domes. At the Shangri-La in Bengaluru, rooftop dining cabins provide privacy without requiring a full venue buyout.

Tripadvisor also points to platforms such as ResortPass, which allow guests to book five-star pools or spas for the day without an overnight stay. Even aviation has followed suit, with companies like Aero selling single seats on charter-style flights to destinations such as Aspen, Napa, Maui, and Los Cabos.

Luxury is being restructured around access, and around offering more of it.

Humanized Hospitality

Perhaps most telling is the continued emphasis on local connection. Tripadvisor data shows:

• +38% bookings with local guides

• +20% increase in reviews positively mentioning hosts

Despite constant industry conversation about AI, the data suggests travelers are prioritizing human expertise. Guides, artisans, concierges, and hosts are being called out by name in reviews.

Technology may facilitate personalization in the background, but the emotional value remains deeply human.

Soft Clubbing

Nightlife is evolving, and not necessarily in the direction many expected. The traditional model of velvet ropes and late-night excess has not disappeared, but it is no longer the only template. A growing segment of travelers is seeking music experiences that feel communal, immersive, and in some cases restorative.

Tripadvisor’s data reflects that shift:

• +29% bookings for DJ sets on the water

• +64% mentions of listening bars in reviews and forums

The report highlights the rise of sober dance movements such as Daybreaker, which pairs DJs with yoga and freestyle dancing across more than 60 cities. Coffee raves are transforming cafés into daytime music venues, while in London, sauna raves blend wellness and club culture in unexpected ways.

Listening bars have also moved into the mainstream. From Tokyo’s Bar Martha to New York’s Public Records, vinyl-driven spaces built around high-fidelity sound systems are attracting travelers who want to experience music with intention rather than volume.

What unites these formats is not excess, but intention. Travelers are still seeking energy and connection. They are simply choosing settings that feel more grounded and less transactional.

credit: Tripadvisor 2026 Trendcast

Bow WOW: VIP (Very Important Pet) Tourism

Yes, even pet travel reflects this broader evolution.

• +260% bookings for dog-welcome experiences

• +760% cat-related experiences

• +36% experiences with rescue animals

  
  

Pets are now firmly integrated into travel planning, reinforcing how broadly travelers define family and shared experience.

The Direction of Travel

When you step back, the progression across the various reports becomes clearer.

Hilton reframed travel around intention with the Whycation. Skyscanner and Expedia reinforced the move toward slower, more meaningful itineraries. Tripadvisor’s booking and review data shows how that intention is now playing out in real time.

Travelers are not simply seeking beautiful destinations. They are choosing experiences that require engagement. Learning a craft. Training for a race. Exploring a market. Traveling with family or pets.

The room may anchor the stay, but increasingly, it is the experiences around it that shape demand, influence reviews, and determine what guests remember. If the latest data is any indication, that is where the competitive edge now lies.