12
For those who’ve been studying Wander for some time, you would possibly smile at Curated Areas’ new 2026 Journey Development Forecast—not as a result of the insights aren’t contemporary or fascinating (they’re), however as a result of so many of those actions really feel like residence turf. Studying retreats, nature as drugs, quiet creativity, digital detoxing, deeply private journey… our group has been exploring these concepts for years.
However what this new forecast does superbly is affirm a shift occurring at scale: travellers all over the place are craving what our readers have identified all alongside. That slowing down is highly effective. That magnificence is a balm. That inspiration is greatest discovered offline. That style, instinct, and belief—not algorithms—will information the following period of significant exploration.
Curated Areas, the tastemaker-powered reserving platform that’s shortly changing into a favorite amongst design lovers and soulful travellers, has distilled six defining actions shaping how we’ll journey in 2026. Drawn from visitor behaviour, cultural shifts, and co-founder Molly Cooper’s conversations with aware hoteliers throughout the UK, these tendencies learn much less like predictions and extra like a manifesto for intentional residing.
And perhaps that’s what makes them so thrilling.
1. Soulful Journey & the Pull of Nostalgia
In a world shifting too quick, nostalgia has quietly turn out to be journey’s most resonant emotion. Searches for heritage stays are hovering, and friends are more and more drawn to locations that really feel lived-in, storied, and superbly acquainted.
Assume whimsical reimaginings of historic hamlets, weathered inns scented with salt and oak, and prepare journeys that gradual you down sufficient to listen to your personal ideas once more.
“These are experiences that awaken all of the senses and anchor us in place”, says Molly Cooper. “There’s consolation within the acquainted, however reimagined by way of a contemporary, soulful lens.”
It’s a return to gradual luxurious—not the type outlined by extra, however by emotional richness. Heritage structure. Tactile design. Menus impressed by reminiscence. Journeys that invite pause.
Wander readers will acknowledge this intuition instantly. We’ve lengthy championed soulful journey—the type that stirs one thing historical and restorative in you. In 2026, the remainder of the world is catching up.
2. Bookbound Escapes & the Rise of Studying Retreats
For those who’ve ever fantasized about operating away with a stack of novels and 0 digital distractions, you’re in wonderful firm. A exceptional 91% of travellers now specific curiosity in reading-centred journeys, and reading-related journey searches are spiking throughout the web.
As Cooper places it, “Quiet is a luxurious.”
Studying retreats provide a type of relaxation that few trendy holidays can match: deep focus, uninterrupted time, and the permission to decelerate in a approach that feels nearly radical.
Locations like Cowley Manor—birthplace of Alice in Wonderland—or Miiro Templeton Backyard, whose literary lineage spans Beatrix Potter to Agatha Christie, are reimagining journey as a portal to creativeness.
At Wander, we’ve coated studying retreats for years, lengthy earlier than they grew to become a development. However it’s heartening to see this motion formally acknowledged as a pillar of wellbeing. In 2026, the bookish getaway formally steps into the highlight.
3. The Period of You: Journey as Self-Expression
Maybe essentially the most highly effective shift highlighted within the forecast is the rise of hyper-personal journey. Not within the “AI-curated itinerary” sense—however within the deeply human approach of crafting journeys that mirror who we’re, what we worth, and what we’re craving for.
Curation is changing consumption. Individuals don’t simply wish to go someplace new—they wish to specific who they’re by way of the place they keep.
Solo journey continues its meteoric rise, significantly amongst ladies, and design-led stays are leaning into personalization. At Louma in Dorset, as an illustration, each visitor receives a singular itinerary crafted particularly for them—from horseback using to craniosacral remedy.
At Wander, we’ve all the time believed journey is an act of self-definition. 2026 merely codifies that fact on a cultural stage.
4. Nature as Antidote: Digital Fatigue Meets “Farm Allure”
Digital overwhelm has reached a cultural tipping level, and travellers are responding with a profound return to nature.
Curiosity in farm stays is skyrocketing. Rewilding tasks are drawing international consideration. Youthful travellers are reconnecting with gardening, wildlife, and rural quiet. “Farm Allure,” because the report calls it, is now not area of interest—it’s a main driver of wellness journey.
“Being in nature and escaping to the countryside have turn out to be highly effective antidotes to trendy life,” Cooper notes.
Coupled with the rise of digital detoxes and analogue wellness, the place travellers deliberately disconnect to recharge, we’re seeing wellness inside journey shift to a necessity.
For Wander readers, after all, that is acquainted floor. We’ve been exploring regenerative journey, forest bathing, and nature-first wellness for years. However seeing these values embraced internationally indicators one thing hopeful: a cultural recalibration towards steadiness.
5. Hushed Hobbies & the Artwork of Gradual Creativity
Among the many most pleasant tendencies is the rise of “hushed hobbies”—quiet, craft-driven pursuits that travellers are actively in search of out. Pottery, journaling, portray, foraging, flower urgent… even egg gathering has turn out to be a coveted morning ritual at locations like Fowlescombe Farm.
The worldwide craft market is hovering, with projections reaching $74.5B by 2031. Individuals aren’t simply trying to escape; they’re trying to make one thing—to the touch, to note, to create.
Calm will be curated.
These hobbies aren’t distractions; they’re grounding practices that reconnect us with presence. They flip journeys into tactile, memorable experiences that linger lengthy after we’ve returned residence.
6. Genuine Affect in an Age of AI
Right here is probably the development with essentially the most cultural weight: a rejection of algorithmic overwhelm in favour of actual, trusted voices.
Whereas many travellers stay inquisitive about AI influencers, precise belief lies with human curation. Time spent scrolling has dropped, and youthful generations are gravitating towards non-public, intentional digital areas—and creators who really feel actual.
Nobody’s on the lookout for extra content material. They’re on the lookout for connection.
Curated Areas was constructed on this philosophy. It’s basically a LikeToKnowIt for soulful journey: design-led stays hand-selected by tastemakers you already observe and belief—individuals who know the way a spot ought to really feel, not simply the way it images.
This shift seems like a pure evolution for Wander readers, who’ve all the time valued significant storytelling over noise. However it additionally indicators a broader cultural motion: the web is (hopefully) changing into extra human once more.
A Platform Constructed for the Future (and for Individuals Like Us)
Smooth-launched in 2025, Curated Areas was born from founder Molly Cooper’s frustration with outdated reserving programs and impersonal search outcomes. Her podcast—now an Apple High 10 Journey & Locations hit—revealed simply how hungry listeners have been for real steerage and human style.
As we speak, the platform options almost 100 design-forward stays, every chosen by tastemakers like Laura Jackson, Estée Lalonde, Alexandra Dudley, and Gina Goes To. Each property is bookable in seconds, with out membership charges or digital muddle.
It’s the type of platform Wander readers will immediately perceive: soulful, intentional, superbly environment friendly.
What This Means for Wander Readers
The 2026 tendencies don’t simply mirror the place journey goes—they validate the place aware travellers already are.
For those who’ve ever chosen a studying retreat over a resort, sought stillness over spectacle, embraced a quiet passion on vacation, or trusted a creator’s suggestion over an algorithm… you’re main the best way.
Journey is changing into extra private, extra expressive, extra linked, extra human.
In different phrases: extra Wander.