{"id":141759,"date":"2025-10-24T01:50:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T01:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/141759\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T01:50:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T01:50:15","slug":"the-top-trending-destinations-for-2026-travel-revealed-by-expedia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/141759\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top Trending Destinations For 2026 Travel, Revealed By Expedia"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re always down for a new travel trend<\/a>.\u00a0Whether it be the renaissance of train travel<\/a>, cruises becoming cool again<\/a>, or slower-paced trips<\/a>, they\u2019re always on the money. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we were intrigued by Expedia<\/a> naming the top trending destinations for 2026. The online travel agency has collated real-time search data from its app and website to uncover which hotspots across the world are gaining traction among intrepid travellers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Top of the list is Big Sky<\/strong> in the US, which has seen search interest soar by 92 percent. Nestled in the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountains in Montana,<\/a> Big Sky is a skiing haven, with 4,350 vertical feet and more than 250 runs. In the summer, there\u2019s\u00a0mountain biking, ziplining, hiking and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Alpine
\nPhotograph: Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Okinawa<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is the second-most trending spot in Expedia\u2019s list, up by 71 percent. While Japan<\/a> is best-known for the buzzing nightlife of Tokyo<\/a> and the ancient heritage of Kyoto<\/a>, Okinawa is an island haven, home to\u00a0blue waters, white sand\u00a0and\u00a0the Iriomote jungle, a treasure trove of natural beauty (if you\u2019re lucky, you might spot the rare Iriomote wildcat).<\/p>\n

Rounding out the top three is Sardinia<\/a><\/strong> in Italy<\/a>, with interest up by 63 percent. In-the-know travellers have long seen the island as a winning alternative to Sicily<\/a>, or the mainland\u2019s more popular beachy enclaves, like the Amalfi Coast. Of course, no trip to Italy is complete without gorging on local cuisine and in Sardinia, you\u2019ll find some of the best fresh seafood in the country. There\u2019s also plenty to do aside from restaurant-hopping and sunbathing, from exploring ancient sites like the Nuraghe of Barumini or scaling up the Gorropu Gorge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other destinations included the UK\u2019s only entry on the list<\/a>, the Cotswolds<\/a>, where visitors can live out their British countryside fantasies; the capital of Tasmania<\/a>, Hobart; and the snow-capped peaks of Savoie, in the French Alps. Read the full list below.<\/p>\n

The biggest travel destinations in\u00a02026, according to Expedia<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  1. Big Sky, US<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  2. Okinawa, Japan<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  3. Sardinia, Italy<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  4. Phu Quoc, Vietnam<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  5. Savoie, France<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  6. Fort Walton Beach, US<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  7. Ucluelet, Canada<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  8. The Cotswolds, UK<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  9. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  10. Hobart, Australia<\/li>\n

    \n<\/ol>\n

    ICYMI: This is Europe’s best destination for guaranteed winter sun this season.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Plus: The best travel destinations for 2026 have been named by National Geographic<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Stay in the loop: sign up to our\u00a0<\/strong>free Time Out Travel newsletter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019re always down for a new travel trend.\u00a0Whether it be the renaissance of train travel, cruises becoming cool…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[25438,79,13429,18,19,17,13430,4319],"class_list":{"0":"post-141759","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-audience-location-audience-worldwide","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-categories-travel","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-news-transport-travel","15":"tag-travel"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115426638424573021","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}