Forget the picture-perfect itinerary. Booking.com’s 11th annual Travel Predictionsreleased October 14, 2026 and based on 28,230 travelers surveyed in July and August, found that 2027 is the year travel goes off-script. I connected with Ian Ackland, Managing Director, Americas at Booking.com, and he walked me through the findings, including the one that caught his own team off guard.
The 2027 travel trend that surprised Booking.com’s own team
Booking.com found that 79% of U.S. travelers want a vacation that’s completely out of character, the heart of its Plot Twist Trip trend for 2027. Photo courtesy of Booking.com.
(Yagi Studio / Photo courtesy of Booking.com)“The Plot Twist trend was a plot twist for us, too,” Ackland told me. “After years of perfectly curated trips on social media, 32% of travelers have deleted or avoided posting about a vacation because it felt too predictable or ordinary. To me, that says people want a trip worth sharing. Seventy-nine percent want a vacation that’s completely out of character, and 47% want to shock friends and family with their destination. Travelers are challenging expectations. They want trips that say something different about who they are.”
Why travelers are cutting friends from group trips in 2027
More than half of travelers have reconsidered who to invite on a trip because of spending differences, according to Booking.com’s Social Currency findings. Photo courtesy of Booking.com.
(Lighthouse Films / Photo courtesy of Booking.com)The survey also caught travelers getting candid about money and company. Among U.S. travelers, 67% of parents want to go on a child-free vacation so they can spend more on themselves. “What stood out to me was how direct people are becoming about their needs,” Ackland shared. “Our Social Currency insights found that more than half (53%) of travelers have reconsidered who they invite on a trip because of differences in spending, and 41% have cut people from group trips altogether. Some are upfront about money with friends. Others use a long hike to have a difficult conversation as a couple. Either way, travelers are putting their own needs first, instead of compromising to keep everyone happy.”
Outside research agrees. A 2025 Experian survey found that over half of Gen Z and millennial travelers had clashed with friends over money on a trip. Also, one in five had ended a friendship because of it.
Monterey, California leads Booking.com’s 2027 trending destinations
Monterey’s harbor at dusk. The California coastal city made Booking.com’s list of trending destinations for 2027. Photo courtesy of Booking.com.
(David Madison / Photo courtesy of Booking.com)Booking.com’s 2027 trending destinationsdrawn from its 1,000 most-booked places between January and June 2026 and ranked by year-over-year growth, include Reims, Sendai, Rosario, Puri, Christchurch, Bratislava, Goiânia, Pescara, and Asunción. They also include a California coastal city about two hours south of San Francisco.
Ackland ties this to one of the nine trends. He said, “Monterey, California, one of our 2027 trending destinations, is a great example of our Sweat Synergy trend. Travelers want more than traditional sightseeing. They want to do challenging outdoor activities with others. In Monterey, that could mean kayaking through kelp forests alongside sea otters or cycling coastal trails.”
Challenging outdoor activities with others define Booking.com’s Sweat Synergy trend, and Monterey’s coastal trails deliver. Photo courtesy of Booking.com.
(Manuel Sulzer / Photo courtesy of Booking.com)The sweat part has science behind it, too. University of Oxford researchers found that rowers training in sync released more endorphins than when they trained alone. As for where to recover, Ackland knows where he’d go. “Spindrift Inn makes a great base for all of it. This intimate, 42-room boutique property sits right on the water, with harbor views and direct access to the coastal trail. The historic waterfront is within walking distance. Travelers are where they want to be, during and after a day outdoors.”
Why mood, not maps, is deciding where people travel in 2027
Booking.com found that 82% of U.S. travelers would pick a destination based on how they want to feel rather than where they want to go. Photo courtesy of Booking.com.
(Stanislaw Pytel / Photo courtesy of Booking.com)Ackland sees one pattern running underneath all nine trends. “Travelers are increasingly looking for trips that fit their real lives, not just their social feeds. In 2027, they’re prioritizing personal utility over what looks good online,” he explained. “When stressed, 82% of travelers book based purely on mood. When work threatens to intrude, they want AI to manage their inbox. And when budgets are tight, they set clear boundaries on who joins them. Travel is becoming a way to address real-life tensions, not just to check off tourist attractions.”
Booking.com calls the mood-first approach Vibe Check (In), and 76% of U.S. travelers would use a tool that recommends a destination based on their emotional state. Even the paranormal is on the table: 72% say they’re interested in paranormal travel experiences. The outdoors keeps coming up for a reason, too. A Scientific Reports study of nearly 20,000 people linked at least 120 minutes a week in nature to better health and higher wellbeing.
The best trips of 2027 may be the ones nobody saw coming. Where are you hoping to go next year?
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Source: creators.yahoo.com
