And you thought holidays were, well, holidays. A simple happy getaway. No themes. No jargon. No budget airlines. No Instagram. And certainly no suitcases with wheels. But holidays have evolved immensely and have acquired their own sub-vocabulary. Forget the buzz of sustainable and eco-tourism, now there’s Pop Culting. Hushpitality, Calmcation, Frolleagues. And Noctourism (nocturnal + tourism) that has been named India’s Travel Word of the Year for 2025 by Booking.com. So much has changed.
According to Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report, road trips will be favoured over flights; travellers will be making space for solo time by adding extra travel days before or after family vacations; travellers will take more time off to explore a personal passion or hobby; multi-generation trips to skip-gen (sending children on holiday with grandparents) getaways will gain ground.
In 2026, travellers will find their groove. Rather than lean exclusively on generative AI travel planning tools, an emergent wave of TravelMixology will see people flit between platforms and technologies, according to Amadeus Travel Trends 2026.
Pop Culting
Pop culture tourism refers to travel inspired by entertainment and media, such as movies, TV shows, music, social media trends, and celebrity culture.
Where to go: Liverpool for The Beatles, Tokyo for manga/anime, Seoul for K-Pop, Paris (Emily in Paris), Dubrovnik, Croatia (Game of Thrones’ King’s Landing), Matamata. New Zealand (Home to Hobbiton from The Lord of the Rings & Hobbit), London (Sherlock Holmes), Bath, England (Bridgerton), Virgin Voyages’ True Crime cruises, Alberta, Canada (The Last of Us); Thailand (The White Lotus).
Passioncation
These holidays are centred on specific interests like baking or wine or food, architecture etc.
Where to go for wine lovers: Bordeaux, Champagne (France), Duoro, Portugal, one of the world’s oldest demarcated wine regions, Napa Valley (California), Hunter Valley (Australia), Wine Route (South Africa).
Where to go for food lovers: Kuala Lumpur & Penang (Malaysia), Hanoi (Vietnam), Brussels, Ghent (Belgium), Paris (France), New York City, New Orleans (USA), Tokyo, Mexico City, Seoul (South Korea), San Sebastián (Spain).
Where to go for architecture lovers: Chicago (USA), Rome (Italy), Athens (Greece), Lisbon (Portugal), Paris (France), Berlin (Germany), Brasilia (Brazil), Dubai.
Noctourism
A portmanteau word (nocturnal and tourism), Noctourism is a travel trend where people are preferring night-time experiences including star-gazing, Northern lights, night safaris, night food trails. Even ghost tours and sleeping under the skies.
Where to go: Stargazing in NambiRand Nature Reserve (South Africa), Atacama Desert (Chile), Aoraki Mackenzie, Lake Tekapo (New Zealand); Northern Lights (Iceland, Finland); Truffle hunting at night in Piedmont (Italy); Nightly Penguin Parada on Summerland Beach (90 miles from Melbourne, Australia); Sleep at Everest Base Camp; Ghost Hunt by Lantern Light in Stockholm (Sweden); opt for Dark Therapy (staying in the dark for extended periods of time).
Calmacation
Also called Quietcation and Hushpitality, Calmcations are mindful breaks focused on rest, rejuvenation and stress reduction – driven by the desire to escape the compounding stresses of life. Booking.com’s Travel Predictions 2025 revealed that 83% of Indian travellers were interested in longevity retreats for deep revitalisation.
Where to go: The Cotswolds (England); Bhutan; Luang Prabang (Laos); West Cork (Ireland); Porto (Portugal); Bodrum (Türkiye); Dead Sea (Jordan, Israel).
Frolleagues Holiday
Work-life blended trips celebrating coworkers who double up as friends - balancing productivity with shared discovery. According to Hilton Travel Trends 2025, nearly 30% of global travellers (29%) often travel with Frolleagues on leisure trips.
Where to go: Sri Lanka, Thailand, Dubai, Singapore; Rio de Janeiro
Bogota, Colombia Provincial in South America; Washington, D.C.
Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL in North America.
Bucket List Breaks
Once-in-a-lifetime trips to finally experience the destinations or moments you’ve always dreamed.
Where to go: Machu Pichu (Peru); Antartica; Galapagos Islands (Ecuador); Masai Mara (Kenya); Great Barrier Reef (Australia); Amazon River trip (South America); Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Bhutan); Auschwitz Nazi Concentration Camps (Krakow, Poland); Dead Sea (Israel & Jordan); Chernobyl (Ukraine).
Eco-scape
Conscious travel to reduce individual environmental impact. An increasing priority for many Indian travellers with a majority (87%) of them stating their willingness to travel sustainably this year as per Booking.com’s Travel & Sustainability Report 2025.
Where to go: Costa Rica pioneered eco-tourism (opt for Lapa Rios and Nayara Springs eco-lodges); Bhutan that measures progress through Gross National Happiness and has a carbon-negative status, New Zealand’s Tiaki Promise (Care for New Zealand) urges tourists to be guardians of nature; Iceland’s ‘Leave No Trace’ campaign limits visitor access to fragile volcanic zones and glaciers; Finland is ranked the world’s most sustainable country; Slovenia has branded itself as a Green Destination with over 100 eco-certified municipalities (Source: earth5r.org).
Did you know?
• The word holiday stems from the Old English word Hāligdæg (Hālig = holy + dæg = day), originally referring to a day specially dedicated to religious observance or religious festivities; a religious festival or holy day.