ALL Accor and Globetrender have released a new report outlining how experiential travel is evolving in 2026, with emotions, moods and shared moments increasingly guiding how and why people travel.
ALL Accor has published a new global report, Experiential Travel Trends 2026, identifying eight trends it believes will shape experiential travel in 2026. Produced in partnership with Globetrender, the study looks at how travellers are responding to a period marked by economic, social and environmental uncertainty by placing greater value on emotional experiences rather than material goods.
The report analyses these emotional drivers through a custom framework created by Globetrender, the “Vibe Menu”, with each trend linked to a dominant emotional state. Built upon data from an international study analysing the behavour of thousands of travellers, the report finds that travel is increasingly used as a way to manage stress, seek connection and create memorable moments. Rather than choosing destinations purely by location, many people are now guided by how a trip makes them feel.
According to the research, 25% of travellers would like their online travel search to begin with a mood rather than a place, signalling a shift towards emotion-led decision making in experiential travel. Additionally, almost all travellers (97%) agree that travel helps them recharge emotionally.
Jenny Southan, founder of Globetrender, says: “What this research reveals is a shift in how people are using travel in their lives. Travel has become an emotional regulator – a way to boost joy, manage stress, foster connection or reconnect with nature. Rather than asking ‘where should I go?’, travellers are starting with ‘how do I want to feel?’, shaping trips around moods, moments and memories. The Vibe Menu gives language and structure to this change, helping brands respond to travellers who are prioritising meaning, emotion and shared experiences over material rewards.”
The first trend, the Endorphin Economy, focuses on the pull of live events such as concerts, sports fixtures and festivals. The study shows that 89% of travellers believe live events make travel worthwhile, with major cultural and sporting moments becoming key reasons to book trips.
ALL Accor points to experiences such as watching concerts from private spaces at Paris’s Accor Arena or viewing the Monaco Grand Prix from hotel balconies as examples of how accommodation and events are becoming more closely connected.
The second trend, Hyper Playgrounds, reflects a growing desire for playful, immersive environments that offer relief from highly structured daily lives. Travellers are seeking sensory stimulation and surprise through interactive museums, immersive art and visually bold hotels.
The research shows that 31.5% of travellers actively look for hotels with playful design, while 43% are drawn to restaurants that incorporate performance or theatre into dining.
Portable Lifestyles is driven by the rise of remote and hybrid working. The report finds that 95% of travellers believe it is important to maintain elements of their usual lifestyle while travelling, including work routines, fitness habits and food preferences. Hotels and travel platforms are responding by offering spaces that combine accommodation, coworking and social areas, allowing people to move more freely without feeling disconnected from daily life.
Social Wellness focuses on the idea that wellbeing is increasingly a shared experience. The research shows that 84.5% of travellers are seeking deeper connections with others and 59% associate wellbeing with shared social moments. Group saunas, communal fitness activities and collective wellness rituals are replacing solitary retreats, with hotels positioning spas and wellness facilities as social spaces rather than quiet zones.
Nostalgia plays a central role in the Memory Lanes trend. As digital saturation increases, 87% of travellers say they feel nostalgic for a time when life felt simpler and less dominated by screens. Many are seeking experiences rooted in history, tradition and tangible rituals. Hotels with long histories, classic interiors or links to popular culture are benefiting from this renewed interest in the past.
Earth Syncing reflects a desire to reconnect with natural rhythms. The report finds that 59% of travellers feel disconnected from nature, while 69% have planned trips specifically to experience seasonal events such as cherry blossom, autumn foliage or the northern lights. This trend is about slowing down and aligning travel with natural cycles to find a sense of calm.
Unfiltered Journeys responds to fatigue with social media and over-planned trips. According to the study, 63.5% of travellers now avoid destinations they see as overexposed, while 82% prefer recommendations from locals or people they meet along the way. While technology still plays a role in organising travel, it is increasingly used to simplify logistics rather than dictate experiences, leaving room for spontaneity and surprise.
The final trend, Points Maxxing, looks at how loyalty programmes are evolving. The research shows that 72% of travellers value access to unique experiences over traditional rewards, with one in three loyalty members using points for exceptional moments rather than discounts or upgrades. ALL Accor highlights experiences such as staying in a hotel suite overlooking a football pitch or accessing restricted cultural events through points-based auctions.
Alix Boulnois, chief digital and tech officer at Accor, says: “The essence of travel is evolving. As people seek deeper meaning and connection, emotions guide their journeys. This report shows Accor’s commitment to understanding and shaping these new expectations. With ALL Accor, we are not just responding to these shifts. We are actively leading, leveraging a blend of human insight and strategic use of technology, including AI, to craft unique and deeply personal experiences across our brands that truly resonate with what our guests want to feel. Our focus remains on the guest, enriched by innovation.”
The experiential travel report draws on a 2025 consumer survey conducted by Dynata among 4,300 travellers across nine countries, including the UK, US, France, Germany and China. Together, the findings suggest that the future of travel will be shaped less by geography and more by emotion, with mood-led experiences becoming central to how people choose where and why they travel.
