Luxury Travel Trends Your Clients Will Be Asking About in 2026

Last month, a client called asking about something I'd never heard of: a "digital detox safari" in Botswana where they confiscate your phone at check-in. Five years ago, that would've sounded like a punishment. Now there's a six-month waitlist.

That's luxury travel in 2026—constantly evolving, often surprising, and increasingly about what you don't do rather than what you consume.

I've spent the past few weeks talking to suppliers, analyzing booking patterns, and attending industry events. Here's what I'm seeing—and what your clients will likely be asking about this year.

The Rise of "Transformative" Travel

Luxury used to mean thread count and champagne. Now it means coming home different than you left.

What This Looks Like

Clients aren't asking "What can I see?" They're asking "Who will I be after this trip?" This shows up in requests for:

• Wellness immersions: Not spa weekends, but week-long programs with measurable health outcomes
• Skill acquisition: Learning to sail, cook regional cuisine, or speak a new language—with real proficiency
• Spiritual journeys: Meditation retreats, pilgrimages, and experiences designed for inner reflection
• Physical challenges: Climbing Kilimanjaro, cycling Vietnam, swimming between Greek islands

I just booked a couple on a two-week ceramics program in Japan. They'll live with a master potter, work in his studio daily, and create pieces they'll bring home. The cost? More than most luxury beach vacations. The waitlist? Over a year.

How to Serve This Trend

Position yourself as a curator of transformative experiences, not just a booker of luxury hotels. This means:

• Asking deeper questions about what clients want from travel beyond relaxation
• Building relationships with specialized operators and retreat centers
• Understanding the logistics of complex, multi-component experiences
• Being comfortable with longer planning timelines

Hyper-Personalization Is No Longer Optional

"Luxury" increasingly means "exactly what I want, exactly when I want it, with no friction." Your clients expect you to know them—and to use that knowledge.

What Clients Expect

• Pre-arrival preferences communicated to hotels without having to repeat them
• Itineraries that reflect their actual interests, not generic highlights
• Dietary needs, accessibility requirements, and quirks handled invisibly
• Recommendations that improve over time as you learn their tastes

One of my clients travels with her own pillow (a specific Japanese buckwheat model). She doesn't mention it anymore—she just expects me to inform every hotel. That's the level of personalization that earns loyalty.

Technology Enables This

Use your CRM properly. After every trip, I update client profiles with:

• What they loved and what they didn't mention (often more telling)
• Specific room preferences, dining styles, activity levels
• Names of travel companions and their preferences
• Future trip ideas they mentioned

This information is gold. It lets you anticipate rather than react.

Multi-Generational Travel Goes Mainstream

The pandemic accelerated a trend that was already building: families want to travel together—all of them. Grandparents, parents, kids, sometimes extended family too.

The Challenge

Multi-generational groups are logistically complex:

• Vastly different activity levels and interests
• Various dietary needs and sleep schedules
• Competing desires for together time and privacy
• Budget disparities within the same family

The Opportunity

Families who successfully pull off these trips become fiercely loyal clients. They'll book with you again because they've seen how complicated it is to coordinate themselves.

What works:

• Villa rentals with multiple bedrooms and communal spaces
• Cruise itineraries where everyone can do their own thing during the day
• All-inclusive resorts with programming for every age group
• Adventure lodges with varied activity options

I recently planned a three-generation trip to Costa Rica: zip-lining for the teenagers, gentle nature walks for grandma, spa time for the parents, and wildlife watching everyone loved. The key was finding a property that could accommodate all of it without anyone feeling left out.

Sustainability Becomes Non-Negotiable

This shift happened faster than I expected. Five years ago, sustainability was a nice-to-have. Now it's a requirement for a significant portion of luxury travelers.

What Clients Are Asking

• "Is this hotel genuinely sustainable or just greenwashing?"
• "Can we travel without flying, or with fewer flights?"
• "How does this trip benefit local communities?"
• "What's the environmental impact of this cruise line?"

They're also willing to pay for it. Properties with genuine sustainability credentials can command premiums—and they're filling up faster than conventional alternatives.

How to Respond

Educate yourself on sustainability credentials:

• Know which certifications are meaningful vs. marketing
• Build relationships with properties doing real work
• Be prepared to explain the trade-offs honestly
• Don't greenwash—sophisticated clients will see through it

Some clients want carbon-neutral travel at any cost. Others want to do better but won't sacrifice the Four Seasons for a eco-lodge. Meet them where they are.

The Return of Service

Here's a countertrend to the "experiences over things" movement: after years of self-service technology and staff shortages, luxury travelers are desperate for actual human service.

What This Means

• Hotels with high staff-to-guest ratios are thriving
• Butler service and personal concierges are in demand
• Clients will pay significant premiums for guaranteed human interaction
• Technology should be invisible, not the interface

I've had multiple clients specifically request properties known for their service culture—Aman, Four Seasons, Peninsula—even when the rooms aren't the newest or the locations aren't the trendiest. They want to be taken care of by people who are excellent at taking care of people.

Your Role

As an advisor, you're part of this service ecosystem. Your responsiveness, attention to detail, and genuine care are competitive advantages that no app can replicate.

Destination Deep Dives Over Highlights

The whistle-stop tour is dying. Luxury clients increasingly want to know one place well rather than skim five.

The Shift

Instead of: 10 days, 5 European capitals Now: 10 days, one region of Portugal

Instead of: Safari in Kenya, beach in Zanzibar, quick stop in Rwanda Now: Two weeks exploring different ecosystems within Tanzania

Why This Matters

• Slower travel is easier on the body (especially for older clients)
• Deeper experiences create richer memories
• Less logistics means fewer things that can go wrong
• Environmental impact is lower with fewer flights

I'm booking longer stays at fewer properties than ever before. A week at one safari camp instead of three nights at four. Ten days in one Japanese ryokan region instead of bullet-training across the country.

Wellness Integration, Not Wellness Trips

Wellness used to be a trip category. Now it's expected everywhere.

What Clients Want

• Healthy food options at every property (not just spa cuisine)
• Fitness facilities that are actually usable
• Sleep-focused amenities: blackout curtains, quality mattresses, no noise
• Spa and wellness services available without booking a "wellness retreat"

The distinction between a "wellness trip" and a "regular trip with wellness elements" is blurring. Clients want to feel good on every vacation, not just designated healthy ones.

How to Deliver

When evaluating properties, consider:

• Quality of the gym (a single treadmill doesn't count)
• Menu flexibility for dietary needs
• Room features that support good sleep
• Availability of yoga, meditation, or fitness programming
• Spa quality and appointment availability

Authentic Cultural Connection

"Authentic" is an overused word in travel marketing, but the desire behind it is real. Luxury clients want to feel like they've actually connected with a place and its people—not just observed it from a comfortable distance.

What This Looks Like

• Home dining experiences: Meals in private homes with local families
• Artisan encounters: Visiting workshops where traditional crafts are actually made
• Community projects: Meaningful volunteer opportunities (not performative)
• Local guides: People with genuine expertise and personal stories
• Behind-the-scenes access: Experiences not available to regular tourists

One of my favorite suppliers offers access to private collections in European cities—art that's not in museums, owned by families who've had it for generations. The homeowner gives the tour, tells the family stories, serves coffee. It costs more than a museum visit, but clients remember it forever.

What This Means for Your Business

These trends aren't just interesting observations—they're opportunities to differentiate yourself and serve clients better.

Position Yourself

Decide which trends align with your interests and expertise:

• If sustainability matters to you, become the expert your network turns to
• If you love logistics, multi-generational travel is your complexity to master
• If you're drawn to meaningful experiences, transformative travel is your niche

You don't have to serve every trend. You have to serve the ones that fit your practice.

Invest in Knowledge

These sophisticated experiences require sophisticated knowledge:

• Visit properties that are leading these trends
• Build relationships with specialized operators
• Attend training focused on emerging luxury segments
• Travel yourself, intentionally exploring these trends

Charge Appropriately

Complex, personalized, transformative travel takes more time to plan. Your fees should reflect that. Clients seeking these experiences understand value—they're not looking for the cheapest option.

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