UNPACK ’26: A Clarifying Review From Someone Who Has Actually Met Travelers

Expedia dropped their Unpack ’26 trends list this week, and listen… I love Expedia. I really do. They’re one of the only brands still putting real data behind human behavior instead of wishful thinking.

But also: I reserve the right to put on my glasses, tilt my head like your favorite troublemaking aunt, and lovingly clarify what these “trends” actually mean out in the wild.

Let’s unpack the Unpack. 💼✨

Fan Voyage

Expedia: Sports travel is booming.

Me, translating: People will cross three state lines to scream at grown men in coordinated polyester. And they will book the trip months before they figure out childcare.

The real lesson: If your destination is ignoring sports tourism, it’s leaving money on the field and praying no one notices.

Salvaged Stays

Expedia: Travelers love repurposed spaces and architectural storytelling.

Me, clarifying: “You’re sleeping in a building that used to be a factory / barn / schoolhouse / sanitarium, and the designer left the ghosts in for ambiance.”

We crave meaning, not drywall. Vibes, not greige. The industry keeps pretending this is new. It is not. It’s just finally cool.

Hotel Hop

Expedia: Multi-stop stays, mixing it up.

Me: Oh, so we’re dating hotels now.

This is bar-hopping, but for people who travel with packing cubes. Also the only known cure for couples who realize at check-in that they absolutely should not have taken a trip together.

Destinations: Create neighborhood playlists, not brochures.

Farm Charm

Expedia: Agritourism is trending.

Me: Yes, people are paying $900/night to pet a cow and touch grass like it’s a spa treatment.

In a world on fire, authenticity feels like medicine. Rural partners aren’t just “nice to have.” They’re emotional infrastructure.

Readaways

Expedia: Travelers want literary escapes.

Me: We’re all so fried we need a paperback to tell us how to be human again.

This is solo travel disguised as intellectualism. Build reading nooks, cozy corners, hammocks, and let people pretend they’re writing a novel that is absolutely never getting written.

Set-Jetting Forecast

Expedia: Screen-inspired travel is exploding.

Me: If HBO shoots a single scene in your town, even in a laundromat, brace yourself.

People want to step into the story. DMOs want to control the narrative. Production companies want to leave before someone asks them about parking permits.

The emotional truth: We want a place to feel like something.

So what does all this actually mean?

Tale as old as time, though we have to keep repeating it year after year, like a Ghost from Christmas Past stuck on loop:

Travelers aren’t following trends. Travelers are following feelings.

Connection. Escape. Identity. Novelty. A chance to be the main character without needing a stunt double.

Destinations that engineer conditions, not campaigns, will win 2026.

Data doesn’t predict the future, it confirms what humans already decided.

I’m Jenn Barbee, encouraging you to take this insight, run with it, and maybe scare your board a little.