What's the trend? The new golden age of luxury rail travel keeps gaining momentum, with demand surging year over year for slow-cruising itineraries that go, well, off the beaten track. Yes, many new lines have opened around the world. But many routes last only a few days. For instance, La Dolce Vita Orient Express launched eight round-trip itineraries, all departing from Rome, in April 2025, with each lasting from one to four nights. But well-heeled travellers want more than a few nights of Gilded Age cosplay – increasingly, they’re stringing together multiple luxury rail journeys into romantic, multiweek trips spent hopping from one train to the next.

Why will it matter in 2026? New routes to new destinations are driving the trend in 2026, with travel agencies packaging multi-rail journeys catering to the demand for luxury train hopping. Every segment of the rail market is seeing increased demand – but it’s the upper-market journeys that continue to steal the spotlight, which will continue into 2027 with the long-anticipated launch of a new Orient Express train from Accor.

What's the trend? Museums as institutions have struggled in recent years. Post-pandemic visitor numbers remain sluggish at some, and inflation has squeezed budgets at cultural venues worldwide. But in response, a big wave of openings and reopenings in 2026 challenges the notion of what museums can be. The V&A East Storehouse in London, which opened in 2025 ahead of its sister museum V&A East (spring 2026), signals the shift most clearly. Its innovative Order an Object service lets anyone request to see and photograph – and in some cases touch – items from its 250,000-plus collection. Things that were stored away become accessible rather than locked behind a glass display visitors walk past quietly. It’s one of many ways in which museums are changing the way the public interacts with their collections.

Why will it matter in 2026? The National Geographic Museum of Exploration opens in Washington DC this summer with a vision for what museums look like in the 2020s: a 100,000-square-foot space featuring a 400-seat immersive theatre, augmented reality exhibits that replace traditional display cases, and a nighttime courtyard experience with projection mapping and interactive media. Meanwhile, in Canada the reimagined Glenbow in Calgary finally reopens after four years, transforming from a windowless brutalist box into an accessible centre for art, opening collection storage areas across two floors to the public for the first time, and debuting a Conservation Lab where visitors watch conservators work behind the scenes. London Museum expands from 180,000 to 290,000 square feet and features a window where visitors watch Thameslink trains pass through the galleries while passengers catch a fleeting glimpse of museum displays. Extended opening hours are making museums more accessible, while even smaller institutions are reinventing themselves. In November 2025, the Portland Art Museum completed its celebrated expansion by putting one third of works never exhibited before on view, including 40 pieces by Indigenous artist Rick Bartow from its 3,500-object Native American collection representing 200 cultural groups. When institutions face existential questions about relevance, some are choosing radical transparency and expanded access, and that’s reshaping what a day – or night – at the museum looks like.

What’s the trend? We already know travelling to dine at a famous restaurant is a thing, but what about experiencing local cuisine in a different way? Visiting a local grocery or corner shop offers a window into day-to-day culinary customs without the pomp and circumstance of a restaurant. Different flavours of crisps, exotic fruit, regional soft drinks brands and unique sweets are just a few of the affordable treats one might find at the supermarket down the street from your hotel or Airbnb – and you can even bring some home (as long as it’s not fresh produce or meat). From the beloved 7-Elevens in Japan and Thailand to finding Nutella in an Italian supermarket without the added sugar, grocery stores are the new souvenir shops.

Why will it matter in 2026? Hilton’s 2026 trend report revealed that 48 per cent of travellers cook their own meals on holiday, and 77 per cent enjoy “grocery store tourism”. Skyscanner’s recent trend report backs this up: it found that 35 per cent of global travellers plan to check out or shop at local grocery stores during their next holiday. It's also a bona fide trend on TikTok, with more than 50 million posts related to grocery store travel. This trend dovetails with travellers’ desires to experience destinations more authentically, like those who live there do, offering a cultural deep dive into local life – which also happens to be affordable.

According to one trend report, 68 per cent of travellers say they would consider buying design-led kitchenware or pantry items on holiday, with 55 per cent saying they would even consider travelling to a destination specifically known for its pantry products or kitchenware. Perhaps unsurprisingly, even hotels are getting in on the trend, with many offering their own shops on the property.