Gen Z is stepping into 2026 with a radically personal, tech-driven approach to travel, turning trips into extensions of identity rather than just escapes from everyday life.
New insights from Skyscanner’s 2026 Travel Trends report show that 52% of Gen Z are planning more trips abroad in 2026 , with their choices shaped by beauty culture, AI tools, supermarket “safaris,” and a desire for deeper connections.
and more about curating experiences that align with passions like beauty, art, nature, food, and self-care. Instead of rigid, milestone-style itineraries, they are building trips around what feels “most them,” from mountain resets to bookstore crawls or skincare-led city breaks.
Viral formats such as BookTok , GRWMs, and “girl dinner” are influencing where they go, what they do, and how they share it, turning TikTok and Instagram into real-time mood boards for destination inspiration.
Lourdes Losada , Director of Americas at Skyscanner , said that “Gen Z is rewriting the travel playbook,” describing their trips as expressive, intentional, and deeply shaped by the cultural trends they live every day.
Whether chasing global beauty rituals or spontaneous meet‑ups abroad, this cohort is setting the tone for how travel will look in 2026 and beyond. Glowmads, BeautyTok, and “Shelf Discovery” Beauty is becoming a major travel driver under Skyscanner’s “Glowmads” trend…
