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.
Travel as Self-Expression for Gen Z
For Gen Z, travel is less about ticking off classic bucket-list sights 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.
40% Gen Z plan to seek out beauty treatments or skincare stores while traveling next year, and they are far more likely than Baby Boomers (6%) to prioritise beauty-focused activities abroad.
TikTok’s BeautyTok community acts as both a catalogue and recommendation engine, nudging travellers toward destinations known for facials, clinics, K‑beauty stores, or cult product hotspots. Food habits are shifting too, with Skyscanner dubbing the rise of “Shelf Discovery” as supermarket tourism goes mainstream…
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