10 Travel Media Trends Shaping 2026

Stylist has flagged multi-stop travel as a top reader trend. Younger travellers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, are embracing “hotel hopping” as a cost-effective way to maximise variety and value.  Over half of travellers now book multiple hotels within a single destination - and the same mindset is shaping whole itineraries, with travellers planning visits to multiple neighboring destinations within one trip; take our recent press release for Selective Asia as an example. 

Trend-led narratives matter more to the publication than ever because they reliably drive high traffic - a key priority in its digital strategy. Multi-destination pieces consistently outperform straightforward hotel reviews: they combine inspiration with practical planning value and deliver the sense of discovery readers want. From rail-linked city pairings to multi-island routes, travellers (and journalists) are making every trip work harder. 

Multi-stop travel is surging and editors are actively prioritising it.

Actions

• Collaborate with neighbouring tourist boards to develop joint press trips that attract and support visiting journalists. Read our recent blog on pooling budgets, here.
• Show how your location fits within a bigger journey.
• Pitch destinations as part of themed routes (culinary, island hops, rail networks).

Print isn’t dying, it’s levelling up. It’s become a luxury product built for depth, beauty and collectability. Journalists pitching for these kinds of prestige print titles are focusing on depth and photography-led stories and publishers are responding. Titles returning to print are doing so because Gen Z wants tangible, artful magazines they can keep, not scroll past. Take Tastebound and Secret Trips as an example. Others, like Olive, are reinventing themselves as luxury bookazines with more travel and experiential content, stepping away from the speed-driven world of online recipes. Today, print is where slow-travel narratives, striking imagery and crafted features live; quick news belongs online.

Actions

• Pitch immersive, photography-driven stories for print.
• Send fast news and time-sensitive updates to digital teams.
• Tailor angles to each platform’s pace and style.
• Keep in mind that print typically needs a much longer runway, often around three to four months, depending on the publication, while digital timelines tend to be more flexible.

More travel coverage is now being written by journalists whose main beat sits elsewhere. Style editors, fashion writers and even motoring journalists are increasingly taking on travel assignments, think Stylist’s Kitty McGee, GQ’s Mahalia Chang, or The Telegraph’s David Williams on road-trip features. With editorial teams shrinking, publications are leaning on in-house rather than commissioning specialist travel writers. Relying only on traditional “travel lists” means missing some of the most active voices right now.

Actions

• Build real relationships through media missions, roadshows and 1:1 meets.
• Tailor pitches to each journalist’s primary beat.
• Look beyond traditional travel databases to find new opportunities.

Financial pressures are subtly reshaping who gets to work in travel media. With freelance rates struggling to keep pace with inflation, AI reducing commissions, and travel costs less frequently covered, journalism is becoming harder to sustain for many early-career and underrepresented writers. As a result, the pool of voices shaping travel stories is becoming less diverse in terms of background, age and accessibility, a shift that naturally influences which narratives get told and which audiences feel seen.

Actions

• Ensure press opportunities are inclusive and accessible. Read our recent blog on hosting inclusive press trips, here. 
• Offer inclusive opportunities that support underrepresented and disabled creators.
• Pitch stories centred on accessible and neurodivergent travel as mainstream content.

Location is no longer a barrier. With digital nomadism and online media reshaping the industry, many UK-based journalists now pitch and publish across multiple markets, including the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We’re working with writers who regularly file for titles like Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes and HuffPost, often while based in the UK or travelling full-time. One journalist can now span several regions at once.

Actions

• Tailor press materials to what each market cares about most (e.g. US outlets favour convenience, DACH markets respond to nature-first stories, and the UK leans hard toward value).
• Always ask which publications a journalist is currently writing for - you might be surprised! 
• Build angles that translate across regions.
• Create market-specific versions of the same story to maximise relevance.

A glossy, stand-alone hotel review is no longer the golden PR moment it once was. Editors now want area-focused stories that explore what makes the neighbourhood special,  what’s new, what’s trending, what visitors can do, eat and experience, and why the location matters right now. This shift mirrors how travellers discover content: AI search now prioritises round-ups and local insight over isolated hotel results, while platforms like TikTok increasingly spotlight nearby attractions through features such as TikTok Nearby. For travel brands, locality-led storytelling isn’t optional anymore, it’s essential.

Actions

• Pitch why the location matters, not just the hotel.
• Build out local experiences and itineraries into every story.
• Reframe the guardrails of “success”. Round-ups and locality pieces are now premium coverage.

Across UK travel media, more journalists are now working as hybrid writer-photographers, producing both the story and the visuals that accompany it. The shift is driven partly by tighter newsroom budgets and partly by the growing dominance of visually-led storytelling across digital and social platforms. Publications increasingly want contributors who can deliver a complete package: a compelling narrative supported by high-quality imagery.

Actions

• Prioritise hosting hybrid writer-photographers.
• Build visually rich moments into press trips (sunrise hikes, markets, scenic routes).
• Provide great access, lighting and flexibility for photography.

Across the industry, long-form travel features are being commissioned less often. JRNY Magazine, for example, has reduced the number of lengthy pieces in favour of shorter, news-driven content. It reflects a wider shift: attention spans are shrinking, social platforms are shaping reading habits, and editors want stories that get to the point fast. In a landscape increasingly crowded with AI-generated material, depth and genuine perspective stand out, so leading with real, grounded storytelling is key.

Actions

• Lead with a sharp hook and trend-led angle.
• Offer concise, timely updates or micro-stories.
• Make your first two sentences work harder in pitches and press releases.

More publications and journalists are now working within strict ‘per night’ price caps, as ultra-luxury lands with less impact during the ongoing cost of living crisis. Digital travel coverage is increasingly dominated by value-first stories: best value breaks, money-saving “hacks”, and affordable alternatives. With new costs added in the recent UK autumn budget, such as tourist taxes and higher air passenger duty, this trend is only set to grow.

Families feel this most sharply. As reported by The Independent, one in four parents are willing to pay fines to take children out of school because travelling in term time is still cheaper than peak-season prices. In this climate, even high-end properties need a clear “why it’s worth it” angle.

Actions

• Publish your prices upfront.
• Create PR-friendly packages tied to real-world pressures (solo-parent offers, family savings).
• Link every value angle to a wider cultural moment.

Wellness content resonates most strongly when it feels genuinely personal. Stylist notes that emotional, first-person pieces perform particularly well, as readers want to understand how an experience feels and the impact it has, not just what it offers. This reflects a wider shift in wellbeing journalism: people are looking for emotional resonance, mental health benefits and environments that genuinely support healing.

Spa round-ups are valuable for brand awareness, but stories with a journey or personal shift often drive deeper reader engagement.

Actions

• Pitch first-person wellness journeys.
• Offer experiences that create meaningful ‘before/after’ moments.
• Focus on emotional resonance, not just amenities.