Hobbycations are the new travel trend for 2026

A hobbycation is a trip built around a hobby or personal interest rather than a destination. Instead of choosing a place first and figuring out activities later, travellers pick something they want to get better at — photography , pottery, surfing, cooking, martial arts, dance — and plan the whole trip to support that pursuit. The point isn’t sightseeing on the side; it’s using travel as a vehicle to go deeper into something you already care about.

Popularity

Hobbycations are being widely described as one of the defining travel trends heading into 2026. Multiple travel outlets and airlines’ inspiration content are treating “intentional travel” as a major theme for the year, pointing to things like cooking courses in Rome or combat-sports training in Bangkok as flagship examples. It’s usually mentioned in the same breath as other trends toward more personal, meaningful travel — solo trips, wellness retreats, slow travel, and digital-detox getaways — all part of a broader move away from generic sightseeing toward trips shaped around identity and self-improvement.

What people actually do

The activities are often quite specific and skill-focused:

• Photography – people who only take pictures in their spare time can go on a photo tour to a country like Scotland with stunning landscapes in order to improve their skills in image making
• Craft and making — travelling to towns with centuries-old ceramics traditions to study pottery techniques under master craftspeople, progressing from basic wheel skills to advanced firing methods
• History – Scotland is a country with a long and rich history from William Wallace and the Wars of Independence to Mary Queen of Scots
• Combat sports and fitness — training intensively under professional coaches (Muay Thai in Thailand is a common example), often with lodging built into the training package
• Dance and music — spending a week or more taking flamenco lessons alongside live music, paired with cultural excursions
• Food — hands-on cooking classes centered on authentic Scottish dishes rather than tourist-oriented pasta-making sessions
• Endurance and outdoor pursuits — planning trips around races (like timing a vacation to a marathon), or joining group expeditions such as mountain summit attempts
• Niche passions — surf camps, birdwatching trips, language immersion, or simply structuring an entire visit around one exceptional bakery or market

Is demand rising?

Yes, most signs point that way. Surveys cited by travel publications suggest a majority of travellers have already taken at least one trip centered on a personal interest — food, fitness, a creative skill, or learning something new — and while younger travelers are leading the charge, older travelers who prefer depth over checking off landmarks are picking it up too. The main driver seems to be burnout: people increasingly feel that ordinary vacations have become just another rushed obligation rather than genuine downtime, so combining rest with a meaningful pursuit feels like it solves two problems at once instead of forcing a choice between them. There’s also a growing distaste for travel that’s staged mainly for social media — trips designed to look impressive rather than actually be fulfilling — which is pushing people toward smaller-scale, expert-led experiences that prioritize going deep on one thing over covering as much ground as possible.

In short: hobbycations flip the usual travel question from “where should I go?” to “what do I want to do ?” — and that shift appears to be picking up real momentum.