5 Travel Insiders Share The Trips They Can’t Wait To Take In 2026
Reconnecting with long-loved places and favorite journeys tops the list for these travel insiders as they plan their 2026 vacations. Below, they share the trips and itineraries they’re most excited to take in the year ahead. By KATIE BERRINGTON
Sicily, Italy – Rossella Beaugié, co-founder, The Thinking Traveller
“For us, the greatest luxury has always been traveling together as a family, taking the time to slow down and see the world anew through our children’s eyes. I’m drawn to journeys that are sensorial, grounding and deeply connected to place. After years exploring far-flung destinations, next year we’ll return to Sicily for our summer holiday – my homeland, where our children feel an effortless sense of belonging, and where every corner reveals a new flavor, landscape or story waiting to be discovered.
“We’ll hike the island’s wild interior and drift through small towns now whispered about as ‘blue zones’ [regions where people live exceptionally long lives], like Caltabellotta, near the elegant La Foresteria Planeta hotel and vineyard. We’ll enjoy cooking classes perfumed with herbs, olive-oil tastings and golden evenings spent among Greek temples.
“We’ll stay at Angheli, one of The Thinking Traveller’s villas, before celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary at Don Arcangelo all’Olmo, one of the villas that has been with us since the very beginning; it’s a place made for laughter, food and late nights. We will end our trip in the Aeolian Islands, staying first at Antika, and then Hotel Signum – a small boutique hotel we love for swimming and total relaxation.”
Luxury train travel – Gina Jackson, writer and content creator
“I’m hoping to explore more destinations by luxury train travel in 2026, which is a trend that only seems set to accelerate: glamorous routes across Italy onboard La Dolce Vita Orient Express were launched in April this year, and, in 2026, Belmond’s Venice-Simplon-Orient Express will debut a new route from Paris to the Amalfi Coast. Having taken Belmond’s Eastern & Oriental Express through Malaysia earlier this year, and gotten my first taste of luxury train travel, I’m now a woman obsessed. I’m planning on visiting Peru in April, and will hopefully be riding the Andean Explorer through the Southern Highlands. While I’m out there, I also hope to check out a couple of properties by Andean, a homegrown Peruvian brand that has a collection of extraordinary properties across the country’s most beautiful landscapes.”
Puglia, Italy – Portia Hart, entrepreneur and founder of Blue Apple Beach
“At Blue Apple Beach, in Cartagena, we see more and more guests returning year after year. They know the team, the team remembers their preferences, and when guests step off the boat, it feels like friends reuniting. It’s not just slow travel; it’s the joy of going back somewhere familiar and feeling part of a community. You see a destination differently on the third or fourth visit and it brings you a step closer to feeling like a local.
“In 2026, I’m hoping to return to Il Convento di Santa Maria di Costantinopoli in Puglia and to spend time with Athena and Pierre Luigi. Even better would be taking a friend who has never been, to show them my favorite hidden nooks. Bucket lists have their place, but there’s something comforting, almost indulgent, in allowing yourself to go back to a place you already know and love.”
Kerala, India – Daisy Bird, founder of Bird Travel PR
“2026 is the year I want to reconnect with India and prioritize my wellbeing, so I’m particularly excited about the new Tulah Healing Sanctuary opening in Kerala across 30 acres of rewilded forests. When planning a retreat, I often find I have to choose between a spiritual sanctuary or a medical spa, but I’m at an age where I want to combine the two. I want diagnostics to equip me with data to inform decision-making around my health, but my nervous system craves energy healing and spiritual practice to feel rested. Tulah is a rarity that integrates both. It’s firmly rooted in India’s ancient healing modalities of Ayurveda, Vedanta and spiritual practice, but also home to some of the country’s best medical doctors and cutting-edge equipment to offer advanced diagnostics, regenerative medicine and clinical intervention when needed. The prospect of heading to Tulah in the new year – and gifting myself a full body MOT – has propelled me to crawl to the finish line of an extremely busy 2025.”
Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium – Alice Gao, photographer
“In 2026, I’m most excited about traveling through the lens of sports fandom. I’m an unabashed track and field nerd (mostly track) – the kind who follows athletes season to season, gets invested in rivalries and comebacks, and plans calendar alerts around race days – so I would happily build an entire trip around a single race. One journey I’m especially keen to plan is a return to Belgium for the Diamond League Championships in Brussels. I haven’t been back to Brussels or Antwerp since 2016, and the idea of pairing world-class athletics with the region’s thoughtful design and art scene feels like the perfect balance. I’d love to stay at August in Antwerp for its minimal, design-forward calm, or Botanic Sanctuary, a restorative retreat that feels like a destination in itself and ideal for unwinding.”