The Unique Travel Experiences Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2027

While many countries like Italy, Mexico, and France lure a large number of travelers each and every year, other destinations emerge as exciting new areas to explore. And the reason why people pack their bags and venture out also has a tremendous effect on the travel landscape. These were the topics on everyone’s agenda at the most recent Virtuoso Travel Week, an annual gathering of advisers and representatives from a global network of invitation-only luxury and experiential travel partners.

According to Virtuoso research, the “maxxing” trend sweeping across social media is influencing travel as well with jetsetters looking to hit multiple destinations in one longer trip, particularly with itineraries touching down in France and Italy, France and the UK, and Switzerland. Visiting popular regions like Europe during colder months, cruising, and planning stays at spas offering longevity and wellness-focused programming are also high on affluent travelers’ agendas.

So before summer vacation fully turns into sweater weather, here are the vacations to start planning now.

Coolcations

“Shoulder season,” that dip between bustling summer and festive-season travel, has traditionally been considered the time to secure hotel bargains and visit popular locales with fewer crowds. Recently, however, Virtuoso advisers are noticing a huge jump in travel bookings in September, with the sharpest bump in visits to Puglia, the Greek Isles, and the French Riviera. In Italy, castles transformed into boutique hotels offer a cinematic base for exploring the region’s vibrant food scene and storybook architecture. Greece has seen exciting new hotels popping up on the lesser-known islands, while the more familiar destinations like Mykonos and Paros host luxurious accommodations worth visitings while sampling the region’s many art exhibitions. The French Riviera’s buzzy resorts in Nice, Cannes, and Saint-Tropez enjoy stunning views and pleasing weather long after the summer crowds depart, but expect the territory to get even more popular after the next season of White Lotus hits the airwaves.

Private Villas and Clubs

Those looking to travel with a group of family and friends are finding a vast and exciting network of private homes available for resort-like stays. Guests can even stay overnight in homes owned by major interior designers or fashion icons, with all the dreamy atmosphere to match. Companies like Le Collectionist, Rental Escapes, One Fine Stay, and The Eugenes vet residences to become bespoke getaways with all the personalized services to match, while the Oberoi Group recently transformed a former fortress into a one-of-a-kind stay. Overnights inside private members’ clubs like the Aman New York, Casa Cipriani, and the Metropolis Hotel & Club in Madrid are also appealing for those looking for exclusivity (and the subsequent bragging rights).

Ultra-Exclusive Hotel Within a Hotel

Bucket-list hotels still hold sway with travelers; however, the most discerning group is looking to check in yet avoid the fray of the general populace, particularly at the Four Seasons Maui, Fairmont Mayakoba, Lotte New York Palace, and Impression Moxché, a Hyatt property on the Mexican coast. To answer the call, resorts are introducing more and more private villas that offer the seclusion of a singular accommodation with access to the resort’s restaurant, spas, and other amenities (plus some swanky extras like butlers, private chefs, in-suite spa treatments, and more). From South Africa to Lake Como, Cap d’Antibes to Riviera Maya, these residential-like stays are the epitome of getting away from it all.

Sleep Retreats and Wellness-Focus Traveled

According to Virtuoso, wellness-centric experiences are outpacing other trends in motivating travel; however, it’s no longer enough to just provide yoga, an Edenic spa, a diet-friendly menu, and scenic hikes. Guests are looking for quantifiable data and longevity-focused programming. Resorts the world over are bringing in established experts to offer health diagnostics, medispas, and subsequent steps for living well long after check-out. Additionally, rooms are being designed to optimize sleep, with some resorts even going so far as to require guests to log off and go fully analog to optimize their rejuvenation and well-being. And it’s not just hotels where the doctor is in; cruise ships too are finding travelers who consider seafaring the best medicine.

Cruising

The cruise industry continues to shatter the stereotype of yore, with luxury vessels seeing a major spike in trips valued at more than $50,000 and even $100,000, according to Virtuoso research. Explora Journeys, Orient Express, and Four Seasons lead in luring affluent travelers looking to enjoy trips to multiple destinations with the added convenience of only unpacking once. (Aman is reportedly entering the fray in 2027.) These sumptuously appointed ships not only accommodate spacious suites, fine dining, and spas, but also offer artfully curated experiences to the most in-demand destinations, often around major events like F1. Smaller boats, expedition ships, and river cruising with brands like Viking, Aqua, Silversea, and Seabourn are especially popular for reaching far-flung locales in cosseting comfort. Most exciting are voyages down the Nile, which is where Abercrombie & Kent will debut the Nile Seray, a 32-suite riverboat on which guests will sail with an Egyptologist who will provide insider access to tombs and islands between Luxor and Aswan.

Private Jet Tourism

Nothing interrupts a carefully curated itinerary like plane delays and cancellations. For a certain echelon of traveler, private planes make visits to multiple destinations in one trip a breeze, with Virtuoso seeing substantial requests for flights between Abu Dhabi and London, New York and Nantucket, and London and alpine destinations. Certain brands like Four Seasons and Abercrombie & Kent are even organizing small-group tours incorporating private jet transportation with seamless travel through customs at each destination, as well as luxe accommodations, insider access to must-visit sites, and even the occasional celebrity guest. For those truly looking to embrace their explorer side, A&K just announced an epic 28-day private jet journey that reaches all seven continents, taking place in January, 2028.