New travel trends on X

The oddest new travel words of 2026 are not coming from airlines or tourism boards. They are coming from social feeds, where “lore chasing” and “snackpacking” are turning into real trip plans just as American Express says 80% of surveyed travelers plan the same or more international trips this year than in 2025. (americanexpress.com) (webwire.com) American Express released its 2026 Global Travel Trends Report on April 9, 2026, after surveying more than 8,000 adults across seven countries who typically travel at least once a year. The company’s four named trends are “Miles on Milestones,” “Sight-Doing,” “Lore Chasing,” and “Snackpacking.” (webwire.com) (euronews.com) “Lore chasing” is basically planning a trip around the story you want to tell later, not just the landmark you want to photograph. Euronews says the idea shows up in travelers leaving room for spontaneous detours, unusual stays, and one-off experiences that feel worth retelling. (euronews.com) (webwire.com) That impulse is strongest among younger travelers in the survey. American Express says 82% of Millennials and Generation Z respondents would do something out of the ordinary on a trip if it makes a good story, and 86% said chance encounters with locals or new people leave a lasting impression. (americanexpress.com) (euronews.com) “Snackpacking” pushes the same instinct into food. American Express describes it as travelers seeking the flavors that define a destination through local snacks, regional dishes, and small businesses, while Euronews frames it as tourists heading to supermarkets and food stalls instead of treating restaurants as the whole culinary trip. (webwire.com) (euronews.com) A sister trend, “sight-doing,” shows why these labels are spreading so fast online. American Express says 79% of surveyed Millennials and Generation Z travelers are likely to seek out destination-specific workshops in 2026, and Euronews points to examples like fragrance workshops in Paris, knitting classes in Estonia, and batik in Indonesia. (americanexpress.com) (euronews.com) The backdrop is a market where travel is still eating a big share of discretionary spending. American Express says 40% of global respondents plan to spend more on travel in 2026 than in 2025, and 74% of surveyed Millennials and Generation Z travelers call travel a “non-negotiable” expense. (americanexpress.com) That helps explain why even milestone trips are being stretched into something more personal. Two-thirds of global respondents said they plan to take a trip in 2026 to celebrate someone else’s milestone, and 82% of those travelers said they would build in buffer days around the main event, with 72% planning to extend by at least three to four days. (webwire.com) (americanexpress.com) Other 2026 travel research points in the same direction, even when it uses different language. Expedia Group says travelers are not “just booking destinations anymore” and are choosing trips that reflect identities, passions, local experiences, and slower moments like rural farm stays and literary escapes. (expediagroup.com) So the 2026 travel mood on X looks less like “pick a city and see the sights” and more like “pick a story, a skill, or a snack and build the route around that.” The practical posts have not disappeared, but they are now sitting next to a louder idea that vacation time is too expensive to spend on generic itineraries. (americanexpress.com) (expediagroup.com)