New travel trend labels

Three new travel labels — “lore chasing,” “sight-doing,” and “snackpacking” — broke into wider circulation in April after American Express published its 2026 travel trends report and Euronews turned the terms into a shareable guide. (americanexpress.com) (euronews.com) American Express said on April 8 that its 2026 Global Travel Trends Report was based on surveys of travelers in seven countries: the United States, Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The company said travel remained a priority, with 80 percent of global respondents planning the same or more international trips in 2026 than in 2025. (americanexpress.com) The report framed “sight-doing” as activity-first travel, from tortilla-making classes in Mexico City to fragrance workshops in Paris. American Express said 79 percent of Millennials and Generation Z respondents were likely to seek local workshops or destination-specific activities in 2026. (americanexpress.com 1) (americanexpress.com 2) It described “lore chasing” as story-driven travel built around spontaneity, unusual stays, and memorable anecdotes. American Express said 87 percent of global respondents intentionally leave room in itineraries for unplanned discoveries, and 76 percent said they were likely to step outside their comfort zone. (americanexpress.com) “Snackpacking” is the food label in the set: trips organized around local snacks, regional dishes, bakeries, food carts, and grocery stores. American Express said street food or food carts ranked first at 69 percent, followed by bakeries at 53 percent and grocery stores at 50 percent. (americanexpress.com 1) (americanexpress.com 2) The labels are new, but the behavior is not. Visiting places tied to fiction and screens has already been widely marketed as “set-jetting,” with Expedia calling it a real travel trend in its 2024 forecast. (expedia.com) What changed this month was the packaging. Euronews published its explainer on April 10, three days after American Express posted companion articles for each trend, giving social media users a ready-made vocabulary for habits many travelers already recognized. (euronews.com) (americanexpress.com 1) (americanexpress.com 2) (americanexpress.com 3) American Express is also a travel seller, so the trend names double as marketing language for bookable experiences and card-linked travel products. Its April 8 release paired the survey findings with destination examples, booking benefits, and links into its travel platform. (americanexpress.com) (americanexpress.com) By mid-April, the thread running through all three labels was less about where people go than how they narrate the trip afterward: the class they took, the snack they found, or the story they brought home. That is the language now moving from a corporate trend report into the broader travel feed. (americanexpress.com) (euronews.com)