Most travel lists for 2026 are going to be absolute garbage written by people who haven’t left their zip code in three years. You know the ones. They’re filled with “emerging hubs” that are actually just places where a Hilton just opened, or “hidden gems” that have been on TikTok for eighteen months already. I’m tired of it. I work a regular job, I save my PTO like a dragon hoarding gold, and I don’t want to spend five grand to stand in a queue behind a guy with a gimbal. If you want the polished version, go buy a magazine. If you want the truth about where the energy is actually shifting, keep reading.
The place everyone is going to ruin by 2027
Go to Albania. Seriously. But don’t go to the south where everyone is trying to pretend it’s the Amalfi Coast for half the price. It’s not. The service is chaotic and the beach clubs play terrible techno. Instead, head north to Shkodër. I spent ten days there last year and I measured the tread on my Merrell Moab 3s before and after—I lost exactly 1.5mm of rubber on those Prokletije mountain trails. That’s real terrain. What I mean is—actually, let me put it differently. It’s not about the sights; it’s about the total lack of pretension. You can sit in a cafe for four hours and nobody will give you the check unless you practically tackle them for it. Shkodër is the last honest place in Europe.
Go there. Now.
Why I’m finally admitting I was wrong about Japan in the summer
I used to tell everyone that visiting Japan in July or August was a form of self-harm. The humidity is like being hugged by a hot, wet blanket that also wants to kill you. I was completely wrong. I went to Hokkaido last July and it was… perfect? Everyone is so obsessed with the Niseko ski season that they forget the island exists when the snow melts. I stayed in a tiny guesthouse in Biei where the owner spoke zero English and we communicated entirely through the medium of pointing at different types of pickled radish. It was the most relaxed I’ve felt in a decade.
Anyway, I think 2026 is the year people finally realize that Tokyo is becoming a theme park for Westerners and they’ll start heading north. (Though, a quick aside: the domestic flights from Haneda to New Chitose are weirdly stressful because the boarding process is so efficient it makes you feel like you’re being herded by very polite robots.) I might be wrong about this, but I think the “slow travel” movement is going to peak in the Daisetsuzan National Park. It’s big, it’s empty, and the bears are actually a legitimate concern, which adds a nice bit of spice to a morning hike.
The ‘Uncomfortable’ Truth about Tulum
I’m going to say it: I actively tell my friends to avoid Tulum. I don’t care if your favorite influencer just posted a reel of a cenote. Tulum is a concrete jungle of influencer sadness and overpriced “eco-chic” huts that have no air conditioning but cost $600 a night. It’s a scam. I refuse to recommend any place that has more “digital nomads” than actual locals. I also have an irrational hatred for Marriott properties in these areas—they all smell like the same industrial vanilla air freshener that gives me a migraine. I’ve stayed in three different ones across Mexico and they are all soul-crushing. Tulum is like a beautiful person who only talks about their crypto portfolio. Avoid it in 2026. Go to Bacalar instead, or better yet, just stay home and put the money in a high-yield savings account until you can afford a trip to somewhere that hasn’t been turned into a backdrop for a supplement ad.
The Silk Road is actually happening now
Uzbekistan is the big one for 2026. I know people will disagree and say it’s too hard to get around, but they just launched more high-speed rail segments between Tashkent and Samarkand. I tracked my spending there over 14 days and I spent exactly $412 on food, including three accidental tourist traps where I definitely overpaid for mediocre plov. The Silk Road feels like walking through a history book that someone spilled coffee on—messy but real.
The Registan at 6:00 AM is the only place on earth that actually lived up to the photos I saw on the internet. Usually, the internet lies. This time, it didn’t.
I had a massive failure in Samarkand, though. I thought I could “wing it” with the local shared taxis to get to the border. I ended up stuck at a dusty crossroads for five hours in 100-degree heat because I didn’t realize the drivers won’t leave until every single seat is full—including the middle one in the back. I felt like an idiot, sweating through my linen shirt while a grandmother shared her bread with me and laughed at my confusion. It was humiliating, and honestly, it was the highlight of the trip. Total chaos. Worth every penny.
A quick verdict on the rest
- Slovenia: Still great, but getting expensive. Go for the mountains, skip the lake.
- Taiwan: The best food on the planet, period. I ate six meals a day and regretted nothing.
- Portugal: Avoid Lisbon. It’s just an Airbnb theme park now. Head to the Alentejo region if you want to see the real country.
I don’t know if travel is actually getting better or if we’re all just getting more desperate to find something that hasn’t been processed through a marketing algorithm. I worry that by the time 2026 rolls around, even the places I mentioned will be different. But that’s the risk, right? You put on your boots, you pack too many pairs of socks (I always pack 12, why do I do that?), and you hope for the best. Just don’t go to Tulum. Seriously.