In 2026 a booming new trend is set to see travellers swapping bucket-list destinations for trips that involve the activities they love most, according to industry insiders.
Wanderlust is turning into hobby-led holiday pursuits such as chasing tulip blooms across Holland or baking, eating or sipping your way through France. The trend has been dubbed “passion pursuits”.
The term was coined by Marriott Bonvoy, the world’s largest hotel loyalty programme across more than 30 global chains, including brands such as Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Sheraton.
Marriott Bonvoy reports that 72% of global travellers have already taken a trip to follow a personal hobby, with that figure rising even higher to 84% of younger Gen Z holiday makers.
Locally, Flight Centre’s latest Global PR Survey has found that 83% of South Africans name food and gastronomy among their main focuses when making travel choices.
“Travel will remain deeply personal in 2026. People want journeys that mirror what lights them up, whether that’s yoga, photography, gardening or baking the perfect croissant,” said Zay Ferguson-Nair, Flight Centre South Africa’s customer experience leader. “Travel is no longer only about where you’re going, but why you’re going there.”
Flight Centre has compiled a list of six holiday ideas where passion has been used to pick the place, with suggestions for both overseas and local destinations.
For gardeners and flower fanatics, the Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands is a good global option. From March to May, the area literally turns into a living rainbow of over 7-million bulbs, where tulips carpet the countryside and cycling paths meander through fields of colour.
Staying local, those passionate about petals can visit Namaqualand in the Northern Cape in August and September. It’s where South Africa’s most magical transformation happens as the desert comes to life as a painter’s palette of wildflowers.
For yoga lovers and wellness seekers looking for a reset or the chance to take deep breaths and experience a change of scenery, travellers can visit Ubud in Bali, Indonesia from March to June where sunrise yoga and plant-based feasts are offered in a quiet landscape focused on mindfulness.
For those opting for a more local experience, in April, May and September, an array of eco-lodges and forest retreats across Gauteng’s Magaliesberg offer weekend digital detoxes with aerial yoga and bush hikes.
Passionate photographers ready to head out from late February to April can visit Iceland’s South Coast — specifically Diamond Beach near Jökulsárlón, featuring the deep blue twilight (blue hour) illuminating glaciers, volcanic black-sand beaches and the sky, with the Northern Lights (aurora) often visible. It can be beautifully captured with long-exposure photography to show movement in a dramatic landscape where ice, fire, volcanic sand and celestial phenomena combine.
Staying local, the Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal are great in winter — from June to August — when golden peaks and crystal-clear air make the area a natural studio.
Bookish travellers will find poetry in cobblestones by heading to Bath in England in March. The Jane Austen Festival dresses the city in Regency charm, complete with bonnets, fancy balls and live readings.
Readers and dreamers opting to stay closer to home can visit the Franschhoek Literary Festival in May. It’s where vineyards meet verse and South Africa’s leading authors gather for fireside panels and book discussions.
Foodies are faced with virtually limitless options, with kitchens around the world being the ultimate atlas.
Paris in June sees offerings of Champagne picnics, legendary patisseries and baking workshops led by award-winning chefs.
But between March and May, harvest season hits Cape Town and Stellenbosch where artisanal bakeries, chocolate ateliers, wineland picnics and seasonal food festivals all pop up in a celebration of local craftsmanship.
For the gamers and pop-culture fans, events around the world turn fandoms into full-scale frontiers. September sees the Tokyo Game Show happening in a combination of innovation and gaming set to make every console lover’s dream feel real.
Also in September, right here at home, Comic Con Africa is coming to Johannesburg. This is where panels, e-sport tournaments, cosplay and a community that celebrates every kind of quest unite.
While these hobby-led holidays are popular, they do require a fair amount of research and planning, said Ferguson-Nair, who advises travellers to track global calendars before flight prices.
“Before you even shortlist destinations, find out when your passion peaks. Cherry blossom or truffle season, a major e-sports championship, a big concert, or a chefs’ congress — great airfare specials are useless if you arrive when the action is over,” she said.
“Book the experience first, the flight second. For hobby-led holidays, the event or experience defines where you go, not the other way around.”
Ferguson-Nair recommends securing limited-access tickets for events such as festivals or masterclasses before locking in accommodation through a reputable agent.
“Leave a day for ‘creative drift’. Hobby-led travellers tend to over-schedule, so build in one blank day without an agenda to follow unplanned inspiration. That’s often where the best discoveries happen,” she said.
By using a travel agent or expert, travellers can asked to be paired with local guides that have shared interests, making for a deeper, more fulfilling experience.
This article was first published in TimesLive.
