Tag Archives: most popular destinations

Wendy Perrin with the Rialto Bridge in the background.

Where Everybody’s Traveling in 2026: The Most Popular Countries for WOW Trips

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When planning your travels for the new year, it’s wise to keep in mind where everybody else is going. These are the most popular countries for 2026 trips already booked the WOW way:

1. Italy
2. Japan
3. New Zealand
4. France
5. The United Kingdom
6. Spain
7. Argentina
8. Australia
9. Norway
10. Chile
11. Egypt
12. Greece
13. Costa Rica
14. Vietnam
15. South Africa

It’s no surprise that Italy is #1. It’s perennially the most popular country among WOW List travelers, and the good news is that there are many new nonstop flights to get you there. The #2 and #3 countries, Japan and New Zealand, have been in high demand ever since the pandemic: They were two of the last countries to re-open post-Covid, so they were off-limits for a long time, and picky travelers tend to book them many months ahead, since the most in-demand experiences and places to stay are intimate and have low capacity (think three-room ryokans in Japan, or sheep stations in New Zealand).

If a country you’re thinking about for 2026 ranks high on the list, reach out to us early so we can ensure that you see it free from crowds and lines, lock in the unique places to stay, and get the coolest insider experiences. If you’re headed to a classic favorite—say, Italy’s Amalfi Coast or the Greek island of Santorini—we’re happy to guide you as to smart off-peak timing. If you’re able to travel only in high season, we can suggest unexpected locales.

We’ve got hundreds of tested-and-proven ideas for you below, covering all 12 months of 2026. We bet you’ll be surprised by all the clever possibilities!  For a personalized recommendation, we’re at the black button below.

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Crowds around Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy.

Where Everybody’s Traveling in 2025: The Most Popular Countries for WOW Trips

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As you plan your travels for the year ahead, you’d be wise to keep in mind where everybody else is going. These are the most popular countries for 2025 trips already booked the WOW way:

  1. Italy
  2. United Kingdom
  3. Tie: Japan and Norway
  4. France
  5. Spain
  6. South Africa
  7. Vietnam
  8. Botswana
  9. Tie: Cambodia, Chile, New Zealand, Portugal, Zimbabwe
  10. Australia

It’s no surprise that Western Europe is so popular. What’s surprising is how early people have booked 2025 trips there. They’ve learned from the past few years that planning ahead often means gaining access to better, more reasonably priced options.

One reason for Italy’s popularity is that 2025 is the Vatican’s Jubilee Year. Rome is expecting 35 million visitors, many of them pilgrims on group tours who will be focused on visiting the Vatican and Rome’s churches and religious sites. Rome-bound travelers would be wise to avoid crowds and inconveniences by hiring one of the Italy experts on Wendy’s WOW List to plan and book a savvy itinerary customized to their goals.

Wendy Perrin at the top of Vittorio Emmanuel monument in Rome, Italy.

In Italy, there are always clever ways to escape crowds and get better views, as Wendy did in Rome in October 2024.

Japan, New Zealand, and Australia—three countries that were among the last to reopen post-pandemic—are, two years later, still in high demand. That’s not just because they were off-limits for so long but also because the best experiences and places to stay in these countries tend to book up many months, if not a year or more, in advance.

Our advice: Consider places not on the list above. For instance, since southern Africa is the most popular safari region in 2025, what about East Africa?

Scroll down and click on the articles below—collections of trip reviews from your fellow travelers—to discover smart destination choices for each month in the first half of 2025. We guarantee you will be surprised and wowed by options you’ve never considered. Sicily in January? Paris in February? Morocco during Ramadan? Take it from your fellow travelers who did it and loved it. And if you could use a personalized trip recommendation, we’re at the black button below.

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