Where Brits Should Go in 2026: Expert Predictions from Flight Centre

Flight Centre Travel Experts share what’s hot on their travel radars, under-the-radar destinations to consider, and more, in recent Q&A session

Across the turn of the year is one of the most popular times to lock in travel plans given the sheer number of travel companies tempting travellers with deals. However, the wealth of options can easily become overwhelming and make holiday planning tricky.

Two Travel Experts at Flight Centre UK, part of one of the world’s largest independent global travel agencies, sat down to answer questions on where Brits should go in 2026 and why. The two discuss their 2026 travel plans, exciting happenings in the travel world that are putting certain destinations on their radar, their predictions on where will pop, and where to get more bang for your buck.

Time to meet your Travel Experts to tell you what’s getting them excited in travel next year…

Greg Stewart-Rose joined Flight Centre in 2010 and has years of experience in selling all types of holidays, however his specialism is first and business class travel. He’s been to 24 individual countries and can’t choose a favourite – but anything involving an adventure is his bag.

Megan Neighbour started at Flight Centre in 2015. She’s a specialist in Australia, because she lived there for two years and has travelled within it quite extensively. She’s been to 56 individual countries, but her favourites would have to be Colombia for long haul and Greece for short haul.

Q: Where is somewhere new you’ll be going in 2026?
Greg: None of these countries are necessarily new for me, but I’ve never covered this much ground in one trip. Next year, my family and I will be travelling to New Zealand, stopping over in Singapore on the way there and California on the way back. It’s going to be 18 brilliant days of non-stop adventure.

Instead of spending upwards of 24 hours on the plane and waiting around in the airport, we decided to break up the journey and experience what not one but two brilliant stopover destinations have to offer.

Because we’re going early in 2026, we’re going to enjoy a beautiful New Zealand summer and two nights of hot, tropical weather in Singapore, before rounding off the fun with a family ski break for three nights in California. Never have I ever packed swimming trunks and ski equipment in the same suitcase!

Complex, multi-stop itineraries – which is just what we travel agents call round the world flights – are great options for travellers that want to cover multiple countries and even continents. They’re also a lot better value for money than booking individual city-to-city flights, especially when you get a travel agent to do it because they have access to a whole range of specially negotiated fares that customers can’t access.

Q: Which destinations have you seen an increase in bookings to in the last year – and which have surprised you?

Megan: Interestingly, I’m seeing more families booking destinations like Sri Lanka and Vietnam which were previously more popular among gap yearers, DINKS (dual income, no kids), or the more adventurous solo traveller. Year-on-year, we’ve seen family travel up 26% and 7% to Sri Lanka and Vietnam, respectively.

Greg: Instead of destinations per se, I’ve personally seen an increase in active and road trip holidays. Lately, holidaymakers seem to be looking for more than just lounging on the beach. For instance, I’ve seen that travellers will build their holiday around one big adventure – such as an Australian road trip or touring Vietnam by rail – and shoehorning beach time into that.

Q: Do you have a specialist destination? Where should travellers visit in 2026 that’s a bit under the radar?

Greg: I specialise in the Caribbean mainly and I was lucky enough to visit the Dominican Republic. While I wouldn’t go as far to call it a “cheap” Caribbean holiday as others would, I found Punta Cana to be much better priced than other Caribbean destinations where flights, hotels and in-destination spending are concerned. And the quality of the resorts was far better than any others I’ve stayed in before.

Although it’s outside of my specialism, I’d highly recommend visiting Dubai during Ramadan. I did this last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are misconceptions around individual freedoms during this time, but in fact most tourist and hotel restaurants will remain open or operate at slightly different timings. Of course, it’s important to respect the local culture, so no one will judge you for having a meal in the middle of the day, but you should avoid smoking outside of designated smoking areas, for instance.

Travelling in Ramadan can also be considerably cheaper. Comparing dates 1 – 8 March and 22 – 29 March (Ramadan runs 17 Feb – 19 March 2026), room-only packages with Emirates flights are 19% cheaper at the Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach, 28% cheaper at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, and 14% cheaper at Atlantis The Palm Dubai.

Q: Where do you believe will become popular in 2026?

Megan: Saudi Arabia is investing heavily into destination marketing. They are building what will likely be one of the world’s largest airports, and they’ve simplified visa requirements and launched new direct routes from the UK. I’d be interested to see how many more Brits travel to Saudi next year.

Greg: As demand for travel to the US softens, I’ve noticed an increase in requests for travel to Canada which I can only imagine will continue in 2026. It’s a natural switch for many travellers that want similar flight times and stunning scenery as the US.

Q: Are there any destinations that have seen airfares drop?

Greg: While we’re sadly not at pre-COVID levels, I’ve seen much better fares to Australia and New Zealand with return fares as low as £650 to New Zealand with China Eastern. This is easily the best price I’ve seen in the past five years. Of course, this means a longer stopover than if you travel with established premium airlines like Emirates or Singapore Airlines where the stopover is only about two and a half hours, but the money you save can be put towards turning it into a one- or two-night break in Shanghai.

The benefit of low-cost Chinese carriers building their operations back up is that they offer these highly competitive fares which not only provide affordable options for some travellers.

Q: Are there any new flight routes from the UK that have improved access to destinations that were previously more difficult to get to?

Megan: In October 2026, Virgin Atlantic will launch a three times weekly direct service to Phuket – right on time for the October half term that starts the week after for most schools. These went on sale right at the end of November so now is the best time to be booking them as fares aren’t likely to get any cheaper closer to travel! At just a 12-hour flight, it’s ideal for even a week’s family holiday with no nasty layovers to contend with – and brilliant in-flight entertainment options will keep kids occupied for hours.

Greg: I’m excited about the long range A350-1000 ULR. Qantas has the aircraft for direct flights from London to Sydney and Melbourne. Air New Zealand are considering a direct flight to Auckland. As much as I love stopping over, these direct options will appeal to many expats and business travellers.

For your 2026 travel inspiration, head to www.flightcentre.co.uk or chat to one of Flight Centre’s Travel Experts by calling 0808 296 0606 or in person by popping into your local Flight Centre store.

Looking for curated ideas and inspiration? Discover more at Ravish Magazine, your UK lifestyle magazine.