The Standard’s 2026 travel hot list

0:05In the depths of January, what feels like the longest and darkest month of the year, there is light. The start of the year is often the best time to book a holiday and after today's episode you will not be stuck for ideas. Hi, I'm Tamara Kormornyk and welcome back to The Standard Podcast. If you're new here, hit follow and give us a rating. For all the latest news, head to standard.co.uk. Coming up, The Standard's Travel Wanderlist 2026.

0:39If you've ticked off your post-COVID bucket list destinations and are looking for something different, get ready for some serious holiday inspo. Hot off the heels of Blue Monday, we present to you the 2026 Travel Hot List. Thrills, chills and unadulterated splendour. In this episode, The Standards Lifestyle Director Susanna Ramsdale sits down with travel journalist Alicia Miller to unpack the New Year's trendiest destinations. From the New Maldives to a festival in Hulu to an exclusive private island in France, the two share their top travel picks for the year. And of course, they talk about the hottest saunas in London.

1:21Hi Alicia, thanks for joining us today. Hi Susanna, lovely to speak with you. So you've had the pleasure for the London Standard of compiling our Wanderlist for 2026, just full of loads of trips and tips and hot destinations and things to do for the year ahead. Was it fun to research and do that one? thinking about what's coming up in travel is always an exciting thing to do I spend a lot of my time reporting on trips that I've already made but getting to zoom out a little bit and think about the direction we're moving in as a whole is always a fun thing yes I bet I think it's quite an envious assignment I was quite jealous of that one so yeah talking about looking ahead are there any emerging trends you're seeing for travel in 2026 we were talking a little bit about this earlier and saying how a lot of the time these travel trends that come out from marketing companies are normally quite mad and actually not what people are doing.

2:19You know, they say things like people are looking to take two month long trips and they will only travel by donkey without the use of their phones. And it's just all this wild stuff. But most of us, I think, probably just want to flop on a sun lounger. Maybe that's just me. But what are you actually seeing people want to do next year? Absolutely. I think for most of us, what we're looking for is a holiday, more than worrying about what any of the trends are. There were three themes that I really saw coming to the forefront, and those were escapism, adventure, and well-being. So thinking about this a little bit more, I think we've spent the last five years in the, not to use the C word, but in the post-COVID era, the post-pandemic era, where we were focusing a little bit more on maybe our bucket list destinations that we've had a long time or returning to some of those old favorites that we hadn't been to for a while.

3:13We've kind of done that now. And I think what people are looking for is just something totally different. Discovering a part of the world that they hadn't thought about going to before, that probably, hopefully, is going to be a little bit less crowded than a lot of the favorite destinations. and places like Mozambique, for example, which has some beautiful beachy stretches to rival places like the Maldives, but with a fraction, really a fraction of the number of people that you might see going there now. I was just going to say, I've actually been to Mozambique. I went a couple of years ago to Benguera Island, which you mentioned in the Wander List.

3:56And having been lucky enough to go to the Maldives and Benguera Island, I mean, I would hands down pick. Mozambique again. I think if you want to sort of resort with limitless cocktails, go to the Maldives. But Mozambique, it was incredible. And they have whale watching between July and October, which is just truly phenomenal. They have flamingos. It's much more exciting for nature. Plus, you get those golden beaches, that turquoise sea, amazing diving, you know, unexplored coral reefs. I would really say to anyone who loves that sort of tropical island holiday and maybe has done the Maldives or that doesn't appeal, I found Mozambique to be spectacular.

4:35I am ready to go. You've sold me, I think. Book my flight. And then, for example, Ulu in Finland, which is European capital of culture in 2026, has an amazing frozen people festival literally out on the ice where you can see the world's first Sammy Opera, which is going to be a celebration of the Indigenous Northern peoples. And then I think finally on the sort of well-being note, last year we were all talking a lot about longevity retreats and biohacking retreats and things like that. Very body focused and that's not going away but I think this year we're seeing a shift really more towards the mental health side of things and the social side of things and how that interacts with our well-being.

5:24And things like reading retreats that let you slow down and switch off and basically just sit in a beautiful place by the pool with a bunch of strangers and read your books. You don't have to talk to them. You can just read silently together, which actually sounds so dreamy. And things like communal sauna rituals as well. Those reading retreats, and they sound so lovely. And some of them even bring the authors along to give you, yeah, some insight into the characters in the books. And I just think that's such a wonderful idea because in this busy life, I don't know about you, but you get into bed at the end of the day, you think, I'll read my book for half an hour.

5:57And you never do. You get sucked into your phone. So just having that time carved out somewhere beautiful. Yeah, well, you don't have to think about meals or anything like that. I think these reading retreats really will be a hot thing for 2026. Yeah, totally guilt free. You're there. There's nothing you're supposed to do but read your book. Yes. And it just sounds like heaven. It really does. It really does. In terms of destinations for 2026, were there any that were surprising to you that are proving to be quite popular or looking to be quite popular? From a surprising point of view, I think Malta is really interesting.

6:29It's become a really exciting place to go. I think Malta had in years past a bit of a reputation for somewhere a little bit sleepy, maybe a bit of an older demographic, not that exciting. But actually, there's so much going on there from an art point of view. There's the new MyCast Museum opened recently, and that's got some amazing contemporary art in the old fortifications. Then there's the new Malta Biennale, launched in 2024. It's returning for its second edition this year from March to May. And there's also some really nice looking hotels opening, some very beautifully done boutique properties that are really upping the accommodation game on the island as well.

7:15So that's really a surprising, nice short haul as well, easy to get to for a weekend. Yeah, Malta is a great tip, actually. I haven't thought about Malta seriously for years, but those hotels look beautiful that are opening. And yeah, a long weekend in Malta, that really sounds good. And also, I think quite a good winter sun destination sort of from about March is a good place to go. Any others? Anywhere that's hosting the World Cup in North America is going to be huge. It's been 32 years, actually, since the US has last hosted the World Cup. So all of the destinations from Vancouver to Mexico and the final, which is in New Jersey, are all going to be really, really big this year.

7:57And on that note, if you're kind of getting around, And Amtrak has actually announced a new fleet of trains going from Vancouver to Seattle and Portland, which is going to make getting around a lot nicer on the ground if you don't want to be flying. And speaking of the Americas, British Airways has also in their recent holiday report said they've really seen an uptick to the American South area. So Nashville has had a 13 percent rise and they'll be launching new flights to St. Louis. and there's also a new Universal Kids Resort coming to Texas in May. So all of that American South is really having a bit of a moment as well.

8:36Yeah, I also was reading that Dolly Parton's opening a hotel. Oh yeah, June 2026. Yeah, Dolly's turning 80 or has just turned 80 this year. So let's all go celebrate a bit of Dolly Parton. Oh my goodness. Let's go celebrate with Dolly. Done. We'll take a quick break. Coming up, Susanna and Alicia discuss the trips they book for this year. Plus, they share their takes on the sauna trend and where to find the best ones in London.

9:07Welcome back. Let's head straight back to Susanna and Alicia. So, of the Wanderlist, incredible, incredible trips. Which is the one that you would pick to go on yourself if you could? well personally um i like nothing more than a good drink that sounds really bad we're recording at 11 a.m on a monday morning um but the opening of chateau de la comaraine apologies to the french speakers for my pronunciation um is opening in a 12th century chateau in pomard in burgundy and i think with with there's a few exceptions but really burgundy on the whole hasn't had really much of an exciting hotel scene to date, despite, you know, its international status as one of the very best wine regions in the entire world.

9:55And it's beautiful scenery and it's lovely villages. There just hasn't been really, really luxurious, beautiful places to stay. And that's going to change when this one opens. And it will actually be the first five star stay within a vineyard in the area. the vineyard is biodynamically run and the hotel just looks beautiful all exposed limestone walls and everything looks very serene and whitewashed and as someone with a toddler who does not allow to have nice white interiors because they get ruined it just looks like someone wanted to go and relax and and yeah with a beautiful glass of wine obviously so uh that's definitely on my list There's a seven-hectare private island owned by Paul Ricard of the Pastis fame.

10:46And the island, Ile de Bendor, has spent the last five years undergoing a massive transformation. It's been rewilded. It's been turned into a private island hotel, which is really rare in this part of the Mediterranean. So it looks incredible, very exclusive, very beautifully done. I think that's going to become a really popular place to be going and I would like to be one of the people going there this year. Yes I would like to come with you. Yes yeah we've got lots of holidays been this year together and finally on a completely different note is Egypt. I'm definitely going there this year so that's very exciting that's one locked into my diary but we've obviously all been waiting so long for the Grand Egyptian Museum to open in Cairo.

11:38And it finally did in November. So 2026 is the year we can finally book with confidence going, knowing where it's going to be open when we go and we can enjoy the 100 ,000 or so artifacts there. Plus, there's been some nice new hotel openings there. And of course, the iconic Nile cruise, it will be will be on the agenda for anyone going. Viking River Cruises has actually just launched or will be launching this year some new ships to up their capacity there. And they're all very beautiful. Yeah, they all sound phenomenal. I'd love to go to Egypt. I've never been actually. From your list, I was poring over and I think I would pick Asturias in northern Spain.

12:20I'm actually going to Cantabria this summer, which neighbours Asturias. So I reckon I could maybe hop over the border. But it just looks to me nothing like you would expect from Spain if you're used to going down to the Costa del Sol, Malaga, even Seville, Andalusia, that sort of area. It's much cooler, it's greener, it's got all these woodlands and meadows and hidden coves. The food is supposed to be incredible, especially the cheese apparently. And according to my research they have more individual varieties than France and then the restaurant I'm going to persuade my husband to let me book is the three Michelin starred Casa Marcial also again I'm so sorry if I'm butchering that to any Spanish listeners which is run by him in the hamlet of Lasalga and he uses the old farmhouse that his parents used to run a little shop in and then the nature there is supposed to be amazing as well there are 24 national reserves and you can see bears and wolves and it just it just looks absolutely incredible um so yeah from your list thank you for sorting out my summer trip i'm going to go to Astorias oh my gosh you have resold me on this like i feel like you should you should be working for the Astorias tourism board honestly it looks so good

13:41cheese and cider tastings

13:49And the beaches as well. I mean, it looks sort of like they've got these little harbour villages that look something out of you'd find in Cornwall. And then they've got these deserted, isolated stretches of rust, like really rugged cliff beaches. It just yeah, it just doesn't look like what I thought Spain was. So, yeah, let's all go there. And then I wanted to ask your advice. Obviously, life is very expensive at the moment. We're still dealing with the cost of living and long haul flights have become quite prohibitive to some people. Are there any long haul destinations that you see as being relatively affordable?

14:24So I think, you know, flights are always tricky. But if you think about the overall cost of your holiday and not just the flight, the flight price, of course, where you can get value on the ground. so one of the destinations we talk about in the special is in Panama in the San Blas Archipelago and the beaches there are supposed to be incredible very untouched beautiful stretches of sand not when you think of Panama you might think of the canal but there's a lot more to it than that a lot of beautiful local culture as well so G Adventures has launched some new trips to the San Blas Archipelago, which I mentioned earlier.

15:11And the trips actually cost as little as£600 per person for six days. And that actually includes your accommodation, three breakfasts, four lunches and three dinners, which actually is pretty great value. The only catch is you have to be between 18 and 30 something to join that trip. Yeah, that is great value, actually, to go somewhere that exotic and long haul for£600 once you're there. Yeah, that's pretty good. Speaking of affordable, you mentioned saunas as being the big thing for 2026 in your report, which I really love the sound of because they're really accessible and pretty cheap. So yeah, could you tell me a bit more about this trend and why have we all become obsessed with saunas?

15:58Why are we all obsessed with saunas? Well, so what's happening at the moment, it's not just a sauna. It's the Aufguss trend, which began in Germany. And this has sort of evolved. And sauna masters are now leading a kind of communal theatrical ritual at the front of a sauna where they might set it to music. It might be very quiet and meditative. It might be like a club, nightclub DJ set. it like totally it totally depends on where you are and who the sauna master is but they're effectively well you sit there as an audience sauna member they're wafting hot steamy air towards you using a towel you will feel wafts of hot air they use um scented oils in in melting ice over the hot rocks of the sauna to really give you a sensation of of an aromatic sensation as well as well it's it's all very it's very hot hot and messy but um you're released out and then you get to go into this icy plunge pool and you feel amazingly refreshed at the end of it i mean have you tried it do you know what i've tried yes i have and it's fantastic i tried it in northern ireland but closer to home i tried it in london actually um at the russian banya the bathhouse in belgravia and that is a really fun place and afterwards you can go and have a vodka in the cafe so kind of the best of both worlds yeah and in london as well actually obviously it's it's a big trend and it's huge here because everything that is good is big in london sauna and plunge in shoreditch is a good place to do it okay and also the sauna social club in peckham so yeah we don't need to travel far to to get that dose of wellness which which is fantastic literally though you can do as far as it feels as quebec and oslo and all sorts of places you you don't need to which is lovely.

18:00Yeah that is really good and then you as a travel editor and writer I'm dying to ask you of the whole world what is the one place that you would return to again and again? So it's I wish I had some really secret place you've never heard of to suggest here but my answer is actually Japan which is my favorite place in the world apart from Canada where I'm from. But Japan, I think it's actually a really great time to go from an exchange rate point of view. It's a fabulous time. It's really inexpensive on the ground once you get there. Flights can sometimes be a bit pricey depending on when you want to travel.

18:40But hotels and trains are cheaper than they have been in some more recent years. And food and drink, which is exceptional, even if you buy it from like a convenience store in Japan, is a fraction of what you would pay at home even. So you can live really well, really cheaply while there. Wonderful. I'm coming there with you too. Yeah. We're going everywhere. We'll just book the childcare, tell our husbands that we're just, we're off. We're off on the Wander List. We're doing the Wander List IRL. We're doing the Wander List. Oh, well, thank you so much for coming on and chatting us through the Wander List.

19:20And I hope to see you on a plane soon, somewhere sunny, drinking lots of Pinot Noir. Yes, perfect. There. See you there. Thank you.

19:30And that's The Standard. For all the latest news, head to standard.co.uk. If you'd like to get in touch, email us at podcasts at standard.co.uk. We'll be back here tomorrow morning. See you then.