News and Insights

Travel That Clicks

June 26, 2026

Good things come in travel packages, and variations on the same are growing by offering a world of opportunities as travel personalization becomes the gold standard. 

Packaged travel has been around since 1841 when Thomas Cook, founder of the late, eponymous British tour operator, organized a rail excursion for 500 sober Midlanders who paid a shilling a pop for a 12-mile ride from Leicester to a temperance gathering in Loughborough. Four years later, as per TimeTravel-Britain.com, Cook picked up steam with a trip to Liverpool and by the 1860s was packaging tours to as far away as Switzerland, America, and the Nile. Thomas Cook outlasted Cook, grew global, and even branded an airline before going out of business in a hurry in 2019. (Though Thomas Cook India, headquartered in Mumbai, remains in operation.) 

Today, travel packages have not only endured, they are blossoming. As observed last spring by Rich Robinson, Head of Hospitality & Leisure for Barclays Corporate Bank: “While the DIY holiday once reigned supreme, we’re now seeing a resurgence in the popularity of package holidays and travel agents, particularly among younger travelers.” The shift, Robinson added, “reflects a growing desire for value, convenience, and stress-free planning.”

Desire, indeed: Two years ago, Euromonitor International estimated the market for package holidays in Europe would grow to $125.9 billion in 2025, with popularity strongest among the budget-conscious Brits and Germans seeking to secure savings on accommodations, transportation, and the like.

In our hectic time, the appeal of packaged travel goes beyond price. Jenny Lo, Managing Partner at FINN Partners Shanghai, notes how “information overload” is not only driving travelers in China towards one-click travel, but it is also shaping the marketing of travel brands. “Traditionally, hotels put a lot of positive reviews and information on social media to influence consumers. But with life so complicated and demanding, younger generations are now making last-minute travel decisions based on random factors, despite having months to plan. Even they can’t explain why they choose one travel opportunity over another.” 

As such, travel brands are filling social media platforms with inspiring virality instead of experiential details, the better to excite and engage consumers. Adds Lo: “Traditional marketing no longer works for spontaneous decision making, as booking lead times have dropped from weeks to days or even overnight.”

Such spur-of-the-moment decisions aren’t reserved for quick getaways. On the adventure front, Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions, one of the few private tour operators with the means and expertise to provide environmentally ethical deep-field explorations of the interior of Antarctica, regularly receives last-minute bookings for travel into one of the most remote destinations on Earth. “It was shocking to learn how many clients wait until a month out to book 5+ day trips that need to be buffered with multiple days on either side in case the climate doesn’t cooperate,” relates Catherine Colford, Senior Partner of Maverick Creative, which recently reeled ALE into its growing client portfolio.

Upon arrival, ALE guests find a lot to experience, with programming sculpted for casual travelers and adrenaline junkies alike. For the former, Emperors & Explorers offers camping near an emperor penguin colony (they’re the big ones), the only experience of its kind in Antarctica, as well as a venture to both the geographic and ceremonial South Pole and a stay at ALE’s lively base camp at Union Glacier, a hub of exploration. For adventurers, there is sky diving, mountaineering on the highest peak on the continent (Mount Vinson), skiing to the Pole(s), snowmobiling, and more. Comfort is key for all, with ALE providing a range of accommodations, including top-of-the-line, double-walled tents with elevated flooring and heated bedding at its Three Glaciers Retreat, where days end with warm showers and menus from a private chef.

JOURNY, a newly reimagined travel media channel that relaunched last fall following acquisition by the tech-forward travel company NextTrip, is taking a clever approach to capturing the attention of preoccupied consumers with immersive travel programming that not only tells compelling stories but drives engagement and action via seamlessly integrated booking and discovery tools. The ecosystem surrounding JOURNY, which includes the online travel agency Five Star Alliance, combines concierge-supported travel, smart booking technology, and branded media to inspire travelers through culturally rich and insightful programming and connect them to bookable journeys as they’re watching the show.

“What makes JOURNY so timely is that it reflects how people actually travel today,” says Barney Bishop, Associate VP on FINN’s New York travel team. “We’re inspired by what we watch, we want things to feel easy, and when something resonates, we’re ready to act. By bringing together great storytelling, smart technology, and real concierge support, JOURNY makes it possible to go from dreaming about a trip to booking it in the same moment.”

The convenience of package-esque travel offerings is a main driver for younger travel consumers and Gen Z in particular. “We are witnessing a strategic shift in which Gen Z is trading traditional planning for ‘curated spontaneity,’ valuing their time as much as the experience itself,” says Haldun Dinccetin,  Senior Partner of FINN Partners North America. “These travelers seek what I call ‘frictionless adventure,’ gravitating towards unique cultural experiences they can’t find in their own zip codes. Properties like Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul are leading this trend by moving beyond the traditional stay; by offering curated cultural immersions – such as bespoke tours of Old City-filming locations for Skyfall featuring Daniel Craig-as-007 – the hotel is positioning itself as a vital architect of the traveler’s overall narrative.”

Similarly, Lunara Bay, a first-of-its-kind collection of oceanfront vacation homes in Key West, Florida, is coaxing groups of friends and multi-gen families for luxury stays with the services of Guest Experience Managers who bring deep local expertise and concierge-level access to the best experiences across the Keys. “They’re well-connected across the island, from sought-after boat captains to private chefs and specialty purveyors,” says Cesaley Hill, Associate Vice President of Maverick Creative, who notes the goal is to deliver the ease and consistency of a luxury hotel experience without sacrificing the privacy and comfort of a spacious home.

In Europe, weloveholidays, one of the fastest-growing online travel providers, has made packaged holidays its specialty. Their most recent data shows that German travelers increasingly opted for all-inclusive, worry-free packages and were willing to spend more for comfort. “Almost six out of ten bookings in 2025 were made by couples without children – a surprisingly strong trend showing that package holidays are no longer just for families. Couples also appreciate the planning security and comfort of all-inclusive offers in higher-end hotels,” says Anett Wittmann, Senior Partner of FINN Partners, Germany. 

This shift towards a younger customer base is also clearly reflected in their booking behaviour data. In 2025, smartphones remain the dominant booking device, with 55% of bookings being completed via smartphones. Continues Wittmann: “Taken together, these developments point to packaged holidays emerging as the defining travel trend of the next generation, driven by a demand for convenience, efficiency, and mobile-first booking experiences that are reshaping the industry.”

The UK is also home to Advantage Travel Partnership, a global community of 400-plus travel agents and travel management outfits that together generate more than £17 billion in global sales annually from millions of travelers. While packaged holidays are among ATP’s specialties, many of its member agents are now broadening in more experiential and luxury realms of travel. “That’s where the money is in travel now, and so the options are getting bigger, broader, and more varied,” notes Grace Parker, Senior Partner on FINN Partners Global Travel Team in London. ATP’s evolution reflects a wider trend: travel is no longer just about seeing the world – it’s about shaping it, with personalization and luxury redefining value.

As such options increase, so, too, do the ranks of travel advisors at the top end of the market. According to a recent piece from Bloomberg, the number of professionals describing themselves as travel agents or advisors grew by more 50 percent over the past three years, while the American Society of Travel Advisors has estimated travel booked through advisors will climb to $141.3 billion in the U.S. in 2026.

Today’s most influential travel counsel is defined by access, authorship, and cultural authority. In New York, Jack Ezon, Founder and Partner of Embark Beyond and a recent addition to Travel + Leisure’s 23rd annual A-List of the World’s Top Travel Advisors, represents the apex of this evolution. His work centers on experiences that are structurally impossible for most travelers to achieve independently, including a pre-wedding celebration in Paris that involved closing the top of the Arc de Triomphe for a private toast and securing exclusive access to the summit of the Eiffel Tower for the bachelorette group.

In Italy, journalist Laura Itzkowitz offers The New Roman Times, her Substack rooted in editorial credibility and local fluency written for high-end travelers and devoted Italy lovers.  Itzkowitz translates deep, on-the-ground knowledge into highly targeted guidance on the country’s most compelling hotels and destinations. Her work reflects a growing appetite for travel advice that is curated, informed, and authored by trusted voices with genuine proximity to place.

“With their insider knowledge and ability to cut through an increasingly crowded digital landscape, travel advisors are filling a critical gap for consumers who value lived experience over algorithm-driven recommendations,” says Caroline Keane, Vice President on the FINN Partners Travel Team in New York, pointing to the rise of Fora Travel, a marketplace for travel advisors that recently expanded with the launch of Fora Groups to modernize how corporate clients and advisors approach group travel. “AI and social media offer incredible tools, but they also create noise and misinformation. Travel advisors provide discernment, context, and a human point of view that technology alone cannot replicate.”

With options expanding faster than ever, the real question isn’t what travelers want next — but whether the industry can keep up with their growing appetite for experience, meaning, and connection.