Virtuoso identifies trends redefining luxury travel in 2026

Fall has become a more popular time for the luxury travel market.

Virtuoso, a global network specializing in luxury and experiential travel, has unveiled its latest travel trends during the 38th annual Virtuoso Travel Week, which took place Aug. 8-14 in Las Vegas. Drawn from proprietary data and advisor and consumer surveys, the findings show luxury travelers are choosing fall over summer for travel, lingering longer and investing more to enjoy destinations at their best, without the crowds.

With a nod toward decreased temperatures and fewer crowds, fall is emerging as a more popular time to travel. Virtuoso reports that its 2026 autumn bookings are up 59% compared with last year and sales are up 69%. September leads with sales up 77% and a 55% increase in bookings, while October bookings are up 59% and November is up more than 70% on both measures.

Virtuoso reports that New York and the Hawaiian islands are two top domestic travel destinations in luxury travel for fall this year.

Luxury travelers are also stringing multiple destinations together into longer, multicity itineraries that Virtuoso has themed “city-maxxing.” Roughly one in two of these trips crosses an international border. Stays are also lengthening, and the second home as base camp is bringing branded residences and private villas into the mix.

These itineraries run on private aviation, and demand skews younger, with advisors reporting millennials leading private jet requests.

Virtuoso reports that travelers are booking their trips further into the future as well. Virtuoso says its future leisure bookings for one and two years out are up 50%, and the pattern is consistent as prices rise: bookings of $50,000 or more are up 47%, cruise bookings at that level are up 49% and production of $100,000 and above is up 49%. There’s also an uptick in requests for ultraluxe travel, from hotels-within-hotels to private members’ clubs with rooms.

Wellness has also moved from an amenity to an itinerary item. Wellness-segmented hotels are outpacing the broader hotel portfolio, with bookings up 28%, sales up 44% and average daily rates up 23%. The category now spans sleep optimization, metabolic health and mental-health retreats, with longevity tourism the breakout segment, pairing medical diagnostics with five-star hospitality.