Whycations, sustainability and astrotourism: Are your 2026 travel plans on trend?

Voyage trends for next year are out and it looks like travelers want to unplug and deeply appreciate their destination Here s a list of what these trends are and where you can experience them either in Colorado or from here to other places easily reached via a nonstop flight The whycation The historic ranch in Mesa Verde Country near Canyon of the Ancients National Monument is surrounded by Ancestral Puebloan sites and offers access to attractions like Mesa Verde National Park Originally a cattle ranch owned by cowboy Elden Zwicker in the late s it retains several original buildings Current owners Garry and Ming Adams have restored them to preserve their western heritage Photo provided by Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch Hilton conducted a survey of more than travelers from countries and is now dubbing one trend the whycation which describes purposeful but not overly busy advance In other words people seek connection with a place through meaningful experiences for anything from feelings of deep relaxation to intellectual stimulation by learning a new skill Imagine you want to go someplace to immerse yourself in the history of Ancestral Puebloans so you re not focused on where but why You might find yourself in southwestern Colorado at Mesa Verde National Park Canyons of the Ancients National Monument or the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park near Durango Everyone s why or purpose will be different Other trend reports provide particular options to consider including finding peace and quiet learning a new skill seeing a natural phenomenon and traveling with a minimal impact on communities and the planet Astrotourism or chasing wonders Chase Trip issued a list of Trips to Take in that includes a survey showing interest in several trends such as of respondents who want to trip to chase natural phenomena This can include observing a whale migration trekking to be in the path of totality for a solar eclipse chasing the Aurora Borealis and other fleeting moments of workable magic The Northern Lights blankets part of Iceland's east coast in AP Photo Jonina Oskardottir Icelandair has direct flights from Denver to Keflavik Iceland where visitors can choose to visit on Aug and be in the path of totality for the solar eclipse on the island s west side Keep in mind this is the season of midnight sun perhaps considered another natural phenomenon so there s not a chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis aka Northern Lights during this season Explore Worldwide s trip trends document cites astrotourism as a motivation for tour in the coming year Astrotourism is traveling to places with low to zero urban light trash to observe the night sky and celestial events such as a lunar eclipse and the Northern Lights DarkSky International lists more than places that have been certified by them as having good viewing of the night sky thanks to local efforts to reduce light toxicity In Colorado there are several communities national parks state parks and national monuments that have dark-sky designation Several of these places have introduced whole programs to augment the natural events Rocky Mountain National Park has a Night Sky activity in the summer with volunteer astronomers and their telescopes Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch near Four Corners has live music and author readings to accompany stargazing Aspen Snowmass Winter Park Resort and Eldora Mountain Resort all have full moon dinners that involve skiing or snowshoeing as part of the experience Tips You have to choose between seeing the stars and seeing the full moon And check the forecasts for conditions Throughout the West there are opportunities to view the night sky with experts such as Dark Skies Astronomy Tours in Hurricane Utah the Kosmos Stargazing Resort in Colorado s San Luis Valley and Hotel Ketchum within the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve whose Gear Garage for guests includes items like a telescope Miller Planisphere Star Finder glow-in-the-dark star finder with zodiac dial and more Nonstop flights between Denver and the Cayman Islands on American Airlines United Airlines or Cayman Airways can lead to a nighttime kayaking adventure with Cayman Kayaks through Bioluminescent Bay to see the water sparkle thanks to glowing organisms Although the Northern Lights have just now been seen as far south as Denver they can dependably be seen in northern destinations Head to Iceland on a nonstop flight from Denver from the fall through spring to glimpse the waving green pink red and even purple lights in the sky at night Hotel Ranga an hour from the country s capital Reykjavik has wakeup calls for guests so they can rush outside in the middle of the night rather than wait up for the sky to light up There are also direct flights from Denver to Anchorage Alaska where the Northern Lights are likely to be visible in the winter months too Hushpitality Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort Spa is located just west of Taos Provided by Ojo Caliente No matter what you call it hushpitality unplugging or taking a digital detox people want to get away from their devices messages and news alerts when they voyage Hilton is calling this trend Hushpitality in its Trends Review stating that its survey unveiled people are seeking silence as well as meaning on their trips One Colorado example would be at Mesa Verde s Far View Lodge which was ahead of this trend and designed rooms without televisions and no WiFi Throughout the park cellphone organization is generally spotty so your entire experience can be offline Hilton s research determined that of its respondents are seeking rest and recharging really putting the leisure in trip They detected that want to spend time in nature want to improve their mental physical condition and want me time And perhaps surprisingly reading was listed one of the top three anticipated leisure exercises for travelers with expressing interest just above the seeking nature immersion retreats with interest in spiritual retreats and seeking silent retreats For a silent retreat in Colorado the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center in Ward and the Drala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes are good options When I think of Hushpitality what comes to mind is a trip to Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort Spa in northern New Mexico where a staff member routinely walks around the various soaking pools to gently ring a bell and shush people if they become too boisterous Sustainable passage The first trip of the Amtrak Winter Park Express ski train on Jan Andy Cross The Denver Post Virtuoso a architecture of luxury progress advisors has identified a desire for sustainable advance and avoiding overtourism as two excursion trends According to Jessica Hall Upchurch Virtuoso s vice-chair and sustainability strategist sustainable voyage is more than just booking an eco-friendly hotel Options that travelers try to protect destinations she noted include avoiding overtourism by choosing shoulder season or less-crowded places and embracing experiences that give back Sustainability is about slowing down spending thoughtfully and leaving a positive mark rather than just ticking the green box Upchurch mentioned For something to be sustainable means that current requirements are met while not compromising or impacting future necessities being met too Overtourism is defined as a situation in which too a multitude of tourists advance to a popular destination causing the place to suffer negative environmental economic and sociocultural impacts So perhaps try a place you haven t seen on social media In Colorado being a sustainable traveler might mean taking a train instead of driving your car to a destination to help minimize traffic Train excursion is considered sustainable because of the lower carbon emissions Take the Amtrak Winter Park Express which goes from downtown Denver to Winter Park Resort Or take the Amtrak train from Denver to Glenwood Springs for a soak in the hot springs at Iron Mountain Hot Springs or the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool Internationally there are nonstop flights from Denver to Zurich Switzerland on SWISS where the small country is known for its sustainable practices There is an extensive constituents transportation system in Switzerland as well as a robust recycling campaign Related Articles Sen Faith Winter remembered for persistence warmth and impact on Colorado at memorial Colorado ski resorts tracking uncertain voyage trends consumer confidence The best food cities in America for More than flights delayed by snow at Denver International Airport Denver weather When where and how much snow to expect Wednesday Entr e Destinations has partnered with Destination Canada to introduce The Stories of Canada highlighting smaller communities that take travelers into less-visited places in order to spread out tourism dollars and provide more cultural immersion Bonus The seven participating Canadian cities can be reached via direct flights from Denver These stories are packaged itineraries that expose tourists to local heritage art food and indigenous people Depending on the itinerary travelers could experience astrotourism hushpitality and have a whycation all while avoiding overtourism Great American road trip Before there were interstate highways there was Direction stretching from Santa Monica Calif to Chicago Ill Cars traveled across the Mother Road or Main Street of America stopping along the way in parts of California Arizona New Mexico Texas Oklahoma Kansas Missouri and Illinois Both Chase Journey and Hilton s progress reports listed the Course centennial in as a top trend Each state will have commemorations of this th anniversary with the majority in New Mexico Visitors can go on self-guided tours of the historic neon signs in Albuquerque or make a weekend of it with Highway -related music and art festivals Multiple of the places along Road went from boom to bust when the road became less traveled so head for places like Grants N M to practice avoiding overtourism Colorado travelers can easily take a road trip from Denver to Albuquerque to explore Highway and feel nostalgic Subscribe to our weekly newsletter In The Know to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox