Building on data from its inaugural Hidden Trends List 2026, a global online marketplace says this summer’s travel patterns point to a fundamental shift in how people think about going somewhere: not farther, but deeper.
Powered by data from millions of travellers, GetYourGuide offers insights reaffirming that experiences are the foundation of travel today. Three unique highlights include:
- Must do’s, done right: local landmarks the insider’s way
Capitalmaxxing is the trend of travellers returning to a major city they’ve visited before and going deeper into it – rather than racing across multiple destinations. GetYourGuide data shows a 35% increase in UK travellers searching for London experiences year-over-year, and a 17% year-to-date rise in French travellers booking activities in Paris, with triple-digit growth in experiences like guided Louvre tours, Catacombs entry and Seine river cruises.
“The Eiffel Tower is a global treasure for a reason – but we’re seeing more people want to experience it with a real insider’s view,” said Lucas Glowinski, GetYourGuide’s France Travel Expert. “My tip: try an immersive VR tour that goes deep into the tower’s history and context, without the queues. Go with an open mind, and engage with the expert guide. You’ll learn something new and finally experience top sights in an engaging way.”
- ‘Gran Turismo’: the rise of wisdom-led travel
Travellers are no longer just seeking to learn skills while on holiday; they want to learn from people who’ve spent a lifetime mastering them. Workshops and hands-on classes on GetYourGuide have grown more than 250% between 2023 and 2025, and they’re often led by “grandma” guides.
“People come to Italy for the food and sights, but one tip to really make memories is to learn about traditions from those handing traditions to the next generation: nonnas,” said Francesca De Falco, GetYourGuide’s Regional Manager for Italy. “One of our guides, Nonna Rosella grew up in a village outside Rome, moved to the city, and turned a lifetime of cooking into a way of meeting the world. Her guests leave with a local connection to give them advice about both pasta and life.”
- Dusking: the art of the evening out
Early risers now have a counterpart. As summer heat peaks, a growing share of travellers are shifting their experiences to the cooler, quieter, and often more beautiful hours after 5 p.m., a practice called “dusking.” The platform has recorded a nearly 40% year-over-year increase in activity bookings after 5 p.m.
“Dusk is genuinely one of the best times to explore, especially with older kids,” says GetYourGuide’s Chris Hohorst. “The heat drops, the light turns golden, and you discover a completely different version of a city. One tour that I’d recommend is a sunset kayak tour. It’s the perfect thing to do on a summer roadtrip: something active and nature-focused after a day of relaxation or driving. Doing activities at dusk is a great way to ensure balance between relaxation and being active.”
GetYourGuide tracks booking and search behaviour across 200,000 experiences in 18,000 cities worldwide, giving the platform a longitudinal view of how traveller behavior shifts over time. Recent partnerships with TikTok Go and the European Travel Commission further extend GetYourGuide’s data footprint and reach – making its trend signals increasingly representative of how the world travels.
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