If your group chats are already filling up with “we need a holiday” messages, you’re not alone. According to new data from Expedia, Brits are planning their holiday breaks with a very specific agenda in mind – sunshine, value, culture, and avoiding peak-season chaos wherever possible.
And honestly? The shoulder season, before the summer holidays hit, might just be the best time to travel full stop.
You’ll dodge school holiday crowds, pay significantly less for flights and hotels, and actually get a table at that impossibly popular wine bar in Valencia without queueing behind 40 tourists in matching bucket hats.
From the best days to book flights to why shoulder season travel is having a moment, here’s how savvy travellers are making their money stretch further in 2026.
Why shoulder season travel is the ultimate holiday hack
There’s a reason seasoned travellers swear by shoulder season. Sitting neatly between peak summer and off-season, it’s the sweet spot where destinations are still buzzing, but prices haven’t spiralled into eye-watering territory.
Expedia’s latest Spring Travel Outlook found that travellers are increasingly opting for culture-packed city breaks and warmer-weather escapes before the summer rush hits.
Trending destinations include Québec City, which saw a staggering 280 per cent rise in interest, alongside San Juan (+245 per cent) and Curaçao (+165 per cent).
Meanwhile, destinations like Ljubljana and Valencia are booming thanks to their mix of great food, walkable city centres, and slightly softer prices before peak summer kicks in.
The appeal is obvious – fewer crowds, better weather than winter, and hotels that don’t suddenly triple in price because the school holidays started.
The best destinations for 2026
For sunshine seekers
If your winter personality is essentially “send me somewhere with turquoise water immediately”, you’re in good company.
Expedia says Brits are flocking to warmer destinations including Santo Domingo, Aruba, and Curaçao for beach days, snorkelling, and dependable sunshine.
Meanwhile, San Juan has exploded in popularity – likely helped along by the global influence of Puerto Rican music and culture over the past year.
For culture lovers
Shoulder season city breaks are firmly having a moment.
Ljubljana continues to charm travellers with its café culture and fairytale architecture, while Valencia offers beach-meets-city energy without Barcelona-level prices.
Classic favourites are still holding strong, too. Expedia’s most popular international destinations for Brits include Paris, Amsterdam, New York City, Rome, and Tokyo.
How to find cheaper flights
One of the biggest mistakes travellers make is searching for flights with completely fixed plans.
Being flexible – even slightly – can dramatically lower costs.
Rather than searching one exact route on one exact day, savvy travellers are increasingly using flexible date searches and fare comparison tools to spot cheaper options around their preferred dates.
Expedia recommends using its Flight Deals tool, which highlights fares that are at least 20 per cent lower than predicted typical prices. The platform’s map discovery feature on iOS also allows users to browse cheaper destinations based on budget rather than fixed plans – ideal if your priority is simply “somewhere sunny with good food”.
Price tracking tools are another easy win. Setting alerts through the Expedia app means you’ll get notifications when airfare drops, rather than manually checking prices 17 times a day and convincing yourself you’re “monitoring the market”.
Bundle bookings can genuinely save money
Package holidays have had a rebrand.
Gone are the days when bundling flights and hotels meant committing to an all-inclusive resort you booked three months after watching a 2007 advert on daytime TV.
Now, travellers are increasingly combining boutique hotels, city apartments, and long-haul flights into one booking – because it’s often significantly cheaper.
According to Expedia, travellers can save hundreds on average by booking hotels and flights together rather than separately.
It also simplifies the planning process – fewer confirmation emails, fewer tabs open, and fewer opportunities to accidentally book a hotel in entirely the wrong part of the city. Always a bonus.
The rise of cosy UK staycations
Not everyone wants a long-haul flight this spring – and Expedia’s data suggests domestic escapes are booming too.
Trending UK destinations include Conwy, Tenby, The Cotswolds, and Aviemore. The appeal? Countryside walks, coastal air, pubs with fireplaces, and avoiding airport security altogether.
Sometimes the ideal spring reset doesn’t involve a passport – just a cottage, a roast dinner, and questionable weather that somehow still feels charming.
