According to the Redion Holiday Barometer 2026, while early planning remains the norm, with most travelers still organising their trips at least two months in advance, clear signs of more cautious behaviour are emerging. In North America, Europe and the Middle East, travelers are increasingly shortening their planning horizons.
This shift is reflected in the rising share of travelers in Europe and the Middle East who now plan their trips less than two months ahead. At the same time, fewer travelers in India are booking more than four months in advance, and North American travelers are increasingly moving away from long-lead planning, with fewer planning trips more than six months out.
These evolving behaviours suggest that, in a more volatile and unpredictable environment, travelers are choosing to keep their options open. Delaying decisions appears to offer a sense of control and reassurance, allowing people to adapt plans more easily as conditions evolve, rather than committing far ahead in an uncertain context.
Trip planning (%)
| Region | 2 months or less | vs 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | 27 | +3 | |
| West EU | 23 | +2 | |
| South EU | 29 | +5 | |
| East EU | 34 | +4 | |
| North Asia | 29 | +2 | |
| India | 39 | +2 | |
| Oceania | 20 | +3 | |
| Middle East | 37 | +8 | |
| North America | 23 | +2 | |
| South America | 26 | new |
-x/+x : Significantly evolution vs 2025
Trip duration remains a stable element of travel behaviour in 2026, with relatively few signs that travelers are shortening their holidays in response to uncertainty. Across most regions, reducing time away is not a trade-off travelers are making.
Average summer holiday length continues to hover around two weeks in Europe (1.8 weeks), Oceania (2.1 weeks) and the Middle East (2.3 weeks), broadly in line with previous years. However, some moderation is visible within Europe itself. In Southern Europe, average trip duration has edged down to 1.6 weeks, while Eastern Europe records a similar decline to 1.7 weeks, suggesting more selective adjustments rather than a generalised pullback.
Elsewhere, trends point in different directions. In North Asia, where trips are typically shorter, average duration has increased slightly to 1.3 weeks, indicating a willingness to extend stays despite broader uncertainty. South America, included in the Barometer for the first time, records an average holiday length of 1.5 weeks, closely aligned with North America, where trip duration stands at 1.6 weeks, marginally down on last year.
Overall, these patterns reinforce a consistent finding of the 2026 Barometer: while travelers are adapting where and how they travel, they are largely preserving the time they dedicate to travel, underlining its continued importance and protected status in people’s lives.
Planned trip duration (number of weeks, mean)
| Region | 2024, 2025 and 2026 (weeks) |
|---|---|
| EU | 2,0
1,9
1,8
|
| West EU | 2,0
1,9
1,9
|
| South EU | 1,9
1,8
1,6
|
| East EU | 2,0
1,9
1,7
|
| North Asia | 1,4
1,2
1,3
|
| India | 1,8
1,7
1,7
|
| Oceania | 2,1
2,0
2,0
|
| Middle East | 2,3
2,3
2,3
|
| North America | 1,8
1,7
1,6
|
| South America | —
—
1,5
|
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