Sometimes, it’s tiresome to plan a vacation. Sometimes, it’s best to let the algorithm do it for you.
Stepping up to help is travel-booking site Skyscanner, which this October released its top-searched destinations for U.S. travelers in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. “The not-so-obvious (places) are stealing the spotlight,” Skyscanner writes. “U.S. travelers are turning their attention to smaller, lesser-known destinations that fly further under the radar but offer something fresh beyond the big-name spots.”
Goodbye, Hawaii and Disney World. Hello, Limon, Costa Rica, a coastal city that saw a 286% increase in flight searches this year. Other hot spots include Bodrum, Turkey; Zadar, Croatia; and in the United States, New Haven in Connecticut (great pizza!) and Colorado’s mountainous ski-haven, Vail.
Skyscanner’s 10 trending destinations for 2026
1 Limon, Costa Rica
2 Jaipur, India
3 Bodrum, Turkey
4 Madeira, Portugal
5 Vail, Colorado
6 Zadar, Croatia
7 Olbia, Italy
8 New Haven, Connecticut
9 Bilbao, Spain
10 Mykonos, Greece
