'Croatia, but cheaper': The quirky holiday spots on trend for 2026

Some might be put off by a three-hour train after a flight from the UK, but ABTA's Emma Brennan says growing numbers of people - both young and older - are treating travel as part of their holiday experience.

"As soon as you're on the journey, you're getting to explore places, you're making stops along the way, and so you're getting under the skin of a different part of the destination, rather than just getting there and focusing on one area," she says.

Rügen is an example of more tourists looking for an "authentic experience" of a country, away from the classic cities, she adds.

Steph Jepson from Courtney World Travel says the ongoing war in the Middle East is leading some customers to look to northern Europe to feel safer.

"We've got clients at the moment who are getting really jittery about Cyprus, which is a shame because tourism is their main industry."

She estimates an all-inclusive, seven-night package in Tallinn for a couple in June would cost about £1,800 in total. A family of four would spend about £3,400.

In Albania, it's easy to make travel part of your holiday.

"You can just fly to Corfu [in Greece], then you can catch a half-hour ferry across to Saranda, which is sort of the entry to the 'Albanian Riviera'," travel blogger Amber Robertson explains.

She's seen a steady rise in the number of people viewing her guide to Albania in recent years.

"You've got really beautiful beaches, good beach clubs, getting that sort of Greece feel - but at a cheaper price.

"And then there's some really nice history," she says. "Barat and Gjirokastër, these really old beautiful stone towns that have a lot of culture."

Jepson estimates an all-inclusive, seven-night package for a couple in what she's heard referred to as the "Maldives of Europe" would cost about £1,400. A family of four would spend about £2,300.

"One of the big draws, particularly for younger people, has been value," she says, "your money goes quite [a lot] further.

"They've got some really interesting wildlife in Albania, so that's been drawing in either families or people with specialist interests."

Spain is still the most popular destination for British tourists, according to ABTA, but more are venturing beyond Barcelona or the Costa del Sol.

Brennan says Asturias and La Rioja are on the up, in part because of concerted efforts by the Spanish government to spread tourism across the country.

"I's a very different offering up there. You've still got beaches, but then you've got greenery and mountains and wildlife."

ABTA members have reported more and more holidaymakers are building their itineraries based on particular interests, such as food and wine.

Robertson feels there's nothing wrong with going for the tried-and-tested locations, but parts of Spain are a nice halfway house between being suitable for tourists and a little unconventional for trips.

"Places like San Sebastian and Bilbao, they are still touristy to an extent, however, they're going to be far less touristy than Barcelona," she says.

And for those that way inclined, "around San Sebastian there's all these really good cider houses".