For years, January was treated as a launchpad for travel. New year, new plans, new destinations, often booked in a post-holiday rush fuelled by discounts, resolutions, and the promise of escape. But that momentum is quietly shifting.
As 2026 begins, more travellers are choosing to slow their start, postponing trips until later in the year rather than rushing away as soon as the calendar turns. It’s not about travelling less. It’s about travelling differently.
Moving away from the January rush
January travel has traditionally been shaped by urgency: use up leave, avoid peak prices later, get ahead of the year before work ramps up again. Yet for many, that pressure now feels counterproductive. After an already full end-of-year period, jumping straight into airports, packed itineraries, and recovery time doesn’t always feel restorative.
Instead, travellers are recognising that rest doesn’t need to be immediate to be meaningful. Delaying trips allows for better planning, more flexibility, and often, a more enjoyable experience overall.
The appeal of shoulder and off-peak travel
One of the strongest drivers behind the “slow start” mindset is the growing awareness of when travel actually feels best. Shoulder seasons, those quieter periods between peak travel months often offer better weather, fewer crowds, and more balanced pricing. Off-peak travel, meanwhile, allows destinations to be experienced without the pressure of over-tourism.
By travelling later in the year, people are giving themselves access to calmer environments and more authentic interactions, whether that’s walking through a city without queues or spending longer in one place without the need to rush.
Planning as part of the pleasure
Another reason slow-start travel is gaining traction is the changing relationship people have with planning itself. Researching destinations, mapping out routes, and imagining experiences has become a form of enjoyment rather than a logistical chore.
Without the pressure to book immediately, travellers are taking time to align trips with personal rhythms—work schedules, energy levels, and real interests rather than idealised itineraries. Planning slowly often leads to better decisions, fewer regrets, and trips that feel more intentional.
Travel that fits real life
There’s also a practical shift at play. With more flexible work arrangements now embedded into everyday life, travel no longer needs to be condensed into fixed holiday windows. Shorter trips spread across the year, or longer stays planned thoughtfully, are replacing the idea of one major getaway squeezed into January or February.
This flexibility has made later travel not only more appealing, but more realistic, especially for those balancing work, family, and personal commitments.
A gentler approach to escape
At its core, the slow start trip reflects a broader cultural change. Travel is no longer just about escape or novelty; it’s about sustainability, emotionally, financially, and physically. Travelling later in the year allows people to move at a pace that feels kinder to themselves and the places they visit. Rather than rushing to get away, travellers are choosing to arrive when they’re ready.
As 2026 unfolds, the slow start trip isn’t a rejection of adventure. It’s an evolution of it. One that values timing, intention, and the understanding that meaningful travel doesn’t need to begin in January to matter.