Audley Identifies 3 Trends Reshaping Luxury Tailor-Made Travel
A new trends report highlights rising demand for boundary-pushing access, women-led journeys, and custom itineraries that adapt to every traveler.
Photo: Audley Travel
Affluent travelers are redefining expectations for luxury tailor-made travel, according to a new trends report from Audley Travel.
Cathy Kusuma Bennis, the tour operator’s vice president and head of trade sales and partnerships for North America, presented the findings last Friday as part of a presentation previewing Audley Travel’s upcoming destinations and trade programs in 2026.
The new trends report focused on the luxury tailor-made travel niche, offering insights from extensive conversations with Audley Travel’s global network of in-house experts, as well as in-house survey data and third-party resources.
“This research … shows a really unique, defining shift in luxury travel, and a move away from destination-first planning, which has always been pretty traditional, toward the intentional investment of time,” said Bennis.
Created in partnership with travel trends forecasting agency Globetrotter, the report identifies three key trends shaping tailor-made travel in 2026.
“Luxury travel isn’t just exquisite service any longer,” explained Bennis.
True luxury is making the “impossible” possible.
Today’s luxury travelers are “edgebound,” according to the trends report.
Audley and Globetrotter’s research revealed that travelers are increasingly defining true luxury as access to experiences few others have had and were “one perceived to be impossible.” Bennis added that these travelers “are adventure seekers [who] are demanding access to things like private land or pursuing out-of-bounds properties.”
A key observation: this shift is about getting priority access or exclusive opportunities, whether that’s being the first to try a new vehicle or vessel or visiting a part of the world that’s not easily accessible. They are not satisfied with rarity alone; they want meticulously crafted itineraries that push the boundaries of what is viable.
Women are traveling with other women.
The research also found a rise in female travelers who are not only interested in women-only groups but also want their guided travel experience to be steeped in the female perspective.
“Nearly a quarter of Audley’s country specialists (24%) report a rise in solo female travelers, and these solo travelers are increasingly requesting female guides,” explained Bennis.
Dubbed “women 2 women” by Audley, the trend goes beyond comfort and safety to a genuine desire for immersive, female-led storytelling. These women-first itineraries can unlock cultural nuances and local narratives that may otherwise be hidden within male-dominated tourism structures.
The report also suggested that choosing female guides can be framed as an act of empowerment. By working with women on the ground, visitors help support local livelihoods in a sector where women globally earn nearly 15% less than men and are disproportionately represented in lower-paid roles.
Custom journeys that flex.
The final trend flagged by Audley is the rise in “multi-spoke itineraries” for family vacations, which offer more customized, personalized experiences that cater to the different interests within a group dynamic.
The problem: when planning a multi-gen or skip-gen family trip, the group comprises people with different interests and priorities. The solution: creating an agenda that lets each individual pursue experiences that appeal to them, while still traveling as a family and sharing time together.
“Up to 57% of Audley’s country specialists say that their clients ask for curated, multi-spoke itineraries,” said Bennis. “So different needs and desires at the same time, but it still protects the ultimate reason for a family vacation.”
Bennis stressed that this doesn’t mean families traveling with separate itineraries and regrouping only for meals. Instead, the trip is crafted to accommodate different energy levels, learning styles, and personal passions—ranging from contemplative cultural experiences to high-adrenaline adventures—while still weaving everyone into a single, seamless journey filled with shared moments and memories.
For example, this could mean the younger, more active group members explore a region by mountain bike while older members enjoy the same sites via tuk-tuk, all sharing a guide.
“The itinerary is designed to satisfy vastly different energy levels within the same family traveling together,” said Bennis. “Maybe they have different learning styles, or personal passions—they want to break off and do different things, but then come back together … Or maybe they’re experiencing the same thing but at different levels.”
Bennis added that this trend has been on the rise in 2025 and is expected to continue in the tailor-made space.
“It’s not one person’s itinerary any longer with others tagging along,” she explained. “It’s now a shared journey.”
