Short-haul trips on the rise for summer holidays – here’s where to go

As fears mount over jet fuel price surges, more and more European travellers are opting for short-haul or domestic travel this summer, according to Airbnb.

New data from the short-term let booking platform has shown that 25% of travellers in countries including France, Germany, Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands will be embracing staycations in 2026.

Those who are going abroad are travelling shorter distances. In Sweden, for example, the median booking distance has dropped 26% since 2023 and is now under 500 kilometres.

Another trend on the rise is splitting the cost of travel across a larger group, with bookings of four people or more up across Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Rural accommodation is increasingly popular, too, with more than half of all summer bookings in Germany and France to countryside, coastal and mountain destinations.

The data, which is based on bookings from January to March 2025 for bookings from June to September that year, compared with bookings for the same periods in 2026, has also revealed the top trending destinations in Europe for this summer.

The top trending destinations in Europe, according to Airbnb

In Italy, Trentino-South Tyrol is on the rise for many European travellers. Best known for the Dolomites, visitors flock here for the hiking trails, and there are plenty of lakes for you to cool off in along the way.

For British travellers, the Veneto Mountains are also proving popular.

Over in France, trips to Normandy are on the up for British and Dutch tourists, particularly for rural destinations. The region is home to seven of the most beautiful villages in France, including Beuvron-en-Auge, Blangy-le-Château and Veules-les-Roses.

Germans are headed for rural Sweden, with places like Växjö, Kalmar, Kristianstad and Jönköping all seeing surges.

The coastal city of Vlorë in Albania has nearly doubled in popularity since 2023.

Madeira, which was named Tripadvisor’s top trending destination for this year, is also seeing interest among Dutch and British travellers.