A Hilton trend report predicts that in 2026, travelers will "seek out the familiar as they explore new places to gain a sense of ease when they are outside of their comfort zone—from packing their favorite snacks and cooking a beloved meal to keeping up with their weekly TV shows."
It's an appealing forecast. But when we asked real travelers what they'll actually pack, the specifics told a slightly different story.
We asked 100 digital twins of U.S. travelers what comforts they'll bring when they travel next year.
The Hilton trend prediction
"In 2026, travelers will seek out the familiar as they explore new places to gain a sense of ease when they are outside of their comfort zone – from packing their favorite snacks and cooking a beloved meal to keeping up with their weekly TV shows."
Source: Hilton Travel Trend Report 2026
What travelers are actually planning
Yes, they're bringing comforts. But they're not hauling half their kitchen through TSA.
See the full research report here
What we found: deliberate minimalism wins. Travelers pack 2–3 tight anchors, not a traveling pantry. The big three:
Morning coffee rituals: Aeropress kits, collapsible pour-overs, strong instant packets. "I refuse hotel sludge" came up again and again.
Kid-focused snack kits: Goldfish, fruit pouches, protein bars to avoid "$8 airport pretzels" and evening meltdowns.
Downloaded evening media: Weekly shows, sports, news pre-loaded to dodge flaky hotel Wi‑Fi and preserve bedtime routines.
The motivations blend hard pragmatism (bad hotel coffee, price gouging, terrible bandwidth) with emotional needs (calmer kids, less stress, small rituals that signal "I'm still me").
One traveler summed it up perfectly: "Keep a few anchors, don't bring the whole pantry—if you're recreating your living room on the road, what's the point of traveling?"
The interesting outliers
A smaller but vocal group goes further:
Soft coolers with perishables and good cheese
Mate kits (gourd, bombilla, yerba)
Travel Shabbat sets (LED tea lights, picked-up bread and wine)
Pocket AM/FM radios as low-bandwidth fallbacks for live sports
Small spice tins (Tajín, smoked paprika, Valentina) to "fix bland hotel food"
These aren't over-packers - they're ritual preservers. They've designed portable systems for the moments that matter most.
Why this nuance matters
The headline is right: comfort matters in 2026. But the how is everything.
Travelers don't want to recreate home. They want to preserve two or three non-negotiable routines with minimal friction. Coffee that doesn't taste like cardboard. Kids who sleep. A 20-minute wind-down that feels familiar.
For hospitality, lodging platforms, and travel brands, that's the signal: meet guests in the handful of moments that define their trip, not the entire day.
What hotels and lodging should do differently
Stop offering:
Generic "home away from home" messaging
Weak pod coffee as the only option
Streaming systems that require account creation and password resets
Start offering:
Quality coffee setups (real beans, grinders, pour-over) or partnerships with local roasters for lobby pickup
Transparent grab-and-go snack pantries with family staples at reasonable prices
Streaming-ready TVs with easy guest login/logout and genuinely strong Wi‑Fi
Pre-arrival info: closest grocery, coffee shop, pharmacy with hours and walking times
For extended stays with kitchens:
Simple one-pan recipe cards
Starter spice kits
Nearest-grocery routing in your app or welcome packet
What travel platforms should build
Packing simplifiers:
Templates for common anchor types (Coffee Ritual, Kids' Kit, Simple Cooking)
Smart reminders 48 hours out: "Download your shows, maps, and tickets now"
On-trip essentials:
Auto-surface nearby grocery, coffee, pharmacy when guests check in
Offline bundles (itinerary, maps, tickets) with one tap
Connectivity health indicators with low-bandwidth fallback suggestions
Cultural & ritual support:
Location-aware micro-guides (where to buy mate in Austin, kosher bakeries near your hotel)
Curated comfort kits available for purchase or partner pickup
Community-reviewed sensitivity (not stereotypes)
Family profiles:
Save kid ages, snack preferences, bedtime-anchor reminders
Pre-trip shopping checklist with budget view
Quiet-hours notification rules
The opportunity isn't bigger bags—it's smarter design
Travelers have already figured out how to pack light and stay sane. The question for the industry is whether you'll make that easier or harder.
Three moves you can make this quarter:
Amenity audit:
Does your coffee setup pass the "I refuse hotel sludge" test? If not, fix it first.
Message test:
Replace "home away from home" with "your rituals, simplified" or "stay grounded, travel light." Measure booking conversion and review sentiment.
Partnership pilot:
Work with one local roaster, one family snack brand, and one cultural grocer to offer comfort kits at check-in. Track attach rate and NPS.
The travelers who come back aren't the ones who never left home. They're the ones who brought just enough to feel like themselves—and you helped them do it.
What travel trend should we test next?
Source: U.S. digital twin panel, October 2025. [1]
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