Why does it matter in 2026? Scandi-inspired wellness, from hot-cold remedy to hygge, is now de rigueur. But Viking wellness takes this a step additional, with a concentrate on uncooked, elemental experiences. At Eleven Deplar Farm, a Viking sauna consists of guided breathwork, intense warmth, plunges into frigid water, and chanting and birch twig tapping in between. “Guests breathe the same bracing Icelandic air and drink the same clear water that sustained the Vikings, emerging grounded and connected to an ancient practice,” says basic supervisor Kurt Berman. Spas with comparable choices may be discovered alongside the Göta River in Gothenburg, Sweden, the place Viking merchants as soon as travelled. Miles away at Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa in St Barts, a trio of Nordic baths created from crimson cedar wooden additionally takes its cue from Viking distinction remedy. Communal eating is one other key characteristic of the development, with giant tables and sharing dishes. For a style, strive Ekstedt at The Yard in London’s Westminster, the place Michelin-starred Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt cooks hay-smoked sirloin on open fires. Forget horned helmets and heavy mead and prepare to embrace an elemental method to wellness. Jessica Burrell
16. All eyes on Design Week
What’s the development? For years, fashion week has been the place to be seen – and never only for editors, stylists or designers. Sitting entrance row has change into a marker of relevance for celebrities, musicians and influencers as a solution to sign style, standing and a sure stamp of cool. Now, different {industry} occasions are following go well with, significantly internationally of design. No longer trade-only, design weeks and festivals are more and more drawing tastemakers desirous to align themselves with the aesthetic world of interiors, structure and craftsmanship. For creatives seeking to broaden their model and flex their design credentials, they’ve change into a brand new variety of cultural forex.
Why will it matter in 2026? Milan’s Salone del Mobile is arguably essentially the most prestigious design week of the 12 months and, in 2025, reported its highest-ever proportion of worldwide guests, with greater than 68 per cent travelling from international locations together with China, the US, Brazil, Russia and the UK. With its concentrate on “under 35” expertise, the honest drew design fans at each stage of their careers – however this 12 months, it wasn’t simply {industry} professionals. Content creators and tastemakers additionally made the pilgrimage, signalling how a commerce occasion like this now resonates with a wider viewers.
UK stylist and inventive advisor Lucy Williams (584,000 followers) attended for the primary time, declaring it could be on her “schedule from here on out”. Meanwhile, model-artist Conie Vallese and Alix Rutsey, a merchandising lead at Calvin Klein, had been noticed at design week cocktail events throughout the town.
And it’s not all about Milan. Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design in June and Paris’ Maison&Objet in January additionally noticed elevated consideration from non-industry company, with glowing protection on-line suggesting their reputation will solely rise. Set in some of Europe’s most fun cities, these occasions encourage a flurry of pop-ups that broaden their enchantment – and gas design-led travel content material that lets guests expertise a vacation spot by a extra aesthetically attuned lens. For travellers who prioritise design, these weeks might properly change into the brand new solution to see a metropolis: a contemporary variety of metropolis break. Megan Murray
17. Sailing for serenity
What’s the development? Many travellers are rethinking their normal vacation plans to intensify wellbeing. Cruise strains are rising to the problem by including extra Eastern and holistic therapies to their spa providing and increasing the function of spas in voyages. Ships now supply day-long onboard wellness retreats and even complete wellbeing-themed cruises for the rising quantity of passengers searching for rest equally, if no more, than exploration and indulgence.