For seasoned international travellers, the lure of a spa robe, yoga mat or manicured fairway appears to be fading. What is taking its place? Mountains, wildlife, ancient cities and the kind of scenery that makes a passport earn its keep.
New findings from the Global Rescue Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey suggest that experienced travellers are crossing borders for discovery, not just downtime. Golf holidays, wellness escapes and yoga retreats were rated the least appealing reasons to travel overseas by 41% of respondents. It was easily the least popular category in the survey.
That does not mean golf resorts should fill in the bunkers or wellness operators should pack away the essential oils. Far from it. But it does point to a useful lesson for tourism boards and travel advisors: what people enjoy during a holiday is not always what makes them book an overseas trip.
Wine, vineyard, brewery and distillery tours were the next most rejected reason for travel, named by 14% of respondents. Festivals, concerts and sporting events followed at 12%.
The picture changes sharply when the survey turns to adventure, history and nature. Only 5% dismissed outdoor adventure as a reason to travel abroad. Culinary travel and museums and art also drew just 5% each. Beaches were rejected by 4%, historical sites by 3%, and nature and wildlife experiences by only 2%.
In simple terms, the more different an experience feels from daily life, the stronger its pull.
Dan Richards, founder and CEO of The Global Rescue Companies, said experienced travellers are looking for places that offer something they cannot easily find at home.
“The world’s most experienced travelers aren’t looking for experiences they can find almost anywhere,” Richards said. “They’re seeking destinations that offer adventure, extraordinary landscapes, wildlife, history and cultural immersion. International travel is about discovery, not simply relaxation.”
That view matters for destinations chasing long-haul visitors. A fine hotel, a good spa or a championship golf course can still strengthen a holiday. But the survey suggests the real reason to book may be outside the resort gates.
Adventure becomes the headline act
Adventure now leads the reasons people travel internationally. Some 27% said outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing and diving were their main reason for going abroad. Nature, wildlife and natural events followed at 21%. Historical sites, heritage and architecture drew 15%.
The rest were well behind.
Museums and art attracted 4%, while beaches and visiting friends and family each drew 3%. Culinary travel accounted for 2%. Wine tourism drew 1%, and festivals or sporting events attracted fewer than 1%.
A clear gap also exists between US and non-US travellers.
Non-US travellers were much more likely to name outdoor adventure as their main reason for travel (38%), compared with 24% of US-based respondents.
Americans, however, showed more interest in history, heritage and architecture. Those themes attracted 17% of US travellers, compared with 8% of non-US travellers. Nature and wildlife were almost level, at about 21% for both groups.
For travel advisors, that difference is useful.
A broad “luxury escape” message may not be enough to close the sale. A stronger pitch may focus on what the client will see, learn, climb, taste, or encounter. The hotel, spa and glass of wine can still matter, but they may work better as supporting acts than as the headline.
Selling memories rather than mattresses
The survey also found strong agreement on what does not justify a long trip.
Forty-one per cent of US-based travellers and 40% of non-US travellers placed golf and wellness at the bottom of their lists. Wine tourism ranked second-last for both groups. US travellers were a little more likely to dismiss it, at 15% compared with 11%.
Richards said the results point to the continued rise of experience-led travel.
“The findings reflect the continued rise of experiential travel,” he said. “Experienced travelers increasingly measure the value of a trip by what they can do, learn and experience rather than by the amenities where they stay. Adventure, wildlife and history create lasting memories that can’t be replicated at home.”
For destination marketers, the message is hard to miss.
Campaigns built around landscapes, wildlife, culture and active experiences may carry more weight with experienced international travellers than campaigns based mainly on relaxation.
That has implications well beyond the advertising department.
Tourism boards can place greater emphasis on national parks, walking routes, wildlife encounters, Indigenous and cultural experiences, heritage precincts and distinctive landscapes. Tour operators can combine those experiences into itineraries that tell a story rather than simply assemble beds, transfers and breakfasts.
And travel advisors can ask a better opening question.
Rather than “Where would you like to stay?”, perhaps the more useful question is, “What do you want to experience?”
That small change can uncover the emotional reason behind the booking.
Golf and wellness are hardly dead
This is not a funeral notice for golf or wellness travel.
Both remain major specialist sectors, and many travellers mix them into wider journeys. A traveller may spend the morning hiking, the afternoon at a spa and the following day on a golf course.
Indeed, that may be the important commercial distinction.
Golf and wellness can remain valuable parts of the itinerary without being the main reason someone crosses an ocean.
The findings also have important limits. The survey reflects the views of Global Rescue respondents, not every traveller in the world. Treat it as a strong signal from an experienced travel cohort rather than a universal rule.
That context matters. Good tourism research should guide decisions, not encourage sweeping assumptions about every traveller carrying a passport.
Even so, the signal is clear.
People may still love a spa treatment, a good meal or 18 holes once they arrive. But the reason they fly halfway around the world is increasingly tied to what they can discover before the bathrobe goes on.
As Richards put it:
“The world’s most experienced travelers generally aren’t crossing oceans for a spa treatment or a round of golf. They’re traveling to climb mountains, explore ancient civilizations, encounter wildlife and experience places that fundamentally differ from their everyday lives. Those are the journeys that continue to inspire international travel.”
For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.
By Michelle Warner – © 2026.
Read Time: 4 minutes.
Author Bio:
Michelle Warner has always carried stories the way others carry passports lightly, faithfully, and with purpose. She learned her craft in newsrooms, shaping sentences with care, before swapping deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with some of the world’s great airlines. Years aloft sharpened her eye for character and deepened her fondness for the small, dignified rituals of travel, the quiet kindness of strangers, the poetry of arrival, the patience learned between time zones.
Now grounded by choice, Michelle has come home to writing with the same calm authority she once brought to turbulent cabins. Her prose blends an editor’s discipline with a traveller’s wonder, tinged with humour and reverence for the golden age of travel. Each piece feels like a handwritten boarding pass, gracious, observant, and unmistakably alive.
