Got next year’s summer holiday sorted yet? Maybe you haven’t given it any thought, or maybe you’re waiting for Black Friday to grab a good deal. Either way, you could probably do with some travel inspo to get the creativity flowing, so grab a coffee (or a cocktail, if you really want to get in the mood), because Skyscanner is ready to help.
The flight comparison website has dug into its own data to uncover the best-value destinations for 2026 travel.
The list highlights the places that have seen a big year-on-year price drop, based on the cost of a return plane ticket in 2024 vs 2025. SkyScanner’s in-house travel experts have handpicked ten spots to curate a definitive list of the best-value holiday destinations for next year.
There are a few reasons a flight might be more affordable now than in the past; new routes open up, budget airlines resume old routes, or demand just falls for some reason. Skyscanner reminds travellers to keep their eyes peeled for cheap tickets, saying ‘flight prices move like any other market. When demand dips, prices often drop to spark interest… Timing, as always, is everything’.
And right now, Skyscanner recommends buying a ticket to Cologne, Germany. Flight prices have dropped a whopping 44 percent since last year for this buzzy city, described as ‘a city that fuses gothic grandeur with edgy contemporary culture’ by the airline comparison site. It also recommends you visit in February during the Carnival, ‘a pre-Lent celebration worth timing a trip around’.
If no holiday is complete for you without the sun, you might prefer Goa in India, Skyscanner’s second-highest recommended destination. With prices having dropped 34 percent – more than a third – year on year, now is the ideal time to explore the state’s ‘sun-drenched beaches, seafood shacks and laid-back vibes’.
Kaunas, a mid-sized city in Lithuania, came in third. Skyscanner says that it’s perfect for ‘culture lovers seeking something under-the-radar’, adding; ‘street art, modernist architecture and a quietly cool creative scene make Kaunas a hidden Baltic gem’. Plus, it’s currently 31 percent cheaper to fly to than it was in 2024.
The best-value travel destinations for 2026
- Cologne, Germany
- Goa, India
- Kaunas, Lithuania
- Bergen, Norway
- Madeira, Portugal
- Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Tbilisi, Georgia
- Ottawa, Canada
- Murcia, Spain
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia
You can read Skyscanner’s full report on its website here.
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