Where to Travel Next in 2026
Not sure where to travel in 2026? A personal recap of Morocco, Portugal, and China, three journeys that offer culture, contrast, and inspiration.
When You Don’t Know Where to Travel Next
At the beginning of a new year, I always notice the same feeling creeping in, curiosity mixed with uncertainty. The desire to go somewhere, but not quite knowing where. Not chasing a checklist, not ticking off destinations, just wanting to experience something meaningful.
If you’re feeling the same, this article is for you.
Instead of predicting trends, I wanted to look back at my travels through Morocco, Portugal, and China and share what each place offered, not as a guidebook, but as inspiration. Different rhythms, different cultures, different ways of seeing the world.
Sometimes knowing where to go next starts with understanding what kind of experience you’re craving.
Why Looking Back Can Help You Plan Ahead
Travel inspiration doesn’t always come from new places. Often, it comes from reflecting on places that left a mark.
Each of these trips in 2025 answered a different need:
- Morocco grounded me in tradition and craftsmanship
- Portugal reminded me how restorative simplicity can be
- China expanded my sense of scale, history, and contrast
Together, they form three very different answers to the same question:
“Where should I travel next year?”
Morocco: For Those Who Want Texture, History, and Intensity
Route: Rabat → Fes → Merzouga Desert → Ouarzazate → Marrakesh
Time: 10 days - May
Morocco is not a gentle introduction; it’s immersive, layered, and deeply sensory.
What stood out
- Fes felt like stepping into a living archive: narrow alleys, craftsmen at work, a rhythm unchanged for centuries.
- Merzouga and the desert offered stillness in its purest form, silence, shifting light, and a recalibration of time.
- Marrakesh was vibrant and overwhelming in the best way, full of colour, sound, and contrast.
Who Morocco is for
- Travellers who love culture, history, and depth
- People drawn to craft, architecture, and texture
- Those who don’t mind being challenged a little
If you want a trip that engages all your senses and leaves you changed, Morocco is unforgettable.
Morocco changed the way I look at texture and shadow, elements that continue to influence my work today.
Portugal: For Slow Travel, Light, and Easy Beauty
Route: Algarve
Time: 4 days (based in Faro) - July
Portugal offered something entirely different: ease.
Staying in Faro and renting a car allowed for complete freedom, short drives, spontaneous stops, and unplanned beach moments.
What stood out
- Coastal drives toward Tavira
- Beaches that feel wild yet accessible
- Soft Atlantic light that changes constantly
There’s something about the Algarve that encourages you to slow down without trying.
Who Portugal is for
- Travellers looking for balance and rest
- Those who want beauty without over-planning
- Anyone craving sun, space, and simplicity
Portugal is perfect if you don’t want to travel far but still want to feel away.
Some of the images from this time later found their way into my print collection, shaped by that coastal light and quiet rhythm.
China: For Perspective, Scale, and Contrast
Route: Beijing → Xi’an → Zhangjiajie → Furong → Fenghuang → Shanghai
Time: 12 days - November
China was the most expansive journey of the year, emotionally and visually.
What stood out
- Beijing: history layered into modern life
- Xi’an: the weight of time, quietly powerful
- Zhangjiajie: landscapes that feel unreal
- Furong & Fenghuang: slower, poetic towns suspended in time
- Shanghai: fast, futuristic, and full of contrast
China constantly shifts your perspective. Just when you think you understand it, it changes.
Who China is for
- Curious, open-minded travellers
- Those interested in history and modernity
- People ready to experience scale on a different level
It’s not a light trip, but it’s deeply rewarding.
The sense of scale and contrast I experienced in China still informs how I frame space and movement in my photography.
How to Choose Your Next Destination for 2026
Instead of asking “Where is popular?”, try asking:
- Do I want rest or stimulation?
- Do I want nature or cities?
- Do I want something familiar or completely new?
Morocco, Portugal, and China each answer those questions differently.
Travel as a Source of Creative Inspiration
Every journey shapes how I see, light, composition, space. Travel influences my photography not by copying landscapes, but by changing my awareness.
Often, it’s not the destination itself that stays with me, but the feeling:
- Silence in the desert
- Coastal air in Portugal
- Scale and movement in China
These impressions inevitably find their way into my work.
If You’re Planning 2026
If you’re unsure where to go next year, let this be permission to:
- Travel more intentionally
- Choose depth over distance
- Let curiosity guide you
Sometimes inspiration comes not from searching harder, but from listening more closely to what you need.
Final Thoughts
Travel doesn’t have to be loud to be meaningful.
And inspiration doesn’t always arrive with certainty.
If any of these places sparked something in you, curiosity, calm, longing, then this article has done its job.
More travel notes and reflections will always live here, in The Journal.