In a new market analysis, travel insurance company SquareMouth looked into the most expensive travel destinations of 2026. Taking into account five cost categories, destinations including Greenland and Antarctica came out at the top of the list.
When preparing for a trip, most travellers consider budget as an important factor to consider. This hasn’t changed in 2026 – according to SquareMouth’s survey, some 45% of travellers thought their travel budgets were likely to increase in 2026, and a quarter of travellers said they planned on spending more in 2026 in order to get a premium or bucket-list experience.
Not all destinations are created equally when it comes to how expensive they prove to be. But which are the most costly in 2026? To be able to answer that question, insurance company SquareMouth created an ‘expense index’, combining reported trip costs from over 100,000 travel insurance sales, surveys of over 6,000 customers, and data from external booking platforms.
For each destination, the index includes five cost categories: the average per-day trip cost, the average flight cost, the average accommodation cost, the average car rental cost, and the average everyday food and drink prices.
Most expensive travel destinations of 2026
- Greenland
- British Virgin Islands
- French Polynesia
- Antarctica
- Maldives
- Switzerland
- Zimbabwe
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Botswana/Anguilla/Saint Lucia
- Namibia
According to SquareMouth’s analysis, some vacation themes proved to be particularly expensive. Polar and expedition destinations came out at the top, followed by island and beach destinations, and safari and wildlife destinations. Despite their cost, those themes were also the most desired ones among travellers: 42% of those questioned said they were most interested in prioritising a luxury island vacation, while 24% chose an African safari and 12% chose a polar expedition.
“In essence, these are not niche-interest vacations, and the rise in demand for premium travel is leading to increased traveler spending,” the travel insurance company writes.
The results also show that remote and geographically isolated destinations align with higher overall trip costs. Looking at the top five, this is the case for Greenland, French Polynesia, Antarctica, as well as the Maldives. Such locations are not just harder to reach but also more expensive to supply and more prone to focus on luxury holidays.
It is, however, important to note that the list of most expensive travel destinations is based on a hypothetical budget, using potential cost drivers to show where travellers are most likely to face a more expensive trip overall. Therefore, it does not represent what travellers actually spend. When looking at the actual spending amount, this lead to another top ten.
Travel destinations with the highest daily trip cost
- Antarctica
- Botswana
- Rwanda
- Zimbabwe
- Tanzania
- Namibia
- Kenya
- South Africa
- Zambia
- Greenland
The difference between the two lists is mainly explained by the difference in trip length – longer stays often lead to higher budgets.
When preparing a trip, the total budget for that trip can usually vary quite a bit depending on personal choices and potential promotions one might or might not benefit from. With a little luck, even the potentially most expensive destinations can thus turn out less spendy than initially thought.
