As the year comes to an end, most of us start looking back at what we accomplished, the goals we met, the places we’ve been and the experiences we had. We also begin to think about what’s next, the plans we want to make and the places we’d like to see. Travel is often part of those thoughts: the weekend that lasted a little longer than expected, the city we finally visited and the plans that changed along the way.

Each trip is different, but when we look at them together, they tell us something about how global mobility is changing. Holafly’s new Global eSIM & Travel Report 2026-2027 looks back at how people travelled in the past year, including where they went, how they stayed online, and what influenced their travel choices along the way. It also gives us a picture of how we are planning to travel in 2027.

Staying online abroad is a mandatory part of the plan

Not long ago, arriving in a new country often meant figuring out how to get online before the trip could really begin. That could involve checking roaming options, looking for the airport Wi-Fi or standing in line to buy a local SIM card. Today, travellers expect their phones to work just as well abroad as they do at home, and want to know they’ll be connected as soon as they arrive.

That expectation is reflected in the growing use of eSIMs: in just one year, the number of travellers who use them as their main way to get online abroad increased from 17% to 29%. Being able to set up the connection before departure gives them the freedom to plan in advance.

This trend is not led just by the younger travellers, who usually adopt new technology first. eSIM use doubled from 14% to 28% among those aged 45 to 54, and from 10% to 21% for those between 55 and 64, meaning that it’s becoming a standard expectation for travellers of any age.

That need to have most things sorted in advance also explains why relying on local Wi-Fi as the main way to get online is becoming less popular, falling from 25% to 16%. As we realise that more things can be solved before the trip rather than dealing with them on holiday, staying connected becomes an active part of our travel planning.

Business or pleasure? Today, it’s both

For a long time, it was easy to differentiate a work trip from a holiday; one was for meetings, the other for relaxing, and the laptop usually stayed at home for the second. But in the past few years that difference has become much harder to see, and today 71% of travellers say they have combined work and leisure on the same trip, up from 51% a year earlier.

This mix, often called “bleisure”, is more common among business travellers, with 75% saying they have already done it and plan to do it again. For them, adding a few extra days to a business trip to enjoy the destination is completely normal.

But the trend is no longer limited to those travelling for work: this year the rise also came from people who travel mainly for leisure, with 46% of them saying they have mixed work into a trip and plan to repeat it, 18 points more than last year.

As the distinction between one and the other becomes less clear, it also influences what people look for in a destination, as 37% of travellers now take into account whether they’ll be able to combine work and leisure when deciding where to go, with the biggest growth among older generations. For travellers aged 45 to 54, the share of those who consider it increased from 20% to 33%, suggesting that the image of the young digital nomad is changing.

AI comes with us at every stage of the trip

The way we plan and get around on a trip has also changed a lot, especially when it comes to the tools we use. What used to be a manual task of searching for information and comparing options online is now being replaced by the help of artificial intelligence: almost three quarters of travellers, 73%, have already used AI tools to plan their travels, compared with just over half in 2025.

As this use of artificial intelligence goes mainstream, it also spreads across generations. Among travellers aged 65 and over, frequent use of AI for travel planning tripled in a year, from 5% to 15%, showing how this technology is no longer reserved for the digital natives who grew up with it.

This widespread adoption is also changing how and when these tools are used: In 2026, nearly half of travellers, 46%, kept using AI during the trip itself, up from around a third last year. What started as a way to compare prices before leaving now reaches across all stages of the journey.

Being able to access these tools both before and during travel has a positive impact on what people expect from a trip, with 77% saying they hope to relax and have peace of mind. As technology becomes more involved in every stage, it leaves travellers more room to enjoy the experience.

Sustainability moved from intention to action

We are used to hearing debates about our carbon footprint on social media, and the report shows that more travellers are starting to put those concerns into practice: 53% say they have made travel decisions to reduce their environmental impact, compared with 42% in 2025.

For a growing number of people, sustainability is becoming part of how they plan a trip, and most of these decisions are small and easy to make: 48% consider choosing a direct flight instead of one with layovers to reduce their carbon footprint, while 46% would travel outside peak season to avoid overcrowding.

This swap for more environmentally friendly options also means switching to digital tools, with eSIMs showing the biggest increase: 40% of travellers have used one to avoid the plastic waste of physical SIM cards, 12 points more than last year. Taken together, these small changes show that travelers are starting to see how individual choices can have a greater impact.

And these changes are already adding up to a trend on a larger scale where 67% of travellers say they choose their destination to have a lower environmental impact, up from 58% last year. As awareness of sustainable travel choices grows, it is increasingly becoming a deciding factor in travel planning.

What travellers expect in 2027

As we get closer to making our New Year’s resolutions, many of us are already looking ahead to our next adventure. According to the report, 2027 is expected to be another busy year, as three quarters of travellers (75%) intend to take two or more international trips.

And with more trips on the horizon, 83% of travellers expect to manage all or most of their travel from their phones, whether it’s to plan with AI, compare greener choices, work on the go or stay connected as soon as they arrive with an eSIM.

Whatever 2027 has in store for us, it is clear that the way we travel will keep evolving. The Holafly Global eSIM & Travel Report 2026-2027 gives us a glimpse of what those changes might look like, from the way we plan our trips to the tools we use along the way. And while looking back at 2026 gives us some clues about what’s ahead, there may still be a few surprises waiting for us.