Apparently, refusing to let adulthood become boring is officially a travel trend for 2027.
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According to Expedia, more of us are craving holidays that let us forget about adult responsibilities and enjoy life like we did when we were younger. They’re calling it Un-Adulting, and I’m completely on board.
I work a 9-5, have bills to pay and spend a slightly ridiculous amount of time planning my next adventure. Here’s how I make it happen without quitting my job or having unlimited annual leave.
What is Un-Adulting travel?
Un-Adulting is one of the biggest travel trends identified in Expedia’s Unpack ’27 report. It’s all about swapping adult responsibilities for carefree experiences, childhood nostalgia and the simple joy of doing something just because it’s fun.
Being an adult is getting old.
Turns out we’re not the only ones craving a little less responsibility and a lot more fun.
of travellers are likely to book an Un-Adulting trip in 2027
among Gen Z and Millennials
What are we looking for?
The top motivations for leaving the grown-up stuff behind.
What I love about this trend is that it gives us permission to be a bit childish again.
Remember when going on holiday was exciting enough on its own? When you’d spend the whole day in the swimming pool, get ridiculously excited about a theme park or happily spend hours doing something that served absolutely no purpose other than being fun?
Somewhere along the way, adulthood got involved.
Expedia is seeing more adults actively seeking out those experiences again, with theme parks introducing adults-only events and attractions built around nostalgia and play.
But I don’t believe Un-Adulting needs to mean booking an adults-only holiday or recreating your childhood.
Sometimes it’s just about doing something that makes you forget you’re a grown-up with a mortgage, bills and emails waiting for you.
I’ve been doing my own version of that for years. I just didn’t realise it had a name.
The travel industry is already responding with grown-up theme park experiences, adults-only attractions and holidays built around nostalgia and fun.
But you don’t have to visit Disney World or book an expensive adults-only resort to enjoy a bit of Un-Adulting.
Sometimes it can be as simple as taking a spontaneous detour, booking an activity that scares you a little or deciding that your next weekend deserves to be more interesting than your last.
And that’s something I can definitely relate to.
I work a 9-5. I also refuse to let adulthood become boring.
I love my adventures. I also have a normal job, bills, responsibilities and a limited number of days off work.
I’ve visited more than 45 countries and 300 cities, and I still try to travel somewhere every month. I’m not secretly wealthy, and I haven’t found a loophole that allows me to disappear from work consistently and regularly.
I’ve just made travel a priority in my life.
I work hard throughout the week, and one of my biggest motivations is knowing I’ve got another adventure on the horizon.
I’m almost always counting down to something.
It might be a long weekend somewhere in Europe, a few days hiking in the sunshine or a bigger trip to Asia or South America I’ve spent months planning.
And honestly, that countdown keeps me going.
I love having something exciting to look forward to. Something that’s got absolutely nothing to do with deadlines, emails or what needs done around the house.
I’m not trying to avoid growing up. I just don’t believe growing up should mean giving up the things that make life exciting.
Sometimes you’ve just got to book the ridiculous adventure
One thing I’ve learned from travelling is that some of my favourite memories have come from the experiences I could very easily have talked myself out of.
You know the ones. The activities that aren’t particularly sensible, aren’t essential to the trip and might cost a bit more than you originally planned.
But you do them anyway because, well, why not?
I reckon these three adventures sum up my version of Un-Adulting perfectly. One was completely unexpected, another was a dream I’d had for years, and the third was just good old-fashioned fun.
My Qingdao side quest in China
When I travelled to China in April 2026, I didn’t just stick to the obvious tourist route.
I made time for a side quest to Qingdao, a coastal city that ended up becoming one of the most memorable parts of the adventure.
China was already a huge trip for me, with stops in Shanghai and Beijing, but adding somewhere a little unexpected made it even more exciting.
I love that feeling of going somewhere completely unfamiliar and having no idea what you’re going to find.
And there’s something especially satisfying about taking a little detour that ends up becoming one of the highlights of your holiday.
Flying over Rio de Janeiro in a helicopter
In February 2026, I finally made it to Rio de Janeiro.
I’d dreamed of visiting Brazil for years, and I wanted to make the most of every second.
So I booked a helicopter experience above the city.
Was it essential? Absolutely not.
Could I have admired the same city from the ground? Of course.
But flying above Rio, with those enormous mountains rising out of the city and the coastline stretching out beneath me, was something I’ll never forget.
It’s exactly the sort of experience I want to look back on when I’m older.
Quad biking in Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is somewhere I keep returning to. I love its sunshine, mountain scenery and the fact that you can spend one day relaxing beside the pool and the next exploring a completely different landscape.
And then there’s quad biking.
There’s something wonderfully childish about hopping onto a quad bike and heading off on an adventure just for the fun of it.
No practical reason. No productivity goal.
Just doing something because you know you’re going to enjoy it.
I reckon that’s something we could all do with a little more of.
Not every experience needs to serve a purpose. Sometimes having fun is purpose enough.
More world.
Less work.
Use weekends, bank holidays and a few well-placed days off to make more room for the fun stuff. I’ve built a tool to help you find the opportunities.
The next adventure is always on my calendar
The big trips are brilliant, but I’ve realised it’s the regular little escapes that make the biggest difference to my everyday life.
I don’t want to spend 50 weeks of the year waiting for two weeks in the summer. I want to find opportunities for fun and adventure throughout the year.
That might mean taking a Friday off and flying somewhere for the weekend. It could mean trying an activity I’ve never done before, exploring a beautiful hike or revisiting a city I already love.
And sometimes it just means doing absolutely nothing beside a swimming pool in the sunshine.
I deliberately try to plan something adventurous every few weeks.
Not every experience needs to involve getting on a plane, either. The important thing is making space for things that excite you.
Having another countdown on my phone gives me something to work towards, even during the most ordinary weeks.
Because adult life doesn’t stop.
There will always be another bill, another deadline, another responsibility and another reason to stay at home.
But there will also be opportunities to do something brilliant, if you make room for them.
Expedia has explained why we want to escape adulthood. Here’s how I actually do it.
This is where things get interesting.
Expedia has identified a growing appetite for carefree travel, nostalgia and adventure. But, if you’re working a 9-5, there’s one obvious question.
Where are we supposed to find the time?
Most of us can’t disappear on holiday whenever we want.
That’s why I’ve spent years figuring out how to make my annual leave go further.
Rather than automatically booking a week off every time I want to travel, I look at weekends, bank holidays and opportunities to turn a few days of annual leave into a much bigger adventure.
And I’ve had some pretty incredible results.
Ten days in China using three days of annual leave
My trip to China is a perfect example.
By combining the Easter bank holidays with weekends and just three days of annual leave, I managed to enjoy a 10-day adventure.
Shanghai, Qingdao, Beijing and the Great Wall of China.
All that from three days out of my annual leave allowance.
Nine days in Brazil using five days of leave
My Rio trip was another one.
Five days of annual leave, combined with two weekends, gave me nine days to explore one of the most exciting cities I’ve ever visited.
That was nine days of beaches, incredible viewpoints and unforgettable experiences instead of another ordinary working week.
Four days in Gran Canaria using one day of leave
And, you don’t always need a big trip.
Taking advantage of the St Patrick’s Day bank holiday in Northern Ireland helped me enjoy four days in Gran Canaria using just one day of annual leave.
Four days of sunshine for the price of one day off work.
I even managed a trip to Wroclaw without using any annual leave at all.
These aren’t complicated travel hacks.
They’re just examples of how thinking a little differently about your calendar can create opportunities you might otherwise miss.
Want to Un-Adult more in 2027? Start with your annual leave.
I created the free 2027 Annual Leave Maximiser because I wanted other people to see just how much travel they could fit around a normal working life.
The tool helps you identify opportunities to combine annual leave with weekends and bank holidays, making it easier to plan longer breaks without using up your entire allowance.
Whether you’re dreaming of an adventure on the other side of the world or just want a few more long weekends throughout the year, it gives you somewhere to start.
Try my free 2027 Annual Leave Maximiser
Of course, not everyone has the same annual leave entitlement or access to the same bank holidays. It’s worth checking which dates apply to your job and where you live.
But even finding one or two extra opportunities for a getaway could make your year a lot more exciting.
How to make more room for adventure without spending a fortune
I know one of the biggest barriers to travelling more is money. And while I might travel frequently, I certainly don’t have an unlimited budget.
Over the years, I’ve made small changes to my everyday spending to help fund the things I love.
I’ve cut back on eating out when at home, stopped buying takeaway coffees and started bringing my lunch to work. I even bought a coffee machine for work to save money on those daily purchases.
It’s not particularly glamorous, but those little savings add up and I’d much rather put the money towards an experience I’ll remember for years.
That doesn’t mean everyone needs to stop buying coffee or sacrifice everything they enjoy.
It’s simply about deciding what matters to you. For me, that’s adventure.
I also don’t believe that every trip needs to be an expensive one. Some of my favourite weekends have involved walking around a new city, finding a beautiful viewpoint or enjoying a completely different environment for a couple of days.
You don’t need a luxury hotel or an expensive itinerary to have fun.
But if there’s an experience you really want to try, whether that’s quad biking, a helicopter ride or something completely different, there’s nothing wrong with saving up and making it happen.
I fully intend to keep working hard, paying my bills and being a responsible adult. I’m just going to have a lot of fun along the way.
Five ways to embrace Un-Adulting in 2027
If Expedia’s latest travel trend sounds like something you could get behind, here are a few ideas for bringing a little more adventure into your year.
1. Book something you’ve always wanted to try. A helicopter flight, a theme park, quad biking, surfing or a hot-air balloon ride. Give yourself permission to do something purely because it looks fun.
2. Plan an unexpected side quest. Visiting a big city? See if there’s somewhere interesting nearby that you could add to the itinerary. Sometimes the unexpected stops become the best memories.
3. Get something on the calendar. You don’t need to book six holidays at once, but having a weekend away or an exciting activity to look forward to can make an ordinary working month feel much more interesting.
4. Make the most of your bank holidays. Check your 2027 calendar and see which weekends could become longer adventures with one or two days of annual leave.
5. Stop feeling guilty about having fun. Not every day needs to be productive. You are absolutely allowed to spend an afternoon beside a pool, go on a ridiculous adventure or do something that serves no purpose other than making you happy.
6. Don’t wait for your next holiday to have fun. I love getting on a plane as much as anyone, but Un-Adulting doesn’t have to involve a passport. Book that activity you’ve been talking about, get out somewhere new for the day or plan something completely different for your next free weekend. I try to have an adventure lined up every few weeks, even when I’m not travelling. It’s nice having something to look forward to that isn’t just another Friday.
I’m not waiting until retirement to start enjoying my life
I completely understand why Expedia’s Un-Adulting trend is resonating with so many people.
Being an adult can feel like an endless list of things you need to do. Work. Bills. Housework. Appointments. Planning for the future.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, you’re supposed to remember to have a life.
I’m proud of working hard, and I appreciate having a career that makes my travels possible.
But I don’t want to spend my best years telling myself that one day, when I’ve got more money or more free time, I’ll finally start doing the things I’ve always wanted to do.
I want to do some of them now.
I want more ridiculous side quests, more incredible views, more adventures that make me feel like a big kid and more moments where I stop and think, I can’t believe I’m actually here.
That’s what motivates me to keep planning.
Expedia has told us what Un-Adulting is and why people want it. With Irish Travel Addict, I want to help you work out how to make it happen.
If your 2027 calendar is looking a little empty, start there.
Find out when you can take time off. Look at the bank holidays. Plan an adventure, even if it’s only for a weekend.
Find more time for adventure with my free 2027 Annual Leave Maximiser
Because refusing to let adulthood become boring doesn’t mean abandoning your responsibilities.
It means remembering to enjoy yourself in between them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Un-Adulting travel?
Un-Adulting is a 2027 travel trend identified by Expedia. It involves adults taking carefree holidays focused on fun, nostalgia, playful activities and temporarily escaping everyday responsibilities.
Why is Un-Adulting becoming a travel trend in 2027?
According to Expedia’s Unpack ’27 research, 57% of travellers are likely to book an Un-Adulting trip in 2027, rising to 71% among Gen Z and Millennials. Key motivations include wanting carefree experiences, quality time with loved ones and a break from everyday responsibilities.
How can I try Un-Adulting without spending lots of money?
You can plan inexpensive weekend breaks, local adventures, nostalgic activities or trips around bank holidays. Un-Adulting is about enjoying carefree experiences, not necessarily spending lots of money.
How can I travel more while working a 9-5?
Make strategic use of your annual leave by combining days off with weekends and bank holidays. Set a realistic travel budget, look out for affordable flights and plan shorter adventures between longer holidays.
How can I maximise my annual leave in 2027?
Use the Irish Travel Addict 2027 Annual Leave Maximiser to identify opportunities for longer breaks using fewer annual leave days.
Why you can trust this guide
I’m the creator behind Irish Travel Addict, where I share practical advice on travelling regularly while working a 9-5.
I’ve visited more than 45 countries and 300 cities, and I use my own travel experiences to show how you can fit more adventure around an ordinary working life.
The travel trend statistics referenced in this article come from Expedia’s Unpack ’27 report, released on 14 October 2026. The research surveyed 26,000 adults across 16 countries between August and September 2026.
Source: Expedia Unpack ’27.
Updated: 16 October 2026
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