Travel news: Best campsites and how to travel in 2026

By: Editorial Office | Source: press material

Monday again! This means, as usual, travel news here at FREEDOMtravel. We've gone through this week's crop of press releases and present the latest news - in short and digestible form!

First Camp passes SEK 2 billion in annual turnover

What started in 2017 as a Swedish challenger with around 20 destinations and revenues of SEK 120 million has in just eight years developed into Northern Europe's leading player in camping and resorts, with 91 destinations and revenues of SEK 2.1 billion.

At the end of 2025, First Camp reached a new milestone; total revenue in the last 12 months reached over two billion. Growth has come in three areas:

• Record operational performance
• Continued expansion through acquisitions
• Record CAPEX programme in 2025 (Investments in existing destinations.)

Camping.info Award 2026 - Best campsites in Europe

More than 62,000 camping fans have voted and the best campsites in Europe for 2026 have been selected. camping.info, Europe's leading camping platform with over 135 million page views annually, has honoured the 110 best rated campsites (out of 23,000). The prestigious audience award is based on more than 120,000 authentic reviews and is awarded for the 15th time. Top 10 campsites in Europe 2026:

1. Camping Sonnenland Lutzmannsburg, Lutzmannsburg, Austria
2. Campingpark Kühlungsborn, Kühlungsborn, Germany
3. Luxury camping Schlosshof, Lana, Italy
4. Falkensteiner Camping Grubhof, St Martin near Lofer, Austria
5. Camp MondSeeLand, Mondsee/Tiefgraben, Austria
6. Rosenfelder Strand Baltic Sea Camping, Grube, Germany
7. Of course HELL Camping & Aparthotel, Fügen, Austria
8. Camping Brunner am See, Döbriach, Austria
9. Camping Murinsel, Grosslobming, Austria
10. CampingPlatz Ecktannen, Heilbad Waren (Müritz), Germany

The complete list is available at www.camping.info/award. In addition, ten campsites that are the best in their country (but not on the 110 list) are honoured:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Auto Camp Green Park, Mostar
• Denmark: Vestbirk Camping, Vejle
• Greece: Camping Gythion Bay, Peloponnese
• Croatia: Falkensteiner Camping Zadar, Dalmatia
• Montenegro: Camping Utjeha, Bar
• The Netherlands: Capfun Het Winkel, Overijssel
• Poland: CAMP na wydmie (CAMP on the dune), Pomerania
• Slovenia: Camping Šobec, Julian Alps
• Spain: Camping Benisol, Valencia
• Sweden: Långsjön Cottages & Camping, Götaland

How Swedes will travel in 2026

Hotel and travel search site momondo has taken the temperature of Swedish travellers and come up with ten trends that are expected to shape the travel year 2026. What The Future report one thing is clear: travelling continues to be a high priority. 77% of Swedish travellers say they plan to travel abroad in 2026, but the focus is shifting - towards new destinations with more authenticity, nature experiences and more elements of conscious luxury.

• Not Yet Tok'd - The next IT destination is the one you haven't yet seen in your feed. The trend is reflected by the hashtag #hiddengems.
• Goosebumps getaways - Travellers are looking for experiences that make them feel something extra: northern lights, eclipses, waterfalls...
• Well-being is a luxury - Interest in wellness is growing and in 2025, the use of #wellnesstravel on TikTok increased by 150 per cent.
• The trip leader: AI - Today, 57% of Swedish travellers use AI for inspiration and planning.
• Book now, pay later - When budgets are tight, flexible payment methods play an increasingly important role in travel planning.
• Small destinations, big experiences - Big city stress is out and small town charm is in.
• Destination: event - 91% of Swedes plan to travel for a major event in 2026.
• Travelling in style - For 71 per cent of Swedes, relaxation is at the top of their wish list. The hashtag #slowtravel is on the rise.
• Minimester - In 2025, the use of #weekendgetaways on TikTok increased by 60 per cent.
• Peaceful adventures - Nearly one in four Swedish travellers plan to combine light adventure with relaxation this year.

New report: Poor conditions for elephants in Thailand

A new report from World Animal Protection shows that 69 per cent of elephants in the tourism industry in Thailand still live in poor or unacceptable conditions. Despite increased awareness and reduced elephant riding, the majority of elephants continue to be subjected to brutal training, restricted movement and stressful activities.

Reports Bred to Entertain is based on an audit of 2,849 elephants in 236 operations. Only 5% of elephants live in the best possible conditions. One positive trend is that the demand for elephant rides is decreasing. At the same time, researchers warn of a new and growing problem: activities marketed as ”ethical”, such as elephant bathing or ”elephant keeper for a day”. World Animal Protection is now calling on the travel industry to stop promoting experiences involving direct contact with wild animals.

Hotel gyms are a top priority for travellers in 2026

Hotels.com now reveals a global increase in demand for high-end fitness facilities in hotels, reflecting a growing desire among both leisure and business travellers to maintain and improve their health routines while on the road. Globally, positive reviews for hotel gyms and
fitness centres on Hotels.com increased by 15% compared to the previous year. Here are some hotels that offer fitness centres and treatments:

• Six Senses Kaplankaya, Bodrum, Turkey - Health checks, Watsu pools and body composition analyses.
• Equinox Hotel, New York City, USA - Access to member gym with pool, sun deck, pilates studios and personal trainers.
• SIRO One Za'abeel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Cryotherapy, boxing, pilates and fitness suites.
• One&Only Portonovi, Denovici, Montenegro - Detox, recovery and fitness boost with health experts.
• Bulgari Hotel, Tokyo, Japan - Gym and training that blends traditional methods with AI and digital innovations.

Fewer squeeze days require more planning

2026 is one of those years that requires more foresight. In total, the year contains 13 official public holidays, but several of them fall on weekends. With fewer public holidays falling on weekdays, holiday planning becomes more important. Here, travel agency Ticket guides you on how to take as much time off as possible without wasting holidays:

• Easter: Good Friday falls on Friday 3 April and Easter Monday 6 April. Take a holiday: Monday 30 March-Thursday 2 April or Tuesday 7 April-Friday 10 April.
• First of MayMay Day falls on Friday 1 May, making it a natural long weekend. You can also take a holiday: Monday 27 April - Thursday 30 April.
• Ascension of ChristAscension Day falls on Thursday 14 May and is one of the busiest days of the year. Take your holiday: Friday 15 May (off 14-17 May) or 11-13 May + 15 May (off 9-17 May).
•  First of May + Ascension Day: Take your holidays from 4 to 8 May, 11 to 13 May and 15 May. You will have 1-17 May off.
• Midsummer: Take a holiday from 15 June to 18 June. You will have 13-21 June off.
• Christmas, New Year and Epiphany 2026/2027: Take your holidays from 21 to 23 December. You will have 19-27 December off. Take 28-30 December off to get 24 December to 3 January off. You can get even more time off if you take 4-5 January and maybe even 7-8 January.

Did you miss the last travel news? Read the Winter travel, events and spa trends