How Neighborhood Travel Trends Predict Real Estate Winners in 2026

Hook: Your listings are invisible—until travel demand points straight at them

Listings buried in crowded marketplaces, low-quality leads, and questions about valuation are the same pain points agents and sellers keep calling about in 2026. The fix? Stop guessing where buyers will come from and follow the travel data. The Points Guy’s Jan. 16, 2026 “Where to go in 2026: The 17 best places to travel” list reveals patterns that predict which secondary markets and neighborhoods will attract second-home buyers and remote-worker inflows this year. This guide turns TPG’s destination demand into a neighborhood forecasting playbook for agents who want to convert travel interest into qualified offers.

The upside-first case: Why travel trends map to real estate winners in 2026

In 2026, travel is more than leisure—it's a leading indicator of where people want to live part-time or fully. Three shifts make travel data predictive now:

• Durable remote work: Hybrid and fully remote roles remain normalized across tech, finance, and creative industries, turning weekend getaways into extended stays and second homes into remote offices.
• Expanded air connectivity: Late-2025 and early-2026 route announcements from major carriers brought more direct flights to mid-size cities, lowering travel friction for weekenders and seasonal residents.
• Experience-led demand: Post-pandemic travelers prioritize experiences—culture, food, outdoor access—over generic tourist hubs. That shifts interest to secondary cities with distinct local flavors.

Result: when TPG highlights places with strong culture, nature, and accessibility, adjacent U.S. neighborhoods—especially those that mirror that experience—become prime targets for second-home and remote-worker buyers.

How to turn The Points Guy’s “17 places” into a real-estate scanning map

TPG’s list is a curated view of demand drivers. Use it as a filter: identify destination themes (island escapes, coastal food towns, wine country, mountain bases, historic cities) and then map those themes to U.S. secondary markets with similar attributes, improved flight access, and room for buyer growth.

Step-by-step neighborhood forecasting method

1. Extract themes from TPG’s top destinations (for example: warm coastal, wine and food, cultural microcities, mountain/outdoor, wellness/island escapes).
2. Find U.S. analogues—secondary metros or neighborhoods offering the same experience within a 3-hour flight from major origin cities (NYC, Miami, Chicago, LAX, Dallas).
3. Confirm travel friction is down by checking route announcements (OAG or airline press releases) and growth in seat capacity since Q4 2025.
4. Cross-check short-term rental and hotel demand via AI tools every coastal property host should use in 2026 / AirDNA/STR and local tourism board occupancy reports.
5. Measure remote-work pull using LinkedIn/Indeed remote job postings clustered in origin cities and online searches for “work from” + destination in Google Trends.
6. Prioritize neighborhoods that combine: reliable broadband, a variety of housing stock, walkable amenities, and flexible spaces for home offices.

Neighborhood forecasts — 2026 picks inspired by TPG themes

Below are practical neighborhood-level forecasts for agents to act on, each tied back to the travel theme it mirrors from TPG’s 2026 suggestions.

1) Coastal food & culture: Charleston–adjacent towns and South Carolina Lowcountry

TPG’s emphasis on coastal, historic cities with vibrant food scenes pushes travelers toward the Southeast. Expect inflows to neighborhoods in Mount Pleasant, Johns Island, and Folly Beach. These areas pair beach access with short drives to Charleston’s restaurants and airports—exactly what second-home buyers want.

• Why it will win: increased direct flights into Charleston (CHS) in late 2025 and strong STR seasonality.
• Agent tip: Market listings with a “walk-to-dining” badge, highlight local culinary festivals, and include a short video showing the 30–45 minute airport commute.

2) Wine country & boutique luxury: Willamette Valley, OR and Healdsburg outskirts

For destinations TPG calls out as “wine and slow travel” spots, the U.S. analogues are smaller wine regions near quick-flight hubs. Expect buyers to target McMinnville, Newberg (Willamette Valley), and neighborhoods outside Healdsburg as low-density second-home options.

• Why it will win: easier access from Portland and SFO, plus buyers trading hotel stays for private estates post-2025.
• Agent tip: Showcase storage for bikes and kayaks and compact secure storage options — see playbooks on smart storage & micro-fulfilment for apartment buildings to adapt ideas for second-home staging.

3) Mountain and outdoor bases: Bozeman-style spillover to nearby towns

TPG’s mountain escapes translate to buyer interest beyond headline towns. Expect spillover into Ennis, Big Sky outskirts, Livingston (Montana) and Madison Valley neighborhoods that offer lower price points with the same access to trails and skiing.

• Why it will win: increased route capacity to Bozeman (BZN) in late 2025 + rising demand for multi-season homes.
• Agent tip: Provide a seasonal cost-of-ownership breakdown (winter maintenance, HOA ski-shuttle fees) and partner with local rental managers for aspirational “try before you buy” stays.

4) Island and wellness escapes: Gulf Coast & Florida Panhandle neighborhoods

When TPG highlights island wellness escapes, U.S. buyers often choose accessible coastal islands. Look at 10A corridor neighborhoods in Destin, Seaside, and Navarre for second-home demand from Midwest and Northeast buyers.

• Why it will win: flight connectivity gains from Midwest hubs and the appeal of walkable, family-friendly beaches.
• Agent tip: Emphasize portable power and resilience options alongside hurricane resiliency features, insurance transfer history, and proximity to full-service airports.

5) Historic small-city living: Savannah, GA and nearby neighborhoods

TPG’s shoutouts to historic cities mirror demand for the charm-and-walkability combo found in neighborhoods adjacent to Savannah—think Ardsley Park and the Isle of Hope. Remote workers seeking culture + lower monthly costs will favor these pockets.

• Why it will win: culture-led travel interest, strong seasonality, and affordable inventory compared to major coastal metros.
• Agent tip: Prepare listings with a “local life” page—coworking options, community events calendar, and typical broadband speeds. For content ideas and local organizer tools, check a product roundup of local organizing tools that can help you build community pages.

Data signals to monitor weekly (tools & KPIs)

To act like a market forecaster, track these signals consistently:

• Air connectivity: OAG schedules, airline press releases, and Google Flights fare trends. New direct routes = new buyer origin markets.
• Search interest: Google Trends for “rent in [town]” or “work from [town]”. Rising query volume often precedes price appreciation.
• Short-term rental metrics: AirDNA/STR occupancy, average daily rate (ADR), and seasonality curves. Rising ADRs imply tourism-led buyer interest — hosts should evaluate AI tools for coastal hosts to automate monitoring.
• Job and remote listing density: LinkedIn/Indeed filters for remote job post origins and hiring patterns in nearby metros.
• Hotel + tourism board reports: Q4 2025–Q1 2026 visitation reports give early signs of sustained travel.

Agent playbook: capture second-home and remote-worker demand

Below are tactical plays you can deploy this month to convert travel-driven interest into leads and offers.

1) Create “destination listings” not just property listings

Include local flights, average connection times from origin cities, co-working options, and a 48-hour sample itinerary. Use short videos (60–90s) showing a remote-work day—coffee shops, coworking, and evening dining.

2) Offer “try-before-you-buy” partnerships

Partner with vetted STR managers to offer a discounted trial stay for qualified prospects. Use the stay to qualify interest and collect feedback that can refine staging and pricing.

3) Optimize for remote-worker searches

• Keywords to add: "fast Wi‑Fi," "home office," "co‑working nearby," "short-term rental friendly," and origin-city phrases (e.g., “NYC weekend home”).
• Include verified broadband speed tests and upload them in your listing gallery.

4) Leverage travel audiences and content partnerships

Pitch local guides and “best of” neighborhood content to travel sites and lifestyle newsletters. Where possible, link to The Points Guy or quote its destination write-ups to show demand alignment—this builds trust with buyers who plan trips first, then buy. Consider pop-up and micro-event strategies from playbooks like From Pop-Up to Permanent when running short-term campaigns that combine listings with local experiences.

5) Host cross-market virtual open houses timed with flight launches

When carriers open new routes, run a targeted virtual open house for origin-city buyers in the first 90 days. Show the commute times, flight schedules, and demonstrate how quickly a buyer can be in-market for weekends. For creative formats and conversion-focused events, see Open House Pop‑Ups That Drive Offers.

Pricing & staging moves that convert travel-minded buyers

Second-home buyers have different decision criteria. These staging and pricing nudges increase conversion:

• Flexible workspace staging: Highlight an office with natural light, soundproofing, and a dedicated desk—photos + a short 15-second reel walking through a remote-work day.
• Turnkey inventory: Offer optional furniture packages or vetted local designers so out-of-market buyers can move in quickly. For staging-friendly design inspiration, browse French country villa design ideas to adapt tasteful, rental-friendly looks.
• Seasonal pricing insights: Prepare a two-scenario valuation—one for owner-use and one for investor-use (if STR is allowed). Show expected cash flows for typical seasonality.
• Short commute proof: Show door-to-runway times and sample itineraries from major origin cities.

Risk checklist—regulation, insurance, and market overheating

Travel-driven demand can be volatile. Before promoting listings as second-home or STR-ready, run these checks:

• Confirm local short-term rental regulations and recent Zoning Board activity.
• Review insurance availability and costs—portable power trends and wildfire/hurricane risk have altered premiums in many coastal and mountain markets since 2024–25.
• Watch for rapid price run-ups that outpace local rental yields—overheating can reverse if air routes change or travel interest drops.

Pro tip: If a neighborhood’s ADR and occupancy are rising while search interest from origin cities increases, you’re often 6–12 months ahead of noticeable price gains. Move fast, but verify regulations first.

Case study: converting TPG buzz into an offer (realistic scenario)

In late 2025, a major carrier announced new nonstop flights from Chicago to a mid-size coastal airport that was featured in TPG’s travel round-up as a “must-see” coastal city. An agent in the market executed this sequence in six weeks:

1. Published a “Weekend from Chicago” landing page showing sample itineraries and flight times.
2. Ran geo-targeted ads in Chicago neighborhoods using those flight routes.
3. Partnered with a local STR manager to offer a two-night trial stay to qualified leads.
4. Hosted a virtual open house timed with the first new flight and promoted it in Chicago travel FB groups.

Outcome: two qualified buyers flew out within 30 days; one made an offer after a single weekend stay. The agent priced the listing with the trial-stay feedback in mind and closed above asking within 90 days.

Advanced strategies for market leaders (2026+)

Want to lead the pack? These advanced tactics help you scale forecasting and lead generation:

• Flight-route alerting: Use a paid OAG feed to trigger lead campaigns when new routes are announced to your airport.
• Audience mapping: Build lookalike audiences from past second-home buyers and target travelers who follow TPG and similar travel outlets.
• Neighborhood micro-landing pages: Publish pages tailored to origin cities (e.g., “Boston buyers: 2-hour flights to [town]”)—optimize for local SEO and long-tail search intent.
• Data partnerships: Share anonymized booking trends with local tourism boards to co-promote and raise your listings’ visibility to incoming travelers. Consider connecting listings to micro-event strategies and scaling options in From Pop-Up to Permanent.

Quick checklist: 10 immediate actions for agents

1. Create one “destination listing” per second-home property (itinerary + flights + broadband test).
2. Monitor airline route announcements weekly.
3. Set up AirDNA and STR occupancy alerts for your market.
4. Publish a local “work from” photo/video tour.
5. Offer a trial stay with a vetted STR manager.
6. Run origin-city targeted ads timed with route launches.
7. Confirm short-term rental and insurance constraints before marketing.
8. Partner with two local co-working spaces and include memberships in staging packages.
9. List verified Wi‑Fi speeds and upload a PDF with commuting and flight times.
10. Publish a quarterly micro-report tying travel trends (TPG, route changes) to your local inventory and price movement. For tools and organizers to help publish local micro-reports, see this tools roundup.

Why this matters in 2026—and what to watch next

Travel content like The Points Guy’s 2026 list is a forward-looking signal. In a market where remote work and travel choices shape lifestyle decisions, agents who translate destination demand into neighborhood value will capture better, faster-qualified buyers. Over the next 12–18 months watch for:

• More origin-destination pairings as carriers chase leisure-to-remote-worker traffic.
• Policy changes on short-term rentals in popular second-home destinations.
• Buyers prioritizing turnkey digital infrastructure as a must-have, not a “nice to have.”

Final takeaways

Travel trends predict real estate winners when you map destination demand to local factors: flight access, broadband, amenities, and regulatory risk. Use The Points Guy’s 2026 destination cues as a content-led signal, then layer flight, STR, and job-listing data to forecast neighborhood winners. Build marketing that sells not just a house but a travel-enabled lifestyle.

Call to action

Want a market-ready template that converts travel interest into qualified buyer leads? Download our 2026 “Destination-to-Listing” checklist and email templates or schedule a 15-minute strategy call—let’s turn upcoming flight routes and TPG buzz into closed deals in your neighborhood.

Related Reading

• AI Tools Every Coastal Property Host Should Use in 2026
• Open House Pop‑Ups That Drive Offers: A 2026 Playbook
• Smart Storage & Micro‑Fulfilment for Apartment Buildings: The 2026 Playbook
• Design Ideas from French Country Villas to Upgrade Your Rental Listing
• From Pop-Up to Permanent: How Gift Retailers Scale Micro-Events & Micro‑Fulfilment
• Handling Toxic Fanbases: Lessons from Rian Johnson’s Star Wars Experience
• Ant & Dec Launch a Podcast — Is Celebrity Radio the New TV Extension?
• Review: At-Home Recovery Tools (2026) — Compression Boots, Percussive Devices, and Evidence-Based Picks
• What a CFO Does at a Space Startup: Funding, Risk, and Launch Budgets
• How To Spot Manipulative Game Design: A Parental Guide to Mobile Games