Streaming to the Airport: How Set-Jetting Turns Binge Watching Into Boarding Passes

You finish the final episode of a series you have fallen for, and instead of simply feeling sad it is over, you find yourself opening a travel site. That impulse, to chase the places you just watched on screen, now has a name and a booming industry behind it, and in 2026 it is shaping millions of vacations.

From the sofa to the departure gate

The trend is called set-jetting, and the idea is beautifully simple. It means traveling to the real world locations where your favorite films and television shows were shot, turning a fictional backdrop into a genuine destination you can walk through, photograph, and experience for yourself.

It taps into something deeper than ordinary sightseeing. Standing in a spot you have watched a beloved character inhabit lets you step inside a story you love, blurring the line between the fiction on the screen and your own memories in a way that a normal holiday rarely manages.

A trend with real box office numbers

This is no niche curiosity. Expedia Group's Unpack report for 2026 named set-jetting one of the defining travel trends of the year, projecting that it could become an eight billion dollar industry in the United States alone as viewers turn their watchlists into itineraries.

The appetite is especially strong among younger travelers. According to the same report, nearly fifty three percent of global travelers say their desire to take a screen inspired trip has grown over the past year, and around eighty one percent of Gen Z and Millennials now plan getaways sparked by movies or shows.

The shows sending us packing

The effect on individual places can be dramatic. When a hit anthology series set a season in Sicily, searches for the town of Taormina reportedly leapt by around three hundred percent, transforming a lovely but under the radar spot into a must visit destination almost overnight.

It is far from the only example. The sprawling world of a certain ranching drama has poured attention onto Montana and the wider American West, while a beloved kitchen series has sent food loving fans wandering the neighborhoods of Chicago in search of its gritty, familiar streets.

When a location becomes a character

Part of what powers the trend is how modern productions use their settings. The best shows treat a place almost as a character in its own right, lingering on landscapes and streets until viewers feel they know them, and that intimacy naturally sparks a longing to see them firsthand.

Governments have noticed the economic potential too. The United Kingdom, for instance, recently launched an initiative specifically to promote its filming locations, hoping to turn the global success of British made films and dramas into a steady stream of visiting fans.

Destinations bracing for the spotlight

Looking ahead, a fresh crop of places is bracing for their close up. The moody moors of Yorkshire, the rugged coast of Cornwall, the ancient landscapes of the Greek Peloponnese, and the dramatic scenery of New Zealand are all tipped to draw crowds thanks to major upcoming releases.

For these communities, the attention is a mixed blessing. A surge of visitors brings welcome money and pride, but it can also strain small towns never built for fame, which is part of why thoughtful set-jetting matters as much as enthusiastic set-jetting.

How to set-jet without the letdown

If you plan to chase a screen dream, a little realism helps. Real locations rarely look exactly as they do on camera, since sets, clever angles, and digital effects work their magic, so arriving with open curiosity rather than rigid expectations makes for a far happier trip.

It also pays to travel considerately. Popular filming spots can grow crowded and are often home to people going about their daily lives, so booking official tours, visiting outside peak times, and treating each place with respect keeps the magic alive for everyone who follows.