For many young travellers, a vacation is no longer a break from the gym. In fact, it is a chance to take the gym along. Morning runs through new streets, a Pilates class in a strange city, a protein-rich breakfast before sightseeing: This is the idea of a "gym-cation" and it is quickly changing how people pick their hotels and destinations. Skyscanner has named it one of the big travel trends for 2027. The travel platform says health and fitness travel is pushing people towards places where keeping active is as simple as sightseeing, whether through a hotel gym, a local running route or a nearby Pilates studio. And Gen Z is leading this shift. As per the new Skyscanner study, 91% of Gen Z travellers prefer hotels with wellness-focused offerings, and 90% say they are more likely to book a hotel that serves a nutritious breakfast. For this group, a good stay is not only about a soft bed and a nice view. It is about being able to eat well, move well and come home feeling better, not worse. Some cities are clearly winning this race. Bangkok, Mumbai, New York, Phuket and Seoul are the top destinations for travellers using the hotel gym filter on Skyscanner, a list built from global hotel redirects using the "fitness centre" filter between January and June 2026, compared with the same period a year earlier. It is a proud spot for Mumbai, the only Indian city on the list. Breakfast matters just as much. Travellers who work out want more than buttered toast and sugary juice. Eggs, fresh fruit, oats, yoghurt and other protein-rich choices are becoming a reason to pick one hotel over another. As per a media report, Deepak Raj, Country Head of HYROX India, says nearly half the athletes at the Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru events in the last season crossed a city, and sometimes a state, just to compete, with Mumbai alone sending more than 700 athletes to races elsewhere. In his words, fitness "is becoming a reason to travel." He also compared a workout event to a concert or a marathon as a genuine reason to book a trip. Also Read: Flying With a Power Bank? What to Do, What to Avoid and Why It’s Risky Fitness app data tells the same story. ClassPass says the number of its users booking wellness sessions away from their home city has more than doubled in the past two years, and 15% of active users have booked a fitness class outside their home location. Pilates leads the classes booked on the road with a 42% rise, followed by yoga at 16%, strength training at 15%, cycling at 7% and barre at 4%. New York, Los Angeles, London, Orange County and Dallas are the top places where travellers book these sessions. The trend is not limited to Asia or the US. In the UK, holiday rentals firm Awaze found that 52% of Gen Z holidaymakers have taken a wellness-focused break in the past three years, almost twice the rate of older generations. And 59% said they would pay at least £250 more per person for a relaxing break with wellness facilities. The message for hotels is simple: A well-kept gym and a healthy breakfast are no longer extras. For the next generation of travellers, they are the deal-makers. And for travellers, the best souvenir from a gym-cation might just be feeling fitter than when you left. Travel News - Find latest news and tips based on Indian and World travel including top 10 travel destination, tourism information, how to reach visit and more at Times Now. Senior Copy Editor at Times Network, Akanksha Arora covers Lifestyle, Culture and everything that falls under its big umbrella. When not writing, she ... View More