The 10 safest countries to travel to in 2026 | Travel News | Travel
Brand new research suggests British holidaymakers aren’t giving up on travel in 2026 but they are now thinking more carefully about where they go. The percentage of UK adults planning an overseas holiday this year (80%) is unchanged from the position two months ago, although holidaymakers have their sights on a new list of safe countries to consider for the peak Easter and summer holiday months, according to new data from AllClear Travel Insurance. Following widespread concern over the safety of overseas travel since the outbreak of hostilities in the Gulf region and the potentially long-term implications on travel disruption for the medium term, AllClear polled a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults on their travel plans for 2026 and compared results to January 2026 to establish a measure of sentiment swing since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
The research was conducted for AllClear by UK Omnibus Group among a nationally representative sample for 2,000 adults on between 14 and 16 March 2026. Compared to 2025, the perceived importance of price and finding a holiday bargain has fallen sharply from 56% to 41%. Being safe overseas, however has shot up from 25% to 36%.
Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at AllClear Travel Insurance said: “Following the outbreak of war in the Middle East – and the immediate focus on Britons getting home safely – the travel industry now also faces the prospect of longer-term disruption. Our own data suggests 29% of holidaymakers had travel plans for this year that would have involved a connecting flight or stop over in the Gulf region.
“In uncertain times, our new tracking data helps us to understand the consumer mindset in terms of revised plans for overseas travel for the year ahead. There is an emphatic resilience in terms of people still wanting to travel and not delaying or cancelling trips for the Easter and Summer peak periods. Set against this, there is clear evidence that the consumer mindset has changed.
“The perceived importance of safety when planning a holiday has shot up as the most important factor – and UK adults have a clear sense of the places where they think they will be safe this year. Linked into this ‘flight to safety,’ it is important that people also get the best possible travel insurance that meets their needs.
“Our research suggests that still only around a third of UK adults (34%) look for top quality cover before they head abroad, so there is a way to go for people’s decisions on travel insurance to fall into line with their overall priority to be safe abroad this year.”
Some surprises appear in the list of safest destinations. Following recent military tensions in the region, Mediterranean islands scored lower on travellers’ safety radar, with Cyprus at 3% and Malta at 7%, while Turkey also ranked 7%. Domestically, one in five respondents (21%) considered Scotland and Wales to be safe options for a family holiday, highlighting a continued interest in nearby, reliable destinations.
Here’s the full list of the 10 countries where UK travellers feel safest heading in 2026
