Have the trip of a lifetime with LV=’s travel tips, from trying something new to home stays and volunteering. There are so many ways to make your next trip the best one yet.
Shake up your travel plans in 2026 and try something new, maybe even out of your comfort zone. Do all this with the added reassurance of a solid insurance policy in place. However and wherever you travel, LV= can give you peace of mind with its LV= travel insurance. And, depending on what your travels entail, LV= also offers car insurance, home insurance, and pet insurance.
Boundless members can save 24% on LV= travel insurance, with savings available across all its different policies.
Get your cover and check out LV=’s top tips for how to have the best adventure yet on your travels.
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1. Take a bike along for the ride
Pack your bike when you go away and take to two wheels. This way, you’ll truly immerse yourself in your surroundings. Italy, Portugal, and France all offer excellent opportunities for cycling holidays. Remember to check that your LV= home insurance covers your bikes, as travel insurance often doesn’t.
2. Give back and opt for a farm stay
Enjoy the simple pleasures – and some hard work! – on a farm stay. It’s all about slowing down, breathing deep, and escapism. Kids will love getting hands-on, too. Check out wwoof.org.uk for organic farm stays in the UK. Your LV= travel insurance may well be able to cover your trip too – just make sure your policy covers the type of work being done.
3. Book an extended trip
It’s called ‘micro-retirement’, apparently: taking a really big trip before you give up the day job. You’ll often get a discount if you book back-to-back trips, and who says you need to stop work before you start ticking items off the travel bucket-list? Just remember to check your home insurance to make sure you’re covered if you’re away for long periods, and that your travel insurance policy covers the length of your trip.
4. Step off the beaten track and into the unknown
Avoid the tried and tested destinations in the UK and abroad, and visit somewhere you know nothing about. Nicaragua? Mongolia? Lundy Island? Not a burger van or tourist trap in sight.
Credit: Holly Mandarich via Unsplash
5. Book a solo trip
In the mood to be master (or mistress) of your own destiny? With solo travel, all the decisions are yours. Enjoying your personal space can take priority, but you can also choose when and with whom to socialise.
6. Join the interrailing revolution
Go full steam ahead and consider interrailing as a travel option for getting from A to B. It’s a greener way to travel, and using the Rail Planner App will put passes, itineraries, and more all in one place. The FindPenguins App is a great way for you and your friends and family to track your trip, too.
Credit: Chandan Chaurasia via Unsplash
7. Try something out of your comfort zone
A sporting holiday will shift you out of your comfort zone and ramp up the thrills. Maybe you want to try something daring like whitewater rafting. LV= Premier travel insurance will cover you for many ‘extreme’ sports – just check your policy before you book that snowboarding lesson.
8. Switch off while you're away
Dump the tech and really escape the daily grind. Go-off grid with a treehouse stay, eco lodge, or remote cabin – with a digital detox integral to the package. Try specialist companies like Unplugged for UK breaks or Responsible Travel if you’d like to go further afield.
9. Go away with your friends
Choosing a group holiday with friends, away from the pressures of family dynamics, can have huge benefits. Pick a small group of companions with similar world views and you’ll be diving deep below the surface of shared experiences.
Credit: Alonso Reyes via Unsplash
10. Consider going on a cruise
The global cruise industry is booming, and it’s not all about big ships and dining at the captain’s table. Expedition cruises – where you visit awe-inspiring, remote destinations – is a super-fast growing segment, with adventurers discovering the nooks and crannies of remote destinations like the Amazon and Alaska.
LV=’s annual multi-trip policy includes cruise cover as standard, or you can add it to a single-trip policy.
11. Why not try your hand at some voluntourism?
Similar to farm stays, immerse yourself in another culture, help others, and feel fulfilled with a dose of voluntourism (where volunteering meets tourism, of course). Take a couple of weeks out to teach, or get involved in a conservation project – you won’t regret it. Again, it’s important you check your travel insurance policy covers the volunteering you plan to carry out.
12. Swap your home as a cheap accomodation solution
Proud of your home but not too precious about it? Try a house swap! It’s a budget-friendly way to find accommodation, and will give you an authentic insight into another way of living. Just remember to check that your house insurance covers this sort of arrangement.
13. Try to learn a new language
Shy of sharing your language skills while away? Make 2026 the year you get to grips with a translation app. Google Translate and DeepL are well reviewed go-tos. From translating menus to avoiding awkward conversations at a station, they’re game changers.
14. Go on a food tour with a difference
Take a foodie-themed break – with a difference. Plant-based travelling is on the rise. It’s quite niche, but The Getaway Co offers interesting options in Norway, Switzerland, and Japan, for example – and your culinary choices will be delicious, healthy, and creative.
Credit: Christian Lue via Unsplash
15. No need to rush, embrace slow travel
Embrace slow travel with a trip that allows you to exchange the often frenetic holiday itinerary for a more measured experience. You’ll get to know your surroundings in an intentional way, and it’ll be much less stressful.
16. Don't make it all about the weather
Make sure you soak up the full experience. It’s not all about sun, sea, sights, and sounds. Transformative travel gives so much more. On a safari, for example, you might spy the local fauna, but you’ll also get connected to the conservation work that’s protecting those amazing animals.
17. Get on your feet
Hiking, strolling, sauntering – the choice is yours, but all are great ways to connect with nature and culture. Whether you fancy the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route, the hardcore Atlas Mountains of Morocco or the picturesque Amalfi coast, possibilities for walking holidays have never been more plentiful.
18. Make the most of off-peak offers
If you’re not tied to school holidays then skip high-season madness. You’ll not only avoid the crowds and the exorbitant prices, but you’ll also have a better chance of seeing the attractions you really want to see. Autumn and spring – the so-called shoulder seasons – are ideal times to get away.
19. Yoga retreats aren't the only restorative breaks
Need to reset? Visit somewhere that offers some kind of meditative practice like yoga, but also involves connection with community, like sharing time with a host family. You’ll feel both revitalised and grounded after your stay.
Credit: Getty Images
20. Set off on a road trip
A road trip offers ultimate flexibility, whether you’re travelling in a hire car or your own. You choose the route, the stopovers, the playlists… It’s perfect, so long as you don’t break down. If you’re taking your own car abroad, check your LV= car insurance, get breakdown cover in place, and read the relevant advice on www.gov.uk/driving-abroad
21. Take your grown-up kids away with you
Many aren’t able to fund big trips so, if you can, it’s a great way to offer up an ‘early inheritance’. You’ll share experiences as equals and be able to celebrate landmarks and anniversaries too.
22. Swap sun for solar
While glimpsing the Northern Lights has long been popular, other cosmic experiences are now taking centre stage. Perhaps a rare solar eclipse on a cruise in Greenland will blow your mind, or try stargazing in Utah or the Sahara. Aim high!
23. Get inspired for your next trip with video guides
As social media provides on-the-move, short video travel guides for us all to see, from friends, family, and beyond, we can ditch brochure-based offerings for more authentic and up-to-date guidance. See it, savour the idea – then book it!
24. Set sail towards a new holiday experience
See the sea with a sailing holiday. If you don’t have the skills to sail yourself, consider chartering a skippered ship, then you can just relax and enjoy the view.
Credit: Esperanza Doronila via Unsplash
25. Try out all the local delicacies
An authentic culinary experience on holiday is the ultimate cultural connection. For the best time, research restaurants and cafés local to your destination and make a list of dishes you want to try.
26. Don't leave your furry friend behind
Never been away with your pooch? Make it a must in 2026. Many UK holiday sites, like Parkdean, are dog-friendly. And LV=’s pet insurance covers all sorts of eventualities if you’d like to take Rover roving.
The good news is that as a Boundless member you’ll receive an exclusive discount on general public prices for LV= travel, car, home, and pet insurance*. To get a quote or find out more, head to our LV= page, or call 0330 678 6271.
* Exclusive Boundless member discount vs general public prices on lv.com and through the call centre.
Do more with Boundless
If you're working in or retired from the public sector or civil service, Boundless has two great membership options to choose from: Boundless and Boundless Plus.
With Boundless, you get unlimited access or discounted entry to many of the UK’s top attractions including Kew Gardens and Wakehurst and WWT centres across the UK, as well as year-round deals on restaurants, holidays, shopping and much more. With Boundless Plus, you can enjoy additional benefits, including unlimited access to Historic Royal Palaces sites, National Trust for Scotland places, access to the Ramblers' extensive group walks and routes, and peace of mind with roadside assistance and local recovery by Britannia Rescue.
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