Russian tourists pose for photos with inbound planes on Mai Khao Beach on March 24, 2024 in Phuket, Thailand. The upcoming season of “The White Lotus” is anticipated to have a massive impact on tourism in Thailand, with travel forecasters predicting a surge in visitors to destinations like Koh Samui, Phuket, with the allure of experiencing the real-life locations featured in the series is. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)
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Writers have long told tales of exotic foreign lands, from the Greek historian Herodotus (c.484–425BC) to Marco Polo (1254–1324) with his stories of his 24-year journey along the Silk Road to China. These descriptions, in story, song, and art, have inspired countless travelers to follow in their footsteps.
Now Expedia is creating an online hub for today’s travelers who are much more likely to be inspired by television shows or movies. Favored shows offer characters they can relate to, living exciting lives in distant places. A TV success can transform an unknown destination into a must-visit hotspot almost overnight.
Expedia (EXPE:NASDAQ) has coined a name for this phenomenon, which generates over $8 billion in travel a year: set-jetting.
Set-Jetting, (jetting to the set or setting of your favorite show) is a play on the still-used 1950’s phrase on the glamour of travel, Jet-Setting. The Jet Set, according to Dictionary.com, is “a fashionable social set composed of wealthy people who travel frequently by jetliner to parties and resorts,” certainly the aspirational image any travel business wants. The term “Jet Set” is attributed to Igor Cassini, a reporter, gossip columnist, and younger brother of fashion designer Oleg Cassini.
While the phrase set-jetting has yet to gain traction, the trend itself is certainly for real. Expedia first spotlighted set-jetting, when people plan travel to the sets of their favorite show, in 2022.
Game of Thrones tourists Kevin Recher (L) and Kathrin Trattner (R) from Austria pose for photographs at Audleys Castle on August 13, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The HBO fantasy adventure television series Game of Thrones has contributed an estimated £110m to the Northern Ireland economy. Audleys Castle was used as Robb Stark’s camp in the series. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
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According to Expedia’s Unpack ’26 travel trends, which includes data from 24,000 travelers across 18 countries:
53% of travelers say their travel plans are influenced by what they see on-screen. 81% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers say movies and TV shows influence where they travel.
Shows from Game of Thrones to Breaking Bad to Lord of the Rings have inspired millions of travelers to “set-jet” to Europe, New Mexico and New Zealand. To capture film and TV-inspired travel going forward, Expedia is offering a Set-Jetting travel hub, offering bookable suggestions for where to stay and what to do in destinations made famous in shows and films.
“Set-Jetting started as a trend in Expedia’s annual travel trends report four years ago and is now a multi-billion-dollar business,” said Melanie Fish, VP of Global Communications at Expedia. “It makes sense for Expedia, as the one-stop shop for travel, to create a Set-Jetting hub so people can easily get from their favorite British period drama to the UK countryside or from watching people on TV at a tropical island resort in Thailand to staying at a tropical resort in Thailand.”
I asked Ms. Fish when Expedia came up with the “Set-Jetting” concept. “In 2022, even before COVID ended, people were planning trips but couldn’t go anywhere. We were seeing a surge in searches on Expedia for visiting the site of a show, where it was shot or set. For a show like Emily in Paris, the numbers were irrefutable.”
Lily Collins and Eugenio Franceschini is seen filming on the set of “Emily In Paris” on August 23, 2025 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Mazzola/GC Images)
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This year, Expedia is highlighting such popular films and television shows on its set-jetting hub. For example, you can “Step into Fashion in Paris, France inspired by Emily in Paris.” The Expedia hub suggests two beautiful, if pricey, Dorchester Collection hotels, the Hotel Plaza Athénée and Le Meurice . Activities include a croissant baking class, Emily in Paris: The Unofficial Tour, and bien sur, a Louvre visit.
The Odyssey is shaping up as a massive worldwide hit, and Expedia has given it pride of place on their set-jetting hub. You can explore mythical landscapes in Peloponnese, Greece inspired by The Odyssey. Hotels Expedia highlights include the Mar-Bella Collection (VIP Access), W Costa Navarino and activities like a Gialova Lagoon Hike and Dinner and a Scuba Diving Experience in Messinia.
My hometown of Los Angeles (AKA Hollywood) is on the set list for one of TV’s top hits, Nobody Wants This, filmed among palm trees, neon lights, and drama. Stay in star-worthy style at The Garland (VIP Access) or 1 Hotel West Hollywood, and sip cocktails where the cast may have toasted their wrap party at The Hollywood Roosevelt, which, rumor has it, has its own Hollywood ghosts. Expedia recommends Warner Bros. Studio Tour and a Hollywood Sign Helicopter Ride to get the true picture of Los Angeles.
A new White Lotus has yet to arrive on HBO, but the previous three series, set in Hawaii, Italy, and Thailand still drive thousands of travelers to hotels like the San Domenico Palace, Taormina, Italy, or the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea. In Thailand, a set-jetting visit might include the Rosewood Phuket or Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort, along with a trip around the Angthong National Marine Park By Speed Boat, or Muay Thai Fighting Tickets in Koh Samui.
But as Expedia warns about these White Lotus destinations, “Paradise looks perfect on the outside… but we’re not responsible for any dramatic dinner conversations.”
Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon attend the World Premiere of “The Odyssey” at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 6, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Grant Buchanan/Dave Benett/WireImage)
Grant Buchanan/Dave Benett/WireImage
Fish says that in many locations there are activities available to fans. For Dr. Who aficionados, for example, there’s a highly rated Dr. Who City Walking tour in Cardiff.
“In the Expedia set-jetting hub, we pull the shows that are drawing a lot of interest. You’ll find places to stay, a destination guide, popular areas that you would want to visit, and nearby attractions,” says Ms. Fish.
Fish says that “Last year we put all the local travel information on the set-jetting hub. We also partner with the major AI platforms. You can ask your AI platform to help you plan your trip on Expedia.”
I asked her why travelers would go to Expedia, rather than just use AI to book their trip. “Expedia is there for the reliability of booking the travel. You’re led to reliable booking sites,” she says. “AI is great for a lot of things, but travel is too important to leave to chance.”
Entries on the set-jetting hub have a search function and general guide, so you can pick a local town, enter your dates and get hotel choices, for example.
Ms. Fish explains that Expedia is not selling a specific set-jetting trip, it is making it easy for travelers to plan their own bespoke journey. “There’s a flight deals tool, and we work with all the airlines so you can choose the flight that works for you. You can go to the Emily in Paris site, set up your flight, and later add a hotel.”
New Zealand. Waikato. Matamata. Home in Hobbiton, movie set. (Photo by: Martin Gruenzweig/Oneworld Picture/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Ms. Fish says “People have long been inspired by art to travel. People went to Verona for generations to see Romeo and Juliet’s balcony.” While their travel inspiration might come from a TV show, she adds that today’s travelers are sophisticated. “Travelers know they are not going to see a hobbit in New Zealand.”
I asked Ms. Fish why she thought set-jetting was growing.
“The world is a vast place, and it accessible to all of us,” she said. We have the blessing of being able to get anywhere in the world and the ‘curse’ of having to choose. Set jetting is a way to start the journey.”