Meet the Glomads: The travellers planning trips around beauty

You notice it first in the subtleties. Beauty-savvy friends returning from “a few days away” with skin that looks inexplicably brighter, jawlines a touch sharper, dark circles mysteriously erased. A well-rested glow that feels plausible enough to be written off as a solid night’s sleep or an exceptional facial. Except it’s neither.

Enter the rise of the Glomad. A Glomad is a “traveller drawn to exploring local beauty cultures and wellness opportunities while abroad,” explains Laura Lindsay, travel trends and destinations expert at Skyscanner. Their latest trend report centres beauty-savvy travellers as a growing market in 2026. “Beauty is shaping how we travel and what we explore. That’s across the board from in-flight skincare routines, shopping for local beauty products and detours to cult-favourite retailers,” she adds. These are the travellers who plan their trips primarily around beauty and aesthetic treatments, making clinics, dermatologists and injectors the main event, rather than a chance side quest.

glass pipettes with drops of transparent serum on a beige background, skin care cosmetics conceptGetty Images

Getty Images

Predictably, leading this beauty-travel charge are predominantly Gen Z travellers. Skyscanner’s data shows that over one in four (27 per cent) of UK-based Gen Z travellers are planning to seek out beauty treatments and skincare stores while travelling in 2026, compared to just 4 per cent of Boomers. “Gen Z in particular are no longer content with simply travelling,” Laura says. “They explore the world as an extension of their identity, and fashion and beauty are key drivers in their destination choices.”

Beauty appointments are documented with the same reverence once reserved for hotel room tours or restaurant reveals. A good injector now carries as much cultural cachet as a Michelin-starred chef. “Travel planning and advice in beauty subreddits is growing 215 per cent year on year, so there’s no doubt that travel and beauty increasingly go hand in hand. Our data shows that travellers see this as part of their self-care regime and they want to experience local beauty culture too,” Laura explains.

The idea of booking a facial or massage abroad is hardly new. But what sets Glomads apart, however, is intentionality. These aren’t impulsive add-ons squeezed in between sightseeing; they’re the reason for the trip. It’s less about indulgent spa escapism and more the promise of returning home looking subtly, enviably different than when you left.

Getty Images

Getty Images

Celebrity makeup artist and content creator Nam Vo is a case in point, having taken multiple trips to Korea specifically for aesthetic treatments. Her motivation is rooted in access to the best tech. “I’m obsessed with beauty innovation, and the Koreans are really light years ahead. By the time something like salmon’s sperm DNA is approved in the US, it’s often already been in use in Korea for more than a decade,” she says. “We’re seeing a surge of content creators travelling for treatments because the standard is high elsewhere, the costs are lower, and it comes with the added bonus of a great trip,” Nam says. Those clinics are becoming destinations in their own right, and their practitioners are followed and reviewed with the same scrutiny once reserved for hotels or restaurants.

Content creator Jade Marrey is another Glomad who built her travel plans entirely around treatment rooms. “I visited the Gangnam area of Seoul, which is the epicentre for beauty treatments,” she says, returning three times a year for follow-ups. Jade adds, “Although I visited just for beauty treatments, Seoul is a really fun place – it’s definitely worth staying a few extra days.” For Jade, the appeal was both value and expertise – treatments in Seoul can come in at around half the price of the UK and US.