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What Is the ‘Set-Jetting’ Travel Trend?

By Marissa Kozma
Read time: 4 minutes
August 11, 2026
Updated: August 11, 2026

What Is the ‘Set-Jetting’ Travel Trend?

Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
Credit: © Helen Hotson/stock.adobe.com
By Marissa Kozma
Author
Marissa Kozma
Marissa is a cheap airfare aficionado who loves exploring offbeat destinations with her husband. Based in Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, Marissa has been featured in publications such as San Diego Magazine, Palm Springs Life Magazine, 303 Magazine, and Mountain Living.

Have you ever watched a movie and thought to yourself, “Where is that and can I go there?” Now, more than ever, travelers are flocking to locations featured in iconic films and television shows. New York Post writer Gretchen Kelly coined the term “set-jetting” in 2008 to describe the phenomenon, but it has since gained momentum among younger generations of travelers.

According to Expedia’s 2026 travel trend forecast, 81% of Gen Z and millennial travelers are searching for screen-inspired getaways, with some experts estimating the trend has the potential to become an $8 billion industry in the U.S. alone. From the moody moors of Wuthering Heights to the ancient stone fortresses and white-sand beaches featured in The Odyssey, here are six such set locales to spark ideas for your next dream vacation.

The White Lotus

Four Seasons Maui
Credit: Image courtesy of the Four Seasons Maui

A dark comedy created by Mike White about wealth and dysfunction among hotel guests, HBO’s hit series The White Lotus generates nearly as much buzz for its five-star set locations as it does for the plotlines. Season 1 was filmed at the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea in Hawaii, while Season 2 led fans to book stays at San Domenico Palace, a Four Seasons Hotel located in Taormina, Sicily. Season 3, which aired in 2025, enticed viewers to travel to Thailand, where directors filmed scenes at multiple properties in Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok. Fans are already buzzing about what hotels will be featured when Season 4, airing in 2027, hits the French Riviera.

Emily in Paris

Cafe de Flore, Paris, France
Credit: © UlyssePixel/stock.adobe.com

First aired in 2020, Netflix’s Emily in Paris garnered much fanfare for its vibrant portrayal of Parisian life, featuring maximalist costume designs and romantic cafe culture. Fans were swept up in Emily’s dazzling day-to-day as a social media strategist for the fictional marketing firm Savoir, and the series inspired many to live out their own French fantasies. If you want to follow in their footsteps, you can stop at memorable film locations such as Café de Flore, Jardin du Palais Royal, and Terra Nera restaurant, all in Paris. 

Related: Paris for Pros: 9 Landmarks to Visit Besides the Eiffel Tower

Yellowstone

Historic downtown of Ogden, Utah
Credit: © Heidi Besen/stock.adobe.com

Filmed primarily across Utah and Montana, Yellowstone (on the Paramount Network) follows the Dutton family’s fight to keep their massive Montana ranch safe from outside forces. Viewers enjoyed the Wild West scenery so much that a University of Montana study estimated the series generated 2.1 million visitors and $750 million in tourist spending in 2023 alone. Popular set locations include downtown Ogden, Utah; the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas; the Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana; the Crow Indian Reservation in Billings, Montana; and the charming downtowns of Helena and Missoula in Montana.

Wuthering Heights

Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
Credit: © Helen Hotson/stock.adobe.com

A new cinematic adaptation of the romantic period drama Wuthering Heights was released in early 2026, and watching the love story unfold between Cathy and Heathcliff has inspired many filmgoers to venture north of London to the wild Yorkshire mores. The rocky outcrops of the Penistone Crags and the manor known as Thrushcross Grange may be fictional locations in Emily Brontë’s classic novel, but travelers can visit real-life shooting locations such as Yorkshire Dales National Park and its old smelt mills, Bridestones Moor, and the Knole estate.

The Odyssey

Old Essaouira, Morocco
Credit: © upslim/stock.adobe.com

The 2026 adaptation of Homer’s epic, directed by Christopher Nolan and shot entirely on IMAX film, introduced viewers to the striking beauty of Greece’s Peloponnese region and the horseshoe-shaped Voidokilia Beach and Methoni Castle. Also featured are the stunning island of Favignana off the coast of Sicily and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Medina of Essaouira in Morocco. Following the film’s release on July 17, flight searches to Athens in particular skyrocketed — surging by 153%, according to data from Cheapoair.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Intracoastal Waterway, Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
Credit: © makasana photo/stock.adobe.com

Although Amazon Prime’s hit TV series takes place in a fictional beach town called Cousins Beach (inspired by iconic summer destinations such as Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard), The Summer I Turned Pretty was shot primarily across North Carolina. Filming locations include the quaint seaside village of Southport in the Brunswick Islands, the city of Wilmington, and the beachside community of Wrightsville Beach. Fans have flocked to the real-life set of the Whale of a Tale Bookshop (which is actually Papercut Books in downtown Wilmington), the Oceanic Restaurant in Wrightsville Beach, and Capt’n Bill’s Backyard Grill in Wilmington.

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Why Are So Many Museums Closed on Mondays?

By Fiona Mokry
Read time: 3 minutes
August 6, 2026
Updated: August 6, 2026

Why Are So Many Museums Closed on Mondays?

Roman busts inside Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
Credit: © Masonprokop/Wirestock Creators/stock.adobe.com
By Fiona Mokry
Author
Fiona Mokry
Fiona has spent her career exploring the world and working in the travel industry, turning her lifelong passion into a profession. From planning custom trips to sharing stories as a travel writer for publications such as The Discoverer, she’s all about helping others experience the world in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Picture this: You’ve finally made it to Paris, Florence, or Amsterdam. The weather’s perfect, you’ve got your sightseeing planned, and you’re on your way to the museum you’ve been looking forward to visiting. Then, you see the dreaded sign: “Closed on Mondays.” It’s one of the most common travel surprises, and if you’ve ever wondered why museums around the world seem to have collectively chosen Monday as their day off, you’re not alone. The short answer is that Monday is when museums catch their breath, but there’s more to it than you think.

Monday Closures Don’t Mean a Day Off

Natural History Gallery, Horniman Museum, London
Credit: © Dominic Lipinski—PA Images/Getty Images

While many galleries tend to be void of visitors on Mondays, this is often one of the busiest days of the week for museum staff. After welcoming thousands of visitors over the weekend, many museums need time for a weekly reset before doing it all over again. Floors get cleaned, exhibits are repaired, lighting is adjusted, and security systems are tested. New exhibitions are installed, artwork is moved, and staff can work on behind-the-scenes projects that aren’t possible to complete during opening hours.

The Work You Never See

Restoring a Caravaggio painting
Credit: © stokkete/stock.adobe.com

We all know that museums display art and artifacts. But an equally important role — one that isn’t always as obvious — is preserving them. Many of the pieces on display are surprisingly fragile. Paintings, textiles, manuscripts, and photographs all need regular inspections, and some can only be exposed to light for a certain amount of time before they need to be rotated off display. Having a day without visitors gives conservators the chance to check humidity levels, repair damage, and care for the collections without crowds or distractions. 

Why Monday?

Sign for Monday closure at National Museum of American History, Washington, DC
Credit: © Daniel Heuer—AFP/Getty Images

There’s a practical reason museums chose Monday as the day to close: For many destinations, Mondays are one of the quieter, if not the quietest, days of the week for tourism and foot traffic. Rather than closing during the busy weekend, museums stay open when demand is highest and schedule maintenance for a day that has less of an impact on visitors and the museum’s overall profit. This is also common practice among restaurants and shops, especially across Europe, as well as parts of Asia and North America. 

Famous Museums Closed on Mondays

Roman busts inside Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
Credit: © Masonprokop/Wirestock Creators/stock.adobe.com

Some of the world’s best-known museums stick to the Monday closure tradition, including Florence’s Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery, Paris’ Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie, the Tokyo National Museum, and the Getty Center in L.A. If you’re planning a trip, it’s worth checking opening hours ahead of time, especially if your itinerary includes a Monday.

Museums That Break the Rule

Visitors outside the Museo del Prado
Credit: © ArTo/stock.adobe.com

Luckily, not every museum follows the same pattern. So, if you find yourself in a travel destination on a Monday, don’t worry — you’ll likely find a handful of museums that buck the trend, staying open while their competitors shut down and benefiting from the extra visitors. 

The Louvre, for example, stays open on Mondays and closes on Tuesdays instead, giving visitors the option to spread their museum touring out over the week. The Art Institute in Chicago is also closed on Tuesdays, while the Met in New York City is closed on Wednesdays.

Meanwhile, many other museums are open seven days a week, including the British Museum in London, the Prado Museum in Madrid, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. And in Washington, D.C., most Smithsonian museums open their doors to visitors every day except Christmas.

Moral of the story: If museum visits are an important part of your travel itinerary, avoid disappointment and check museum hours before you finalize your trip. Even within the same city, museums often have different schedules, and holiday hours can vary throughout the year. A quick look before you head out can save you from showing up to locked doors — on Monday or otherwise.