Home on the Range

How cowboy core became the year's biggest travel trend

- STORY BY TODD PLUMMER

TRAVEL IS GOING country. Pop culture certainly has already: More than 13 million viewers tuned in for the finale of Montana melodrama Yellowstone in December; Beyoncé's pivot-to-Western Cowboy Carter took Album of the Year at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards; and the unstoppable Taylor Swift is set to return to her roots any day now with the anticipated rerecording of her debut country album, Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version).

According to a survey by Skyscanner, 44 percent of American travelers have expressed at least some sort of enthusiasm for cowboy-inspired trips, with that number soaring to 63 percent among 18- to 24-year-olds. Last year, the British travel search aggregator added a “horseback riding’ filter in its hotel search tool. “We've seen a significant increase in requests for ranch and cowboy-inspired experiences in the Western U.S,” says Carolyn Addison, head of product for luxury tour operator Black Tomato.