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Airbnb: Travelers are getting out of towns, staying longer

Posted at 9:28 AM, Sep 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-04 12:29:29-04

Those looking to get out of their homes Labor Day weekend appear to be favoring remote locations, according to travel site Airbnb.

Of homes and living spaces booked on the site for Labor Day Weekend, 30 percent are in remote and out-of-the-way places, Airbnb said in a recent report. This is almost double the percentage of remote bookings over the holiday weekend in 2019.

The most popular getaway locations in the US over the holiday weekend are ones with water access or traditional fall foliage; including Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Big Bear Lake, California, Wilmington, North Carolina, Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Orange Beach, Alabama.

After a slow summer travel season, with road trips and flights down year-over-year, AAA is reporting many will be heading out of town over the Labor Day Weekend. Although the number of travelers will be down compared to previous years, low gas prices and last-minute trips will put many of them on the roads.

Once Labor Day Weekend is over, Airbnb is reporting guests are looking to stay longer. Many are looking for months-long stays into the fall, as work and schools remain closed with the coronavirus pandemic.

"There's this really new trend where traveling and living are starting to blur together," the company's CEO, Brian Chesky, told CNN Business'Richard Quest. "People are booking for weeks at a time or even months at a time."

Airbnb reports the number of reviews that mention “remote working” or “work remotely” since March has nearly tripled from the first half of 2019.