Local travel on the rise: See the top trending destinations locals love

Guests are increasingly discovering amazing stays closer to home. Over the past five years, nights stayed by Airbnb guests within 300 miles of their home (which is about a tank of gas away) have nearly doubled.¹ Although international travel has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, the trend of traveling locally shows no signs of slowing. In fact, local travel is growing twice as fast as long-distance travel on Airbnb.²

End-of-summer holidays like Labor Day in the US are a great time to stay local. In 2023, more than half of US Airbnb stays over the Labor Day weekend were located less than a tank of gas away. Especially in larger states like California, Florida, and Texas, and in states renowned for the outdoors, such as Oregon, Alaska, and North Carolina, many guests rely on Airbnb to discover destinations close to home. The following US states saw the highest percentage of guests staying  in their home states during the first half of 2024.

By using Airbnb to travel locally, guests can discover off-the-beaten path destinations close to home, all while saving time and money. Families can forego pricey flights, spend more time relaxing rather than coordinating logistics, and find a unique Airbnb listing that offers an experience in and of itself.

What’s more, by offering visitors affordable, nearby accommodations, Airbnb helps boost local tourism and economies — including in areas with few or no hotels. In 2023, Airbnb guests in the US spent on average $210 per day on attractions, transportation, and small businesses as part of their stay, including approximately $65 on local restaurants.³ This helped generate an estimated $80 billion in visitor spending across the country last year alone.

Planning your last-minute Labor Day staycation

Even with Labor Day just a few weeks away, it’s not too late to plan a last-minute staycation. And what better way to find inspiration than by looking to where the locals go?

Below, we’ve rounded up some of the top trending Labor Day destinations booked by locals.⁴ Ranging from the nation’s Bourbon capital of Louisville, Kentucky to smaller coastal getaways like North Topsail Beach in North Carolina and South Padre Island in Texas, each of these destinations are Labor Day travel spots that locals love.

• Louisville, Kentucky
• Flagstaff, Arizona
• Providence, Rhode Island
• Somerville, Massachusetts
• Syracuse, New York
• Big Bear Lake, California
• New Haven, Connecticut
• North Topsail Beach, North Carolina
• South Padre Island, Texas
• Ocean City, New Jersey

To further inspire end-of-summer staycations, we’ve also spotlighted some of our Guest Favorites that were most booked by locals.⁵ Many of these unique listings are destinations in and of themselves, allowing guests to experience an adventure without traveling far from home.

Note: All homes in this article are intended purely to inspire and illustrate. Airbnb does not recommend or endorse these listings or any other homes on the platform.