Airbnb data: fall now outpaces summer for weekend trips, with 60% of US travelers planning one

Underneath the destination lists in Airbnb's fall trends release sits a number worth acting on: the platform says more weekend trips happened in fall 2025 than in any other season that year. If that pattern repeats, operators setting minimum-stay rules and shoulder-season rates for September through November are pricing for the wrong trip length.

The weekend is the fall trip

Airbnb reports that 60% of respondents to a survey it commissioned say they are planning a weekend getaway this fall. The survey was run by Focaldata in July 2026 among 2,000 US adults.

Alongside the survey, Airbnb cites its own booking and search data:

• More weekend trips were taken in fall 2025 (2 September – 1 December) than in the equivalent three-month spring, summer or winter windows.
• A significant share of fall 2026 bookings made so far are weekend stays.
• Fall-themed wishlists grew year over year in Q2 2026, led by five search terms: fall getaway, fall foliage, leaf peeping, apple picking and fall roadtrip.

The trending weekend destinations Airbnb names are almost entirely small, non-metro markets: Tannersville, NY; Jim Thorpe, PA; Blue Ridge, GA; Blowing Rock, NC; Fayetteville, WV; Glenwood Springs, CO; Oshkosh, WI; Bend, OR; Camden, ME; and Hartford, VT. Each sits near a foliage corridor, a scenic railway, a gorge or a hot spring — drive-to, two-night territory rather than fly-to, week-long territory.

Gen Z is booking small towns

Airbnb reports that 90% of its 183 Gen Z respondents say small towns and under-the-radar destinations appeal to them this fall, with affordability, authentic local culture and offbeat attractions each cited by roughly half. Nearly half of the fall destinations trending among Gen Z bookers are small towns.

The search-growth figures Airbnb discloses for Gen Z travelers: Twentynine Palms, CA up more than 50%; Hot Springs, AR up 30%; Helen, GA up 15%. Three of the towns highlighted — Hot Springs, Bemidji, MN and Gibsonton, FL — are being promoted through an Airbnb campaign aimed at Gen Z, so some of that demand is being manufactured rather than merely observed.

Event travel as a demand driver

Airbnb is also flagging "groundhopping" — traveling to tick stadiums, arenas and music venues off a list. Nearly 70% of survey respondents said the idea appeals to them. Airbnb frames it as a continuation of the summer's soccer-driven travel wave, and points to stays near venues in London, Toronto, Tuscaloosa, Mexico City, Green Bay, Bangkok, Nashville, Arlington, Boston and Los Angeles.

What to weigh

The caveats are real. The survey was commissioned by Airbnb, the search and booking figures are internal and unaudited, and the Gen Z findings rest on a sub-sample of 183 people. The destination lists double as promotional placements for specific listings.

The directional signal is still usable. A market seeing more two- and three-night fall bookings than week-long ones rewards a shorter minimum stay, tighter turnover planning and weekend-weighted rate curves — and if the property sits within driving distance of foliage, a stadium or a festival, the demand window is narrower and more predictable than a summer season.