Flights Are Out. Road Trips Are In.

Flights are out. Road trips are in. That’s according to the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky. He predicts that the coronavirus pandemic will permanently alter the way we travel. Chesky says: “I will go on the record to say that travel will never, ever go back to the way it was pre-COVID; it just won’t.” And he says the present and future of travel will be more local and less plane-based. Chesky says Airbnb data shows that people are getting in cars and traveling to communities that are 200 miles away or less. They’re traveling to smaller cities – not big ones. They’re staying in homes and they’re staying longer. Chesky thinks one day travelers will get back on planes. But he thinks the redistribution of where travelers go is permanent.

Airbnb CEO Chesky says mass tourism to cites like Rome, Paris and London will have less appeal, while national parks and small, nearby communities will become increasingly popular vacation destinations.