Latest / Cyrus Webb's tracks / Alex Bender of Airbnb shares the most popular fall travel trends on Conversations LIVE

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Alex Bender of Airbnb shares the most popular fall travel trends on Conversations LIVE · Cyrus Webb's tracks

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  Speaker 1: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Conversations Live. I'm your host,
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  Speaker 1: Cyrus Webb. Glad you all could join us once again.
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  Speaker 1: For radio items tuning in at WYAD 94.1 FM and WYADonline.com,
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  Speaker 1: we're glad that you all can be with us. Also,
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  Speaker 1: join us online worldwide via our podcast at iHeartRadio and
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  Speaker 1: Amazon Music. We're glad you all could be with us
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  Speaker 1: as well. Well, fall is here, and it's officially the
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  Speaker 1: most popular season for a weekend getaway. Here to break
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  Speaker 1: down the biggest travel trends and share some exciting new
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  Speaker 1: Airbnb features, we're excited to welcome Alex Bender to our
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  Speaker 1: broadcast today. Alex is a Senior Communications Manager at Airbnb. Alex,
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  Speaker 1: thank you again for stopping by. I really appreciate it.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure
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  Speaker 2: to be here.
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  Speaker 1: Well, this is a busy time of year, and travel
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  Speaker 1: is definitely a part of it, Alex. What does new
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  Speaker 1: Airbnb data show when it comes to how Americans are
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  Speaker 1: traveling this fall?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, there's just kind of something about fall, right? And
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  Speaker 3: the big story this fall is that people are choosing
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  Speaker 3: more frequent, shorter getaways rather than waiting for one big vacation.
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  Speaker 3: In fact, 60% of Americans we surveyed say they're planning
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  Speaker 3: a weekend.
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  Speaker 2: Getaway this fall.
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  Speaker 3: And our data shows the fall actually had more weekend
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  Speaker 3: trips than any other season in 2025. And it really
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  Speaker 3: does make sense when you think about what people love
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  Speaker 3: about fall. You got your foliage, your apple picking, family
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  Speaker 3: road trips, football, you name it. So we're seeing people
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  Speaker 3: head to places like Tannersville, New York, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania,
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  Speaker 3: and of course, Blue Ridge, Georgia. Destinations that really give
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  Speaker 3: you that classic fall experience.
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  Speaker 2: So I think the bigger shift we're.
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  Speaker 3: Seeing is the travel is becoming something people can do
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  Speaker 3: more often. You know, a Friday to Sunday getaway instead
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  Speaker 3: of one big trip that you plan, you know, months
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  Speaker 3: in advance.
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  Speaker 2: I love that.
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  Speaker 1: And you're right. It definitely makes sense. And those shorter
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  Speaker 1: breaks definitely are something that can be exciting and a
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  Speaker 1: great refresher. at the end of the week for sure.
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  Speaker 1: Gen Z is leading a new travel trend called Lord Tripping.
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  Speaker 1: What can you tell us about it, and where are
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  Speaker 1: they flocking to this season?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Gen Z and their trends, right?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, Lord Tripping is basically traveling for the story. So
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  Speaker 3: instead of saying, I want to go to the biggest
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  Speaker 3: or most famous destination, Gen Z is asking, what's kind
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  Speaker 3: of the weirdest, most interesting story behind a place? So
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  Speaker 3: take Point Pleasant, West Virginia, for example. It's where the
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  Speaker 3: Mothman legend originated in the 1960s. And there's a museum,
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  Speaker 3: a statue, and even an annual festival built around it.
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  Speaker 3: So it's less about looking for the most obvious destination
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  Speaker 3: and more about finding a great place where you can
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  Speaker 3: come home with an epic story.
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  Speaker 1: You know, it's interesting, Alex, I know for our audience here,
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  Speaker 1: I mean, they're definitely, I mean, if they hear about
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  Speaker 1: a place, hear about something, it does make them definitely
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  Speaker 1: more interested in it. So I could definitely see how
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  Speaker 1: that could become a thing. The other thing that's a
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  Speaker 1: big trend is ground hopping. What is it, and how
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  Speaker 1: are sports and live events changing the way that people
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  Speaker 1: plan their trips?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, let me tell you.
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  Speaker 3: Ground hopping is when the venue itself becomes part of
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  Speaker 3: the reason you're traveling. So think about someone who isn't
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  Speaker 3: just going to see an NFL playoff game. They're traveling
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  Speaker 3: because they want to experience an iconic stadium. Or, you know,
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  Speaker 3: a music fan who planned a trip around seeing their
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  Speaker 3: favorite artist at a particular venue.
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  Speaker 2: We're seeing people.
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  Speaker 3: Build entire getaways around these experiences. And fall really is
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  Speaker 3: perfect for this because you've got college football, MLB playoffs, concerts.
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  Speaker 3: And major live events all happening at the same time.
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  Speaker 3: So you might have a fan tribe in Green Bay
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  Speaker 3: to experience Lambeau Field, heading to New York for a concert.
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  Speaker 3: Or you can join me and Eugene for the UCLA-Oregon.
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  Speaker 2: Football game next weekend.
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  Speaker 3: So it's really about the event becoming kind of the
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  Speaker 3: anchor of the trip. And then people build the rest
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  Speaker 3: of their weekend around it, where they're staying, where they're eating,
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  Speaker 3: and so on.
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  Speaker 2: Love that.
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  Speaker 1: You love that. And I think what's so great, and
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  Speaker 1: when we're talking about Airbnb, you guys are getting ready
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  Speaker 1: to celebrate a very big milestone, almost 20 years. Beyond
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  Speaker 1: the trends, what are the exciting new features that you're
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  Speaker 1: launching this fall?
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  Speaker 2: Wow, 20 years. Can you believe it?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we actually just put out our fall update this week,
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  Speaker 3: and there's a lot of great stuff for our guests.
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  Speaker 3: Our focus with this update was on making the entire
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  Speaker 3: trip easier and more fun, from deciding where to stay
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  Speaker 3: to getting the most out of a destination once you arrive.
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  Speaker 3: So now you can connect with friends and family on
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  Speaker 3: Airbnb and see where they've traveled, what they've recommended, and
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  Speaker 3: where they're going next.
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  Speaker 2: I know a lot of us look to.
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  Speaker 3: Family and friends for inspiration and where to go and
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  Speaker 3: what to do on our trips, so we know a
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  Speaker 3: lot of folks are excited for this one. We're also
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  Speaker 3: bringing powerful AI into trip planning. Now you can just
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  Speaker 3: type exactly what you're looking for in your own words
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  Speaker 3: or even voice, and Airbnb can help find homes, experiences,
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  Speaker 3: and services that match what you're looking for. You can
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  Speaker 3: compare homes side by side and even get AI-powered summaries
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  Speaker 3: of what makes each one unique and different. And then
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  Speaker 3: there are new services designed to make your state even better.
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  Speaker 3: We recently partnered with Instacart to bring grocery delivery.
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  Speaker 2: To Airbnbs in the US.
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  Speaker 3: And now we're adding new services like laundry pickup and delivery.
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  Speaker 2: You can rent all kinds.
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  Speaker 3: Of baby gear that can be delivered and set up
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  Speaker 3: at your Airbnb. I think I just heard all my
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  Speaker 3: fellow parents cheering on that one. And we're also introducing
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  Speaker 3: new local services. For example, if you find yourself in
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  Speaker 3: South Florida this fall, you can rent a boat right
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  Speaker 3: on Airbnb and even more through local partners. So this
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  Speaker 3: is really about making it easier to pack light and
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  Speaker 3: spend your time actually enjoying your destination.
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  Speaker 1: Really great information, especially for those who are looking for
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  Speaker 1: those getaways. They may have missed it during the summer,
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  Speaker 1: may just need a quick getaway. It's great to know
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  Speaker 1: that Airbnb can be able to help out. Again, everyone,
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  Speaker 1: Alex Bender has been our guest, a Senior Communications Manager
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  Speaker 1: at Airbnb. Not only breaking down the travel trends that
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  Speaker 1: he's been seeing, but also, of course, the new Airbnb
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  Speaker 1: features as well. Alex, our audience should know this already,
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  Speaker 1: but where can they go to be able to find
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  Speaker 1: out more information and to start booking their own getaway?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely.
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  Speaker 3: So to learn more about these updates, visit Airbnb.com or
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  Speaker 3: download the Airbnb app. And once you're there, go to
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  Speaker 3: your profile and get started with your travel map.
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  Speaker 2: And happy traveling. Enjoy the fall, everybody.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Alex, thank you so much for the time today.
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  Speaker 1: Really appreciate it. Looking forward to speaking with you again.
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  Speaker 2: Pleasure is all mine. Thank you so much. Have a
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  Speaker 2: great rest of your day.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks to you as well. And we thank your audience
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  Speaker 1: for tuning in to another great segment of Conversations Live.
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  Speaker 1: Until next time, I'm your host, Sarasweb. Thank you as always.
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  Speaker 1: Enjoy your day. Enjoy your life. Enjoy your world. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you for being with us here at Conversations Live. Let
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  Speaker 1: us go make today amazing.
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  Speaker 2: Take care.