Purr-fect Stays: Over 3 million pets have travelled on Airbnb since November

Today on World Animal Day, Airbnb celebrates its furry co-hosts and guests from around the world, and all quacks of life. Animals are not only travelling on Airbnb, but they’re also co-hosting with their human companions.

More than 3 million pets have checked into Airbnb since last November when the platform launched new protections for Hosts against pet damages under AirCover for Hosts as part of the 2021 Winter Release.

Since the pandemic, guests and their pets have found themselves unleashed from the office, trotting out to live and work anywhere. And increasingly more listings are allowing pets as guests to help create an unfurrgetable experience. 

People and pets have fanned out and travelled for weeks and even months. In fact, a quarter of the nights booked (1) during the first half of 2022 that included at least one pet was for trips lasting 28 days or more – showing that longer stays with pets are more than pawsible. 

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky joined this trend earlier this year, when he and Sophie, his golden retriever puppy, began living anywhere on Airbnb, staying in people’s homes in new towns and cities every few weeks while working remotely.

Guests travelling with pets were also more likely to book in rural or less dense urban areas, suggesting that maybe they were ready to ruff it in the outdoors. The highest number of travellers looking for pet-friendly stays globally originated from London (2), potentially seeking greener pastures away from the city.

Barnstaple, a town in North Devon in the UK, is one of the top pet-friendly destinations in the country, with over 40% of Airbnb stays in the area being pet friendly. Other destinations that eagerly welcome pets include Kendal in Cumbria and Aberystwyth in Wales. 

The UK destinations with some of the highest number of pet-friendly active listings on Airbnb as of June 2022 (3) include:

• Barnstaple, England
• Kendal, England
• Aberystwyth, Wales
• Carlisle, England
• Plymouth, England
• Whitby, England
• Newquay, England
• Ipswich, England
• Exeter, England
• Penzance, England

Bonnie is the Host of The Silo House at the Laughing Llama Farm in Texas, which is one of the most wishlisted farm stays in the world. Her working farm has sheep, a cow, and eleven llamas. The llamas guard the sheep from predators by offering an alarm cry when they sense a prob-llama. 

“To also be able to share these wonderful animals is a bonus,” said Bonnie. “Guests leave here knowing their names and get to know the animal’s behaviours and routines. They follow up with us asking about their favourites and how they are doing.”

“We love being a part of these forever memories that these families will take with them when they leave and look back on as ‘that time we went to that llama farm…’  That’s huge to us.  We don’t take those special moments for granted.”

In May, Airbnb introduced a new way to search designed around Airbnb Categories, making it even easier for guests to connect with unique stays, some of which include animals. With more than 250,000 homes (4) within Farms, Barns and Countryside combined, you may find pets and animals of all shapes and sizes who welcome guests to their udderly extraordinary stays. 

To that effect, here are some of the most wishlisted farm stays in the UK and worldwide (5), which may include all sorts of animals from llamas, cows, bees, goats, and more.* 

• The Willow Farm stay in Pembroke, Wales
• Unique glamping Hut in Sutton, England
• Romantic and Magical Hobbit Tiny Home in Stoke-on-Trent, England
• Forest Gully Farms  in Franklin, Tennessee 
• Heavenly Treehouse in Countryside w/ Farm Animals in Springfield, Massachusetts
• The Silo House at Laughing Llama Farm in Troy, Texas 
• Conestoga Wagon on Dude Ranch Near Las Vegas 
• Bedrock Homestead Cave West End 
• Wensley – Rustic Luxury, Great Ocean Rd Hinterland 
• Quinta La Ceiba Modern Home with Pool in DairyFarm