Airbnb Wants to Plan Your Whole Trip

Nothing excites Assistant Editor Olivia Briggs quite like traveling to new destinations. Follow her adventures on Twitter and Instagram.

Briggs joined SmarterTravel in 2012 and became a member of the editorial team in 2015. She has lived in Ireland and has worked in the hospitality, tourism, and online travel industries for more than a decade. She loves scoping out new hotels, promoting unfamiliar destinations, and writing about niche travel topics.

Her stories have also appeared online on USA Today, The Huffington Post, TripAdvisor, Jetsetter, Oyster, Savoteur, and AirfareWatchdog.

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Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Snowboarding through the Alps and staying in a chalet overlooking the mountains."

Travel Motto: "Travel more; it awakens your soul."

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Email Olivia at editor@smartertravel.com.

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Ever thought you’d see the day when Airbnb could map out all your plans for an upcoming trip? Based on recent news, the idea isn’t that farfetched.

Airbnb, the sharing-economy front-runner in the vacation rental space, may soon become more than just a place for people to list, find, and reserve housing. That’s because the site is introducing customized tour packages.

Right now, Airbnb is testing the program in San Francisco, where its headquarters are located. Invitations are being sent to select users browsing for accommodations in the Bay Area, offering two- to five-day “Journeys” for a flat fee. Packages include lodging, meals, transportation, and tours that focus on local food, history, outdoor recreation and nightlife. Trips cost $500 and $750 depending on the number of days and guests.

Airbnb hasn’t revealed whether this will roll out to other cities, but with enough initial success, the company could just be the next big personal travel planning service.

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(Photo: Airbnb logo sign via tanuha2001/Shutterstock.com)

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