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The most coveted Friendsgiving invitation this year? Well, it comes with a checkout time.
According to Airbnb’s winter 2026 travel report, U.S. travelers are turning the annual potluck into a getaway, eyeing small ski towns for Christmas and New Year’s and plotting winter escapes that range from a Lambeau Field tailgate to a beach in Vietnam.
The first clue is in the wishlists: the company says the number of U.S. traveler wishlists with “friendsgiving” in the title rose more than 30 percent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year. Airbnb’s examples include an A-frame in Lake Arrowhead, California, and a lodge with a fire pit and creek access in Epworth, Georgia.
For stays starting December 19 through January 3, some of the biggest search jumps were in towns where you can spend New Year’s Eve in boots. Searches for Hunter, New York, rose 37 percent compared with the equivalent holiday period last year, while Sevierville, Tennessee, was up 32 percent and Kidder Township in Pennsylvania’s Poconos was up 25 percent. In the Catskills, Hunter puts skiers close to the slopes. Sevierville has the Smokies and nearby Pigeon Forge’s holiday lights, while Kidder has Lake Harmony and skiing close enough for a road trip from New York or Philly.
The holiday-card crowd was looking for options beyond the ski towns, too. North Conway, New Hampshire, has Santa-themed rides on its historic scenic railroad, while St. Augustine, Florida, strings millions of white lights across its historic district. Québec City brings cobblestone streets and a German-style Christmas market and Mont-Tremblant has sleigh rides and a colorful slopeside village.
Football fans are looking for stays in Green Bay and Seattle, where a game-day weekend can include dinner at a Wisconsin supper club or a round at a Pioneer Square pub. Anyone whose ideal winter uniform involves flip-flops has Bradenton Beach and Marco Island on Florida’s Gulf Coast. And farther afield, Airbnb flagged La Fortuna, Costa Rica, for hot springs beneath Arenal Volcano, and Samaná, in the Dominican Republic, where humpback whales gather offshore in winter.
Vietnam also made the list with two very different trips. Da Nang has long sandy beaches and lantern-lit Hoi An within day-trip range. Ho Chi Minh City has sidewalk street food and easy access to the Mekong Delta.
Now, good luck getting the group chat to pick just one place.