A Year In Review: How The World Travelled in 2021, Revealed By HomeToGo

HomeToGo, the marketplace with the world's largest selection of holiday rentals, has released its 2021 Year In Review retrospective.

Looking at the search patterns, amenity priorities and accommodation type preferences of its guests from 10 markets across the globe, HomeToGo’s Year in Review draws on a depth of internal data. From the jet-setters to the staycationers, the sauna obsessed to the dog devotees, the villa vacationers to the boat-trippers - HomeToGo reveals how travellers worldwide thought about, planned for and took holidays throughout 2021.

Travel Demand Behavior

Must-Have Amenities

All About Accommodation

Methodology

Travel Demand Behavior

Forward Thinkers vs. Spaintaneous Searchers

In 2021, German travellers left the longest lead times when it came to holiday planning, starting searches an average of 89.8 days ahead of their departure dates. With an average of just 53.5 days between search and departure dates, Spanish travellers landed at the other end of the scale, taking the title of 2021’s most spontaneous travellers.

Jet-Setters vs. Staycationers

With just 27.1% of all searches dedicated to domestic travel, Austrian holidaymakers were the most enticed by international destinations in 2021. Meanwhile, travellers across Spain, Italy and the United States championed locations closer to home, with 91%, 89.9% and 86.6% of searches opting for nearby staycations, respectively.

Flex Appeal vs. Determined Dates

Holidaymakers from Poland, the UK and Italy kept things flexible in 2021, with 39.2%, 37.2% and 37.2% of searches respectively making use of HomeToGo’s “Flexible Dates” technology. In contrast, travellers from Switzerland had their minds most set on particular dates for trips this year, with the technology applied to only 29.4% of searches.

Must-Have Amenities

Making a Splash

While HomeToGo’s “Pool” amenity was the most frequently used filter in 2021 overall, search data reveals that travellers from Austria, France and Spain were the most eager to take a dip and relax poolside this year.

Wedded to WiFi

Whether it was for the rising trend of “workations”, Netflix binging or sharing holiday snaps on social media, HomeToGo’s “Internet” amenity was most often selected by travellers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria in 2021.

Dog Devotees

Travellers from Germany, the UK and Austria were the most prone to holidaying alongside their canine companions, with searches from these countries making the most frequent use of HomeToGo’s “Pets Allowed” filter.

Roadtrippers

Seeing the highest percentage of searches filtering for HomeToGo’s “Garage” amenity, travellers from the countries of Switzerland, Austria and Germany were revving their engines to visit drive-to destinations in 2021.

Relaxation Nations

Travellers from the UK, the Netherlands and France knew how to kick back and unwind in style during holidays in 2021, making the most frequent use of HomeToGo’s “Hot Tub” amenity.

Turning Up The Heat

Meanwhile, travellers from the Netherlands, Germany and Poland preferred to turn up the heat to chill out, with the highest percentage of searches from these countries filtering for the “Sauna” amenity.

All About Accommodation

Escape To The Country

Opting for a true rural retreat, “Farm Stays” were most searched for amongst Spanish travellers in 2021 - followed by holidaymakers from the UK and the Netherlands.

Keeping It Cozy

Snug in the countryside, the “Cottage” accommodation type was the most popular amongst travellers from the UK, followed by holidaymakers from the U.S. and Spain.

Luxe Lovers

Looking for stylish serenity and sunny escapes, searches filtering for “Villas” were most often seen amongst travellers from the countries of France, the UK and Italy.

Holidays Ahoy

German, Swiss and French travellers took to the water in 2021, with these markets seeing the highest percentage of searches using the “Boat” accommodation type filter.

Methodology

Insight is based on all searches between 01.01.-08.12.2021 via HomeToGo domains from users with GeoIPs from the respective mentioned countries.

About HomeToGo

HomeToGo is the marketplace with the world's largest selection of holiday rentals, listing millions of offers from thousands of trusted partners, including Booking.com, Vrbo and TripAdvisor. From holiday homes, cottages, flats, apartments, lodges, villas, houseboats, castles, farm stays and everything in between, HomeToGo combines price, destination, dates and amenities to find the perfect accommodation for any trip worldwide.

Founded in 2014, HomeToGo manages 23 local apps & websites across Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Asia-Pacific. HomeToGo also operates brands such as Tripping.com and Wimdu. To learn more, visit www.hometogo.co.uk or download the HomeToGo app.