Every year, Airbnb releases its list of most wish-listed holiday rentals, comprising pool villas on tropical beaches and epic mansions in Mediterranean hotspots. Its 2020 list has now been revealed but looks rather different thanks to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
While exotic pool villas in Thailand and 17th-century Italian farmhouses usually make up the top 10, lockdown has seen Britons shift their priorities when it comes to dreaming about the perfect self-catering escape.
In fact, new research from Airbnb into what we've been searching for since we were told to 'stay at home' on 23 March has revealed that the top 10 most wished for homes is composed entirely of UK destinations.
What's more, Brits aren't just dreaming of staying local but in unique, rural spaces too, proving that social distancing is set to be a future trend among holidaymakers.
Travelling beyond a day trip is still not permitted (here's the latest government advice) and Airbnb homes in the UK can't be booked for stays before 3 July 2020, but it seems this hasn't affected our love of escaping on holiday.
While Airbnb's data for 2019 showed that Grecian cave houses and beachfront villas in Brazil led the top 10, every property in the 2020 list is an English bolthole. These range from a forest lodge in Stoke on Trent to an oak cabin in Hemel Hempstead – and even a windmill in Kent.
With the list revealing that Brits are looking at rustic stays in idyllic settings surrounded by nature, Airbnb found that 70 per cent of the list was made up of lodges, cabins and glamping options, such as an off-grid geodesic dome that offers a 'back to basics' experience.
The top 10 most wish-listed homes for Brits on Airbnb during lockdown
1. Alton forest lodge, Staffordshire
Sleeps 12, £340 per night SEE INSIDE
2. Romantic oak cabin, Hertfordshire
Sleeps two, £110 per night SEE INSIDE
3. Secluded countryside lodge, Kent
Sleeps 2, £110 per night SEE INSIDE
4. Unique glamping experience, Cambridgeshire
Sleeps 2, £150 per night SEE INSIDE
5. Unique luxury cabin, Herefordshire
Sleeps 4, £90 per night SEE INSIDE
6. Converted shipping container in a private meadow, Devon
Sleeps 4, £90 per night SEE INSIDE
7. Private seaside retreat, Somerset
Sleeps 2, £95 per night SEE INSIDE
8. Old smock windmill, Kent
Sleeps 2, £175 per night SEE INSIDE
9. Beachfront house, Lancashire
Sleeps 15, £242 per night SEE INSIDE
10. Off-grid geodesic dome, Northumberland
Sleeps 2, £130 per night SEE INSIDE
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