What Does an Airbnb Traveler Buy Before a Trip?

Where Airbnb Travelers Shop Before a Trip

Amazon dominates the Airbnb traveler's pre-trip shopping at 61.6% of purchases — roughly 4.4× Walmart's 13.9% share. iOS in-app transactions account for 24.6%, primarily through travel booking and flight apps. The channel mix tells a clear story: this consumer researches and browses across platforms but converges on Amazon to purchase physical travel goods.

Top Pre-Trip Purchases on Amazon

The product mix breaks into four clear clusters. Grooming and styling tools lead at ~13.2% of Amazon receipt purchases — Remington flat irons, groomers, and hot rollers appearing across multiple SKUs, signaling a category-wide pattern rather than a single product trend. Portable snacks (Emerald Nuts 100-cal packs) follow at ~12.3%, ideal for carry-ons. Travel wallets and RFID accessories (Travelambo) come next at ~9.0%, reflecting security-conscious packing. Luggage closes out the top four, with Travelers Club hardside spinners the lead SKU.

What Airbnb Travelers Search for Before Booking

Amazon search intent reveals what is still in consideration at the planning stage. "Travel essentials" leads at 1.73% of category searches — a broad, top-of-funnel query signaling packing mode. "Travel size toiletries" (1.24%) and "travel backpack" (0.68%) follow, reflecting the two biggest practical decisions: personal care and how to carry it all. Further down, European plug adapters (0.16%), passport holders (0.16%), and packing cubes (0.15%) point to a meaningful international travel cohort within this audience — higher-intent consumers planning cross-border trips.

Why Grooming Tops the List: The Airbnb Accommodation Effect

Hotel guests rely on the property for travel-size shampoo, conditioner, and basic amenities. Airbnb guests get a kitchen, a living room, and — typically — an empty bathroom cabinet. That structural gap in the accommodation experience directly shapes the pre-trip purchase list.

Grooming and styling tools reaching ~13.2% of Amazon receipt purchases is the sharpest signal that Airbnb travelers aren't buying travel-sized versions of their usual products — they're bringing the full kit. Remington's breadth across flat irons, hot rollers, groomers, and combination styling tools tells a consistent story: this traveler is building a personal care setup the host didn't provide. It's accommodation-driven demand, and it's measurable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Airbnb travelers buy before a trip?

Airbnb travelers' top pre-trip Amazon purchases are grooming and styling tools (led by Remington at ~13.2% of receipts), portable snacks (Emerald Nuts 100-cal packs at ~12.3%), travel wallets and RFID accessories (Travelambo at ~9.0%), carry-on luggage (Travelers Club hardside spinners), and anti-theft travel bags (Travelon). These purchases reflect a pack-and-prep mindset shaped by self-serviced short-term rental accommodation.

Where do Airbnb travelers shop for travel supplies?

Amazon accounts for 61.6% of pre-trip purchases — by far the dominant channel. iOS in-app purchases (24.6%) represent travel booking and flight apps. Walmart accounts for 13.9%. The data shows this audience browses broadly but buys physical travel goods almost exclusively on Amazon.

What brands do Airbnb travelers buy most before a trip?

Top brands purchased by Airbnb-proximate travelers before a trip include Remington (grooming and styling tools across multiple product lines), Travelambo (RFID-blocking travel wallets), Emerald Nuts (portable snacks), Travelers Club (hardside carry-on luggage), Travelon (anti-theft bags), and Southwest Airlines (eGift cards). Remington leads by category breadth — appearing across flat irons, groomers, curlers, and combination kits.

What does an Airbnb traveler search for on Amazon before a trip?

Top Amazon searches by Airbnb-proximate travelers: "travel essentials" (1.73% search share), "travel size toiletries" (1.24%), "travel backpack" (0.68%), "travel bag" (0.51%), "travel pillow" (0.49%), "travel bottles" (0.32%), and "travel accessories" (0.31%). International travel signals include European plug adapters, passport holders for travel, and packing cubes.

How does an Airbnb traveler's pre-trip shopping differ from a hotel traveler's?

Hotel travelers rely on complimentary toiletries, salon-standard hair tools, and on-property amenities. Airbnb travelers arrive to an empty bathroom cabinet — driving significantly higher pre-trip purchases of grooming tools, personal care items, and travel-size toiletries. Behavioral data shows Airbnb travelers bring their own full grooming kit, explaining why Remington styling tools top the Amazon purchase list ahead of even luggage.

What This Reveals About the Full Travel Consumer Journey

The Airbnb pre-trip purchase journey is an accommodation consequence. When the stay doesn't provide amenities, the traveler has to. This creates a distinct retail window — concentrated on Amazon, driven by practical pack-and-prep need — that opens before the booking is confirmed, not after arrival.

Three signals define the broader journey:

• The self-service gap. Airbnb stays systematically remove hotel amenity dependencies, creating a personal care and grooming purchase spike that hotel-booking consumers don't generate in the same way.
• The security-conscious packer. RFID-blocking travel wallets signal a traveler researching theft risk and preparing accordingly — a purchasing pattern that correlates with destination-awareness and travel experience.
• The international cohort. European plug adapters, passport holders, and travel jewelry cases reveal a sub-segment planning international travel — higher-intent, higher-value, and more likely to be frequent Airbnb bookers.

For brands targeting the travel consumer, the data suggests the purchase window opens well before departure. "Travel essentials" as the #1 Amazon search is a consideration-stage signal: this consumer is building a list, not checking out. The opportunity to reach this traveler sits in the planning phase — not the pre-departure scramble.

Data source: Measure's permissioned behavioral panel. The Travel & Hospitality brand audience tracks consumers matched to travel brands including Airbnb, OTAs, airlines, and rental platforms. Purchase and search activity covers US panel, Jan–Dec 2025. Receipt-quality Amazon purchases only (quantity IS NOT NULL).