Airbnb wants to take care of all of your travel needs with a new service it’s testing called handcrafted trips. The company plans to trial the new feature in San Francisco this December, offering trips created by the Airbnb hosts for guests.
The trip will start with a taxi ride from San Francisco airport in a Lyft cab, followed by a tour of the city from local residents. Airbnb will offer a place to stay each night, and one free meal per day — all in a single package deal. Handcrafted trips books everything for you, so you don’t have to plan anything — you just book it and go.
Airbnb is quick to point out that the contract is made between the guest and the house owner. That means more extreme activities will be signed off by the owner, keeping Airbnb out of any accidents or damages in court. So if you sign up for skydiving from the Golden Gate bridge, don’t expect Airbnb to foot the bill if you crash and break a leg.
In the beta test, there are three options available for people that want to test the handcrafted trips. One for hiking trips, another for the best restaurants, and finally, a tour of the city’s hottest spots.
This is not the first time Airbnb has tried to tack on more than just the accommodation to a customer’s trip, but allowing locals to plan the entire journey seems like a smarter way to offer unique experiences. After all, tourists are usually more interested in going to local hotspots than the same old tourist traps that are promoted in every guidebook.
Airbnb has not said if it will test the platform in any places outside of San Francisco, where the company is based. All trips appear to be connected to Lyft cab trips and free meals, which might be a necessary part of the contract. It’s unclear whether the feature will become available to all users in the near future or if it’ll get stuck in limbo. The future of handcrafted trips seems dependent upon the reaction of beta testers.
