Many travelers use Airbnb as an alternative to hotels, but what if we told you could skip the pricey hotel excursions, and spend some time getting to know a city through experiences hosted by locals. Well, you can, and the opportunities are growing.
In 2017, Airbnb launched their Experiences with just 12 cities, but with bookings growing over 2500% in the past year, the home-sharing company is expanding to 1000 destinations by the end of 2018. One of the best things about their offerings other than getting an authentic experience is that you’re helping hosts and the local economy thrive. Some of the most booked hosts bringing in more than $200,000 a year through their experiences.
Where do we sign up?
Before we run off to sign up to host an experience, know that Airbnb is highly selective when it comes to selecting their hosts. Since the launch over 50,000 hosts have applied to host experiences and must be able to showcase their expertise, knowledge of the local culture, and offer one-of-kind hospitality.
You may still want to opt for a travel agent or book excursions through your accommodations, but with Airbnb, you can book cooking classes, paddleboat yoga, help clean up litter around the city, and take any number of food tours your heart desires with the help of reviews from other travelers. You can also chat with the hosts, and keep your daily schedule of events in one place with the Airbnb app!
We can’t forget to tell you that if your plans change and you need to switch something, you can modify your reservation through the app without any extra charges.