How to Use Airbnb Hosting to Jump Start Your Travels

This post was written in partnership with Airbnb.

Ask anyone in any country if they travel enough and the answer will likely be no. It’s one of those things that just when you think you’ve satiated all of your travel desires, there are still more places to go! Every person I meet always wants to travel more in their life – and why not? Traveling is pretty awesome.

I realize not everyone gets to travel for a living like me, and I do remember what it was like pining away and saving up for the next vacation. It’s hard. However, during my trip to Tasmania last year I was reminded of how being an Airbnb Host can actually get you on the road and jump start your travels.

I used Airbnb to stay in a local’s home in Launceston, Tasmania. From the moment I arrived, I hit it off with my Host, Maureen, and her adorable dog. We had a ton in common, and our travel styles were similar. She also loved traveling (as most Airbnb Hosts do), and gravitated to unique destinations where few people go. We stayed up for hours each night looking at photos and talking about bucket lists, our favorite places in the world, and the cultures and food that made us swoon.

I had just finished my trip to the Subantarctic Islands with Heritage Expeditions so, I spent a lot of time raving about my trip and the experience on the boat. A year later, Maureen and her daughter were on the Heritage Expeditions boat visiting the Subantarctic Islands -all thanks to being an Airbnb Host!

Traveling with Airbnb as a Guest

Marty and Keri – my great New Zealand Airbnb Hosts

My best travel memories are not about the place, but about the people I meet along the way. And the same goes for my Airbnb experiences, like the one I did in Buenos Aires.

I stayed in a Buenos Aires guest house that was listed on Airbnb. My hosts, Bettina and Irina, welcomed me into their quaint space in the neighborhood of Almagro. My hosts taught me how to make mate and steak the Argentinian way in their kitchen and even invited me to Christmas dinner! I took their advice on what to do around the area, which milongas to go to, and thanks to them learned how to use the less expensive local transportation.

Airbnb has long been a part of my travels. Many people who use it to travel, also end up getting involved as hosts as a way to give back to the Airbnb community. When I finally got a home base apartment in Denver, I was excited to be a host. Sadly though, my apartment I fell in love with had restrictions about listing your apartment as an Airbnb and I still haven’t been able to give back. I guess that is why I was excited to write this post about Hosting. After all, if I can’t host myself, why not try to inspire others to Host!

3 Ways Being an Airbnb Host Will Help You Travel More

1.  Travel Comes to You

Sometimes you don’t even need to move to travel when you are an Airbnb host. Travelers bring their own cultures into your home and teach you about their home countries. Dana Mcmahan, an avid traveler and Airbnb Superhost, said she misses the feeling of encountering new cultures, but one of the things that helps is being an Airbnb Host. “Visiting with our guests may not be the same as filling my own passport. But you know, hearing about their adventures, and being able to provide a space that becomes part of their own travel story really is the next best thing,” she explained.

2.  Get Travel Ideas and Inspiration From Your Guests

Some people read travel magazines, or travel blogs ☺, and some prefer to get their inspiration from their guests. My story about my host Maureen getting inspired by my travels is not a new concept. She told me her wish list travels were Jordan and Iran, until I came to stay with her and blindsided her with the idea of the Subantarctic Islands! I think my favorite part was seeing her Facebook updates a year later from Macquarie Island – it made me so happy to know that she actually booked the trip!

One of my favorite hosts I’ve ever stayed with in New Zealand told me that one of his recent guests was leaving New Zealand and heading to South America, so he and his wife dove into the countries she would visit and some of the experiences she was looking forward to. “It helped us learn more about a region we didn’t know about and may want to travel to one day,” Marty said.

When guests from other cultures stay with you, you’ll inevitably learn more about their culture and country. So much so, you may even decide to put it on your future travel list!
“I learned a lot about different cultures as a Host, especially from guests coming from outside of Europe. It’s exciting and fascinating learning, even if briefly, about Russia, China, or Israel,” said Simon who Hosts in Italy. “Hosting is a way to learn about different countries and cultures without traveling.”

3.  Make Money for Your Travel Fund

One of the biggest barriers to travel is money. However, Airbnb makes it simple to earn extra money by putting your extra space to work for you. You can share a spare room in your apartment, list your whole home the next time you’re out of town, or create a listing for a vacation house, if you have one. By hosting your space with Airbnb, the money you earn can go right into your travel fund for your next vacation.

New Zealand host Marty told me, “Part of what we make goes toward our next South American adventure and believe me I am looking forward to that!”

Airbnb even has a potential earnings calculator you can use to help with your travel fund planning; just enter your city and type of listing, and Airbnb will estimate how much extra cash you can make every month!

Being an Airbnb host is a pathway to your own travels on many different levels. If you are like most of the world population and wish to travel more, why not get started by becoming an Airbnb host?