{First, for those of you local to Long Beach, CA, I am hosting a Raw Recipe Class, Tuesday, July 28th. + There are 4 Spaces Left! Raw Vegan Spaghetti + "Meatballs" + German Chocolate Cake! Check it out here ... }
And now onto the topic of today! ....
Would you welcome someone you didn't know, into your home? A friend of a friend? Or someone you met online?
About 7 months ago, I started hosting guests through Airbnb.
Have you heard of it? Or traveled using Airbnb?
It's super fun! Rather than staying in a hotel when traveling, you stay in people's homes + really get a sense for what life is like. You can stay in castles, house boats, modern homes, cottages, treehouses, or anything your heart desires. It is a super fun way to travel! ;)
I always thought I had to wait till I was 85 to open my own Bed + Breakfast (like, something I'll do, once I do everything else... ;)). In fact, this fantasy led me to move to Hawaii (Kona side of the Big Island) in late 2008, to work at a Holistic Bed + Breakfast/ Retreat Center. + Of course, after a few months, I realized I wasn't ready to give up the big city.
Now I have the best of both worlds. I earn extra income doing laundry, picking flowers, + making beds (which I love!) I get to welcome people into my home + make them green smoothies in the morning for breakfast!
When Ariana + I signed up to host Airbnb, we didn't realize we'd be one of a small group of hosts chosen by Airbnb to be Community Leaders for Los Angeles! (This means we've gotten a lot of positive, raving reviews! ;) ... + Also a lot of pairs of free socks from Airbnb, it's true! ;))
Here are my 7 Top Favorite Reasons to be a Host:
1) Earn Extra Income: Do you have a spare room or office that's just sitting around? Our income pays for massages, home repairs, coaching sessions, + national/ international travel! It's super Awesome!
2) Be Part of the New Economy: I just watched a really funny movie called "The Internship" where the leading characters search for jobs at Google. Basically, the movie implies that the economy is not what it used to be for recent college grads. There is no more "Steady 9-5, for Life, with Benefits + Retirement." People are creating their own businesses, + startups are where it's at. The New Economy takes Creativity + this is what it's all about. ;)
3) Be Part of the Ecovillage World We All Envision: Bringing people into your home turns your home into an instant Intentional Community. It is also part of the Sharing Economy (Why does everyone in our neighborhood each have to own a shovel + lawnmower?... If there are spare rooms in our houses, why must people stay in a cold + lonely hotel?"). Feel good about being part of the New World We All Envision.
4) Live Your Dream of the Simple Life:
Did you always dream of quitting everything + just having a little Cafe or B+B? Well now you can do both! Host visitors + make them breakfast in the morning! So fun! ;) + Make money doing it... while you still have your life! ;)
5) Be of Service: There is nothing more gratifying than feeling of service, while simultaneously being in the comfort of my own home. Such a wonderful feeling.
6) Cure Loneliness + Isolation: For real, when I started working from home many days on my computer, it was everything to make sure I got out of the house + got together with a friend or worked at a coffee shop, so I wouldn't get bored, distracted, or drive myself crazy. Now I love being home, helping my guests feel welcome, + I feel like I am part of the world, in my own home. It fills my heart + my vision for how I want to live.
7) Build Trust + Create World Peace: We've hosted international guests, from countries like the U.K. + Columbia, Sweden + Germany. Also we've had U.S. guests from St. Louis to Chicago to New Orleans. The quickest way to break stereotypes is to spend time with people from different places + backgrounds. Also, I absolutely adore breaking stereotypes of the "Typical American." So fun! ;)
* Just to let you know, you don't have to accept everyone who requests to stay with you on Airbnb! People have "profiles," just like on facebook, where you can read about them or check them out. Also, on Airbnb, everyone reviews everyone else! So you can be sure everyone will be on their best behavior, + if they're not, you'll know about it ahead of time + can tactfully decline. ;)
>>> If you have any questions or want more information, please feel free to comment below!
>>>If you live in LA or nearabouts, click here to register with Airbnb + become a host! ;) Get $50 credit if you register by July 26th!
>>>If you live in Atlanta or somewhere else in the world, click here to become a member of Airbnb. + get $25 free credit to travel.
It's SOO much more exciting to travel when you can stay at an intentional community/ farm on Maui, picking guavas off the trees in the mornings instead of staying at a bland hotel, sharing black eyed peas + collard greens on New Year's Day with your new host friends in Oakland, or renting a circus cabin in Ojai, California with a bunch of people from Burning Man (+ Yes, these all really happened for me as an AirBnB traveler/ guest! ;))
Airbnb is seriously the fun way to travel. If you're not sure you want to be a host, set up your profile + book yourself as a guest. You can even do a weekend/ or weekday getaway in your own city or town.
It is SOO much fun + you'll be guaranteed to experience life as a local, + possibly even make a new friend or two! ;)
Much Love + Blessings!
x
Debra.
P.S. One more fun event for the LA locals! I'll be at Ecstatic Dance LA *TODAY* Sunday July 19th with my pop-up Raw Cafe! The dance is 2-5pm. There is rumor I'll be making a Raw Vegan Tiramisu!! + Hot Love Chocolate Truffles will be there as always... Summer Peach Smoothies, Almond "Tuna" Wraps, + more! <3