Monday 29 September 2014

KNOCK, KNOCK........Who's there?

As it happened, I was almost too scared to find out.
 

After all, my visitors, although expected, could have been anyone for all I really knew.

You see, since I moved into my current home, I've completely lost the urge to travel. So, instead of going off to see the World I decided to invite the World to see me.

And right at that moment, China was knocking at my front door.

It all started when my daughter told me about renting a spare room in her house through Airbnb (and this isn't an advertisement either because they are worth billions and don't need my help). I started researching the site and, while she didn't go ahead, I decided to try it.

(Airbnb is a website for people to rent out lodging. It has over 500,000 listings in 33,000 cities and 192 countries. Founded in August 2008 and headquartered in San Franciso, California, the company is privately owned and operated by Airbnb, Inc.)

I didn't think there would be much interest in my home because I live over an hour outside of Melbourne in a predominantly rural area. However, one week after listing my space I had five booking enquiries. Two I rejected as I didn't feel comfortable after speaking with them via email and three I accepted.

My first guests were from Beijing, China and this was their first visit to Australia. Just after I accepted their booking it occurred to me that I had been very critical of the government of the People's Republic of China on my blog.......not a friendly act of a gracious host.  However, then I remembered that Google (plus social media like Facebook, Instagram etc) is banned in China so....that made me feel better.

I was excited about the prospect of hosting overseas visitors but when I heard the knock at my door I briefly wondered if I had done the right thing. First, you have no idea what they will be like and second, you don't know whether they will feel comfortable in your home.

However, as it happened, opening that front door was an absolute treat. Sussan and Dennis were a gorgeous, fun young couple. And great ambassadors for their country.


Dennis and Sussan happy to star on my blog


Sussan didn't speak English (although her sign language was easy to understand) and Dennis was educated in New York so he did all the talking and interpreting. Dennis works in management and Sussan in marketing. They were in Australia to take their pre-wedding pictures (they dress in their wedding outfits and take pictures in front of iconic places such as the Opera House etc).

They live in a small apartment in Beijing and they both ran around my house amazed at all the space. Sussan was taking photos of everything including the floor to ceiling glass windows which they said they would not be able to have in China because of burglaries. They talked about the smog levels in Beijing and the difficulties in being able to afford a home there. Nonetheless, they had big plans for their future which are probably no different to other young people all over the World. We discussed China's one child policy and how this impacts on those who are keen for larger families. They asked lots of questions about life in Australia and I asked them about their jobs and families.

My home was about the fourth they had stayed in during their visit here so they had tried Vegemite, seen Kangaroos and experienced other Aussie adventures. Being the great Cultural Ambassador that I am we talked and laughed a lot. I showed them some fine Australian wine and how to do a 'Tim Tam slam'. A Tim Tam is a chocolate biscuit which is divine....you take a bite out of each end and put it in your tea and coffee and drink out of it like a straw (I put a video in my side bar if you are really fascinated about this). Yes, sophistication at its finest.

Here is a picture of Sussan trying it .....we all laughed so much.

Sussan covered in chocolate

It was a great experience and another reminder that we all laugh about the same things no matter where we live or what language we speak.

Becoming an Airbnb host is something to consider if you have spare space in your house, you like meeting people and you are happy to share knowledge about your city. The upside is you make new friends, learn a lot about other countries and get to earn some extra money too. It is also a site to consider if you want to travel too.

My next guests come from Shanghai, China - a city which is apparently very different from Beijing. Fingers crossed it will be another positive experience. Knock, knock might be a new series on my blog if my guests have interesting stories to tell.

Have you tried Airbnb as a guest or as a host? Do you think you would be game to try?


And, if you want me to send you a Tim Tam to try the 'slam' you know you only have to ask. Everyone loves chocolate, right?



21 comments:

  1. Dear Lilly,
    I have used airbnb with my son during a visit earlier this year to Los Angeles. It was an incredibly positive experience! We stayed in a pool house behind the main residence .. everything we needed for comfort, etc. Our host, Andrea, was delightful, non-intrusive, always happy to give directions, advice. She has two sons in the 10-12 age range who just went with it all .. my son and I coming and going as we walked past the side of their home. I will not hesitate to use airbnb again! Of course now I know a lovely Aussie woman who is on board the airbnb bandwagon. I live in a row of 11 town homes .. One of my neighbors/good friend is a host. What you describe as being a good will ambassador for your corner of the world is exactly how she describes it. In three years she has hosted folks from around the world ~ nary a negative experience. Just last weekend a young couple spent one night. On arrival they announced they had two bottles of wine and would Carolyn my friend like to share. Two hours later they were finishing up a most delightful conversation .. and then off to sleep. Bend Oregon is a city of about 80,000 people and a very desireable destination for outdoor enthusiasts, wine and beer lovers. Perfect weather, skiing in the winter only 25 minutes away. I could go on and on, but you get the idea! I know you will have great experiences hosting folks who will never forget you!

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    1. Helen you get to stay with me without going through Airbnb. And out of anyone, I thought you would have tried this. A pool house sounds wonderful and it is private as well so you are not walking through someone else's home. But, you know they are there if you need them. if I do travel again I will be trying this way as you get to really see how people live.

      And Bend sounds wonderful. There are over 100,000 only where I live so it is a similar size. I am sure there will be some negative experience just because we are dealing with human beings but I thought I would give it a go. I have a separate area just off my main entrance doors so it is private and we can see as much as each other as they feel comfortable with (that sounded a bit 'off' but you know what I mean).

      This gorgeous Chinese couple presented me with this beautiful fan. it is just gorgeous. They were a delight and hopefully guests no 2 will be just as interesting. thanks for your thoughtful comment Helen it has spurred me on to keep going. the good thing is you can book your calendar out if you are busy or want a break. I do not imagine I will be run off my feet anyway but it makes for an interesting time.

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  2. very interesting Lilly. I have heard of airbnb. There is always that outside risk...but...

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    1. Yes I did think through all the scenarios. I am picky who I agree to book. They must have verifications, references and have previous feedback as Airbnb guests. The space they are in my home is separate to the rest of my home and has nothing in it they could steal. I am here to observe what is going on and there are strict house rules. No other guests, no parties etc. I also find out what the purpose of their trip is before they come. Also you are covered by a security deposit and insurance. I have read some horrible stories but that mainly happens because the host has not set the ground rules and does not verify who they are. Anyway I will let you know it goes. I do not imagine I will like everyone that comes and I am sure some people just want to be in an out and not have much of a discussion.

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  3. I have heard of AirBnB but have never used it. We have stayed at B&B's with mostly great results and memories. After staying at B&B's the thought of running one crossed my mind. The thought left out the other side fairly quickly. While I enjoy showing people around my local area I'm not much of a host. Tour guide possibly but not lodging.
    Show did you offer meals too? I suspect you could work all that out during the booking process.
    Oh do you offer discounts for blog followers?

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    1. Bill, I just gave them a light breakfast - croissants, orange juice, coffee. It was super easy really as they are sightseeing so they book in late and leave relatively early. it is not really as full on as a bnb where you are catering to them. I also have a separate area in my house so it is private and out of the way. I explain what area they can access and what is private. I will see. I will probably be on here next week saying what a disaster it all is but like anything I think it is how it is managed and I am going to be picky who I let stay in my home. However, anytime you and your wife are in Australia you are welcome for free. That a big enough discount for you?

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    2. That certainly is the ultimate discount. We have never made it that far. Also, I can't say Australia is on our list. If I created a wish list it would be on there but as you may recall I'm not a list maker type person. New Zealand is also a location that would make the wish list which I have not made. Oh I'm repeating myself.
      On a slight tangent, do you think Aussies travel internationally more than Americans? I think so but my thinking is only based on a very small sample.
      Hey thanks so much for the offer. Croissants too? Who knows maybe some day.

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    3. Well you may win the lottery or something Bill. Australians all seem to travel particularly when they have finished school or university where they travel for a year or two. A rite of passage or something. I think maybe we live so far away from anywhere else that we have a curiosity to see what else is out there perhaps. Also, we get four weeks a year annual leave and 3 month long service after 10 years work so we can afford the time to travel places.

      Don't Americans only get two weeks leave a year? If that is the case you would have to holiday somewhere close because it would take 17 hours just to fly here and then because we are a large island some time to see the sights.

      italy heads my wish list I have to say but I would go back to the US again too and see more States.

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  4. I have just listed my place on the Gold Coast, Qld recently and I have my first booking in a months time. We have had student boarders previously, but thought we would give Airbnb a try. We love meeting different people so I am sure that we will enjoy having people floating in and out of our home. We are located at Burleigh Heads, only 250m from the beach so I'm sure we will be sought after. It was good to hear of your experience with Airbnb and it has allayed some of my fears.

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    1. Oh wow Kathy how funny we are doing it at the same time. We must compare notes. I think the Airbnb forums are great, particularly the new hosts one. You will be flat chat with tourists I imagine. I must admit I was really worried the day my first guests came. it was too late to cancel but it did cross my mind. However, it was super easy and while I do not pretend everyone will be a laid back I will enjoy this first experience. they were so polite, neat, respectful. After they left the room looked as though no-one had been in it. Far better than visiting relatives lol. My only suggestion is set the house rules and stick to them and life should be easy. And good luck and let us know how you go with it all. And I will do the same.

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  5. I've heard of house swapping, but never felt comfortable with the idea of letting someone just walk in and stay in my home. But I like this idea, to rent a room and share the house with other travelers. I also like that you can deny someone based on correspondence. The couple seems lovely. I'm curious about the one child conversation. What happens if a couple has more than one child? What if the couple goes to another country and comes back with two children? I just can't imagine a limitation on a family when for so long, we didn't think we could have children.

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    1. I agree Aleta I would never let anyone in my home if I was not here. I could not do that at all. I have a separate area which means the guests have their privacy and I just live as normal. When someone applies or makes an enquiry you have an opportunity to check them out. They could have references, previous reviews as a host or guest on Airbnb, linkedin profile etc. More than a hotel gets. You can ask them questions and communicate before you accept their booking. It is a good system it seems - fingers crossed.

      Yes, this couple were gorgeous, absolutely delightful. And had plans for their future.

      The one child rule only applies to those in urban areas whereas in the country you can apply to have two children if your first born is a girl. Oh and it does not apply to ethnic minorities that live in China. They also relaxed the rule late last year so that if one of the couple is an only child you can apply to have two children.

      I believe they are fined heavily if they have more than one child and they get caught. So, the rich are exempt from the rule I take it as they can afford the fines. I remember reading about a Chinese Director who was fined 1.4 million because he had 3 children. And of course there are those stories of forced late term abortions (I mean terrible stories of 8 month pregnant women who were trying to hide their pregnancy being dragged off to the family planning clinic and forced to have the baby aborted), female infanticide (hospitals are no longer allowed to divulge the sex of unborn babies to parents), and the under-reporting of female births. I think the social consequences are well documented so I expect that there will be some changes to this policy as time goes on and as the population ages. We in the West cannot imagine this kind of population control really can we? I read that doctors in China have performed 330 million abortions in the last 40 years. I am not sure how that stands with the Western stats.

      And to speak with these lovely kids they are just the same as anyone their age the world over. They want a family. I am sure things must be changing in the bigger cities - let us hope anyway.

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  6. I have used Airbnb a lot while travelling in Europe. I just came back from Vienna (no, I was not at George's wedding) and I stayed at the same apartment each time I travel there. It is brilliant and the couple I stay with are good friends now. I think it is a great concept but I am not sure what it is doing for the hotel industry. Of course in some countries now they are charging a tax. California does it I believe, like a 15% tax.

    I think you will really enjoy it and you will be a great host and your guests will have wonderful fun. Keep us posted on the guests you have as it is quite interesting.

    As for this sweet couple, they look beautiful and happy. What a great trip they will have and I think the idea of pre-wedding photos is interesting. Never heard of that at all, have you?

    I hope you next lot of guests are as lovely as these two were.

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    1. Have you? I never knew that and you are an old hand by the sound of things. I will see how it goes but any tips you have as a guest let me know. I would like to make it the best experience for them I can. It is a two way street.

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  7. I think it's a great idea. Although, honestly, I'm not wild about having people stay with me unless I know them really well.

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    1. Yes, I have those thoughts a little so am being very careful in accepting people. It is a good way to make a little extra income perhaps to pay for a trip when I eventually want to travel again. Not sure, I will just see how the next few go.

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  8. I've heard of the house swapping too, but not Airbnb. You are so brave, Lilly. But what fun that sounded like. They are a very attractive couple and sound very successful as well. I confess I'd be nervous about having strangers staying at our house.

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    1. Yes, I think I was a bit brave or stupid depending on whom you ask but it is easy to suss out the prospective guests and I have a separate area of my house so it is safe. Yes Sussan and Dennis are just wonderful young people but I guess at some point there will be one that will make me rethink the idea.

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  9. I always have great difficulty commenting, this time I signed in first :) Fingers crossed, this won't get wiped...

    Good to hear the favourable comments on Airbnb. We use to let a room out to overseas students, but then one could not walk around the house in ones underpants! Sydney councils are getting touchy about short term leasing http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/councils-threaten-home-owners-with-1-million-fine-for-renting-rooms-20140926-10mchq.html

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  10. Well I think it is an option for older retired people I guess as long as they kept safe. It is true you do have people in your house so in the shared areas you have to wear your clothes YW. Victoria has no issues with short term leasing so that is good. I know it is becoming a big issue in the US and some States make the host pay a tax which is passed on to the guest. Interesting article, thanks. I feel sorry for the landlords where tenants are renting out rooms as well.

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  11. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving me a note. Your house is beautiful and your first guests were too. I'm so glad it was a good experience.

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Thanks for your comments.