Everybody wants the experience of a lifetime when they go away – well I do. But what if you could create your own experience and share it with others to help those less fortunate than you, would you do it?
Airbnb
In 2008 a community of like minded people was developed to not only provide holiday rental accommodation for travellers, but the opportunity to become hospitality tycoons. There are hosts in over 191 countries and it’s not just about a place to stay. Airbnb offer an opportunity to create an experience to share with tourists and also give back to the global community.
The Social Impact Experience
Airbnb gives the chance for anybody to share their experience, even not for profit organisations. They’ve partnered with TechSoup and if you are a registered non-profit group, there is room for you to launch your experience on the website.
In London alone there are several social impact experiences, from beekeeping where the money raises goes to the upkeep of a garden, to a social dinner prepared by an experienced chef and his apprentices that have been affected by homelessness. The profits from the dinner all go to Beyond Food, a non-profit group working to help the homeless rebuild their lives.
The revenue generated from any of Social Impact Experience event goes towards the charity of the hosts choice, Airbnb don’t take a fee.
Diversity and Anti Discrimination
There’s no room in the Airbnb community for discrimination. At first, when I looked at the website, I was a little sceptical, as a lot of the accommodation is owned by individuals, whether or not this could be monitored on a global platform. So I read the report which outlines their commitment to implementing strategies that fight discrimination and considering the company operate globally, I must admit, it’s impressive. Fortunately, like any good website, there’s a rating system. You can provide honest comments about your accommodation and vice versa, so the traveller gets a review too. Obviously, this doesn’t stamp out all of the problems, but they’re well on the way to providing a safe, non-bias community for tourists.
Finding somewhere to stay anywhere in the world is easy now. All you need is access to the internet. There is a myriad of sites dedicated to getting you the best price for your vacation and the accommodation ranges from caravans to five star luxury hotels, it’s just a matter of taste and budget. From what started as a blow up mattress on a floor in San Francisco, the business has developed and after ten years, now have over 4.5 million listings. So the next time you’re looking for something to do on your holiday, check out the site and join in one of the not for profit experiences. Not only will you enjoy yourself, you’ll be helping the global community.
Add Comment