While your travel plans might be on hold for the foreseeable future, Airbnb is helping wannabe travelers tap into their wanderlust and potentially learn some new skills while social distancing. The lodging and tourism platform has launched a new update that lets users travel from the comfort of their own homes — and each option is cooler than the next. From meditating with sheep in Scotland to working out with an Olympian, Airbnb’s new online experiences feature has something for everyone.
Over the past few months, in-person venues from museums to classrooms have taken their experiences online as more people continue to self-quarantine amidst social distancing recommendations. Now, Airbnb is jumping on the virtual bandwagon and helping bored quarantine-ers learn new things and connect with people all around the world, no plane ticket or passport required.
Shortly after suspending its "in-person" experiences option, Airbnb rolled out its new online experiences feature on April 8 as a way to help its hosts continue to make an income while helping people with the travel bug try once-in-a-lifetime experiences for just a fraction of the cost. Always wanted to get instructed through a HIIT workout from an Olympic medalist, learn how to apply your makeup K-Beauty style, or cook a meal with a Moroccan or Italian family? All these, and many more options, are now available as part of Airbnb's new platform. At the moment, prices start at $9 and go up to about $35, but this might change as Airbnb adds more experiences to its list.
While there are too many eye-catching choices to mention, a few that really stood out include coffee lessons with a professional coffee taster from Mexico City, Quarantini courses from a mixologist in the U.K., a guided meditation with sheep in Scotland, and a wine lesson with an expert in Portugal. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so I'd recommend checking out the full experiences page with more than 50 virtual options at the moment. Airbnb says that they'll be adding thousands more options in the next few months, so keep an eye out if none of the current offerings are of interest.
Whether you're looking to switch up happy hour with your coworkers or plan a fun activity to do with your friends, all you have to do to get started is to click on the activity, check out the different dates, and then make your booking with your group size in mind.
From there, all you have to do is fire up Zoom (you can download the videoconferencing platform for free if you haven't already) and get ready to be virtually transported to your dream destination.
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