Travelling is officially off the cards in the age of coronavirus.
But innovative companies are finding ways to keep us occupied and engaged even though we can’t go anywhere.
Airbnb has just launched Online Experiences, a platform that allows hosts to still earn money, and couch-bound travellers to enjoy the next best thing to an overseas holiday.
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It lists experiences to sign up for, such as cooking and cocktail classes, design workshops, fitness lessons, virtual tours, art lessons, make-up classes and even a rollerskating dance party, which are hosted by people from all over the world, and available via free access to Zoom.
There are more than 50 experiences listed so far, and the prices are pretty reasonable – a Portuguese tapas class with a chef based in the Lisboa region costs about $27 per person for a 1.5-hour class, a K-Beauty lesson from a host in South Korea is $21 per person for a 1.5-hour class, and a creative drawing lesson with a cartoonist in Mexico is $11 for an hour’s lesson.
“Human connection is at the core of what we do,” Catherine Powell, Head of Airbnb Experiences, said.
“With so many people needing to stay indoors to protect their health, we want to provide an opportunity for our hosts to connect with our global community of guests in the only way possible right now, online.”
There are all kinds of experiences on offer from cooking, movement and meditation to arts and craft and music.
Airbnb said it expected thousands more experiences to be added in the coming months. Check out all the listings on the Airbnb Experiences website.
