By: Nick Gambino
As if booking through Airbnb and playing “will I die if I stay here” roulette wasn’t adventurous enough, Airbnb has just launched a new service called “Airbnb Adventures.”
Airbnb Adventures is the company’s take on thrill-seeking tours that offer a lot more than just a stroll through an unfamiliar location. For example, they’re promoting a Kenyan wildlife excursion that promises lion encounters, campfire sessions, and other exciting fares, all guided by a local expert. It’ll cost you a cool $500 per person but it includes a few meals and a cozy couple of nights in a tent.
So again, it’s a roll of the dice – a guaranteed encounter with a lion or the mystery behind door number two (AKA booking through normal Airbnb).
Airbnb, as they’re known to do, isn’t providing Airbnb employees to guide the experience. Instead, they turn to local experts and tourism companies to fill the role of guide. By verifying the authenticity and licensing of each company, they promise that we’re in safe hands.
It’s pretty clear that Adventures is for more of the thrill seeker than the casual tourist looking for a comfortable bed and a sightseeing bus. While there’s a possibility of booking a “touristy” excursion, it seems they’re leaning more towards an off-the-beaten-path approach to tourism, which is what most who would book through this portal would be looking for.
Currently, there are over 200 trips available to book through Airbnb Adventures. These trips typically run anywhere from a couple of days to ten and start off around $99. That’s not bad considering each trip includes lodging, food and the activity itself. They even provide local transportation.
In fact, they promote the experience as less of a hassle than what you would normally experience booking a trip and all its activities yourself. All you have to do is show up and they’ll take care of the rest, including gear. This is similar to booking an excursion on a cruise. They take care of the details; you show up for the grueling fun.
Adventures is yet another extension of their Experiences program which they launched in 2016 as a way to encourage people to travel more often and book through the Airbnb platform.
