Your Keys, Our Home.

This book is written predominantly for Airbnb hosts though others will glean travel inspiration. We have been traveling similarly for 11 months ( I am writing from Japan) and have had our share of excellent experiences and complete duds. The problem with Airbnb is that people only want to say nice things about their stay - especially if the hosts are nice. So, until you gain experience, and even then, you won't know that there is no table in an apartment, or that the a/c smells so bad you all get sinus infections from the mold or that the place is clean except for a kitchen you don't want to touch. I still toss over my falling in line and doing such a review in Hawaii because I knew if I wrote the negatives I would put the host out of business. ( I subsequently made a personal rule of writing one con for every review even for a dream house and wrapping any additional negative into a positive statement. ) And that is what you need to weed out, the hosts that are hosting for pure business and those that understand the beauty of the shared cultural opportunity or are simply the type of people who care about others and take pride in what they do.Because this book is short and an easy read I recommend it to all interested. I do think it is over priced and more reminiscent of books many bloggers write and sell directly but this book has Airbnb behind and good marketing.I too travel with a pairing knife and also a mini cutting board. Our luggage is smaller and like the author suggests, I have too many shoes.The authors are spot on about expectations and the need to put yourself in the others' shoes ( hosts/guests). They are not grand, elitist or snooty in their presentation but come across as down to earth and accessible.Again, in summary; a pleasant easy to read mostly advertisement but none-the-less inspiring booklet.Kudos to them for snagging a partnership with Airbnb!

I know Debbie and Michael Campbell. And they know me well enough to know that if I didn't love their book I'd still review it honestly. After all, I've worked with both of them and they certainly never held back while reviewing my work!And I must say, this book is a gem.Whether you are looking at becoming an Airbnb host, or looking to travel in a whole new way, this book will give you great insights into both sides of that travel equation.It's written in plain english, with step by step guidance for being the best host possible, and for being an informed and welcome guest.Debbie and Michael walk you through the process of finding the perfect vacation rental using Airbnb with useful tips for selecting the "right" home away from home from the many available. Michael is very detail oriented, so you'll get lots of step by step instructions for planning your stay, short or extended. Debbie is more artsy. So you'll learn more about what to look for in choosing your "temporary" home depending on your taste and what you enjoy doing. If you are thinking of becoming an Airbnb host, the Campbells very clearly let you know what it takes to get great reviews, and great reviews bring in more rental nights.It's a quick read, and an enjoyable read. Before I book an Airbnb rental, I'll be sure to read through the book again. If you're even thinking about this "new way" to travel, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Your Keys, Our Home.

I am giving 5-stars as this is a unique perspective and a foreword by Chip Conley, former Airbnb executive. The idea is great, writing a book from the guests perspective to help hosts improve. The only problem is, there are very few tips throughout the book. While I respect the authors and have communicated with them (and read their book!), I think they have higher than normal chance of providing a bad guest experience for the host if anything goes slightly wrong. For example, the way they ask for a discount is presumptuous and poorly worded in my opinion. I do ask for a discount (sometimes), but in exchange for something. I run a company that helps Airbnb hosts rank higher in search and if the listing is bad, I offer my services for free in exchange for a discount.I read this book in preparation for my own book "Optimize YOUR Airbnb: The Definitive Guide to Ranking #1 in Airbnb Search".They also ask for a live check-in. I hope they do this before making the reservation. I got the feeling that if anything goes wrong, they will be leaving a bad review. One example, when they could not find the front door and had the host get them in the rain a couple blocks away, I had to wonder if this was actually the hosts fault or their own. I wish they had posted links to the Airbnbs they stayed in. I think the hosts would appreciate that, too.

I've followed Michael & Debbie's travels on BeSeniorNomads.com for several years so I was thrilled when they released their new book! It's a fun and enjoyable read, and a practical guide for anyone getting started (or doing more) traveling via Airbnb. It's written from their perspective of traveling around the world from Airbnb to Airbnb, providing tips for hosts to provide a welcoming stay to the community's network of hosts. But as a guest looking to stay in host homes, I found their book to be a helpful how-to for how to pick the best spot when there may be hundreds of options in a single city, and how to ensure a successful trip abroad whether that's through Michael's savvy negotiating tactics to reduce nightly costs or stressing the importance of obtaining step-by-step instructions in how to reach your apartment from the airport. A critical component to travel when we stayed at a lovely Airbnb in Munich earlier this year without speaking much German! This book gives us the confidence to adventure more and travel and explore via Airbnb. Since reading this book, we've utilized some of the Campbell's booking suggestions for two more Airbnb trips in the coming year!

Senior Nomadのブログを書いているDebbieとMichaelのCampbell夫妻の３年間におよぶAirbnbライフの記録である。Campbell夫妻は先ずホスト選びから、家の見つけ方、過ごし方、ゲストのマナー、そしてホストとのメールやり取り、レビューの双方向性の意義と書き方等、気が付いた事を教えてくれる。私たちも経験して初めて判った事が多く述べられていて、「そうだよね」と読み進んで行った。見知らぬ土地の誰かの家をまるごと借りたり、時には部屋貸しだったり、現代のシェアリング・エコノミーの代表選手Airbnbが根底に持つ哲学は、人々がお互いの人種、宗教や言語、文化、生活習慣の違いを乗り越えて、理解すること、信じ合うこと。そのために必要なことは思いやり、親切、優しさといった人間として共通の価値観すなわち基本的な美徳であることが判る。昨今、世界が閉鎖性に向かって行く傾向があるのに対して、強烈なアンチテーゼとなっている。夫妻の生き方でもあるが、豊かさの次に求めるべきものはさらなる豊かさではなく、ダウンサイジングであっても良いのではないか。ただし月の生活費が定住と比較してダウンサイズするものではないようだが(笑)。私たち夫婦もこの冬から、Campbell夫妻のようなNomad生活の第1歩を踏み出したところである。ちなみに私が初めてホストから頂いた記念すべきレビューはAwesome guest！ We loved having him stay with us.Bon voyage

Une belle rencontre, nous avons reçu Debbie et Michael, qui nous ont dédicacé le livre.