Women who hosted guests on home-sharing platform aid speak of rewarding experiences
Hosting Airbnb travelers at home is not just a financially rewarding experience for women taking time away from their careers, it’s a way to better reconnect with society, according to women who recently recounted their experiences hosting on the platform.
“I had always thought I was good at my work until I quit my fashion merchandising job to look after my children. I wanted to feel alive again, so I jumped at the first chance on Airbnb,” said Kim Mi-ae at a roundtable talk this week in Seoul.
Kim, 53, is one of 40 applicants who took part in a program launched last year by the city-run Seoul Foundation of Women & Family Organization for women looking to reboot after leaving their careers for reasons such as parenting or retirement.
The program -- jointly run with Airbnb Korea, a home-sharing platform -- was a turning point, said Cha Min, a yoga instructor who says she teaches not only yoga but also the Korean language to travelers staying at her home.
“The most rewarding thing of all in hosting random guests at home is building a rapport with them and seeing myself change in the process,” the 41-year-old said, adding, “I recently taught a Japanese traveler some basic Korean, and I still help her learn Korean online.”
Teaching yoga and Korean, Cha said, has helped broaden her horizons. She said her way of looking at life has changed, emboldened by positive feedback from the travelers she has hosted so far.
“Now I just find this zeal, enthusiasm,” Cha said of how she stays motivated to plan in advance what she wants to do not just for months, but for years to come. She said she eventually wants to run themed tours that incorporate her yoga skills.
Kim Hyun-sook, the oldest of the three women hosts at Wednesday’s talk, said she didn’t have time to feel disconnected from society when she retired from her job as she quickly transitioned to hosting and doubling as a tour guide, a job she had previously held for 25 years.
Kim arranges tours of the Seoul Museum of History for her guests for free. “And I feel proud of what I do. I can see they’re satisfied with what I give them. What more can you ask for?”
The latest talk took place to mark International Women’s Day on Saturday.
Seo Ga-yeon, Airbnb Korea country manager, said the platform company remains committed to empowering women, who make up half of all its hosts, both globally and locally.
“I myself am a working mother. I know what a challenge that is,” Seo said.
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com
