Airbnb Are Hiring ‘Official Testers’ To Live Anywhere In The World For A Year With Three Of Their Mates
As far as dream opportunities go, the Airbnb Live Anywhere program is up there. The accommodation platform is looking for 12 individuals to be their “official Airbnb testers,” which involves living a nomadic lifestyle in Airbnb properties across the globe – and you can take up to three companions with you on the adventure.
For an entire year, Airbnb will cover your accommodation and provide an allowance for transport as you choose to stay in whatever place you desire across the globe. So if you’re keen on a treehouse in Costa Rica, a tiny home in Texas or a bastide in the Provençal countryside, the world is your oyster.
“This is a unique opportunity for Aussies to be selected for a once in a lifetime year-long trip,” says Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb’s Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand.
“Whether you’re a family who’s always dreamed about taking the kids on a farm stay adventure across rural Australia or a sun-seeking beach lover who wants to spend the next year waking up in beautiful tropical north Queensland, this program aims to give 12 lucky people (and their companions) ultimate flexibility when it comes to blurring the lines between living, working and travelling.”
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Why are they doing this?
The Airbnb Live Anywhere program was sparked from findings in their report on Travel & Living. The report showed that stays of 28 days or longer on Airbnb increased 10 percent compared to 2019, with people saying they’re living a nomadic lifestyle and working remotely.
They also noted that in Australia, the number of rural stays booked jumped from 18 percent for the 2019 winter to 42 percent in 2021, fuelling demand for regional listings and unique homes like farm stays.
“[We found] 74 percent of consumers we surveyed across five countries, including Australia, expressed interest in living someplace other than where their employer is based after the pandemic is over,” says Airbnb.
With behaviours obviously changing as a result of the pandemic, Airbnb want to better understand how we want to live our lives and what they can do to improve when it comes to the blurring between travel and remote work.
In a nutshell: Airbnb want these 12 individuals and their companions to help shape the future of flexible living on Airbnb.
What will you need to do?
In exchange for them bankrolling your homes and transport, the Airbnb Live Anywhere program participants will need to provide real-world insights on features, services, and the experience of living nomadically, which seems easy enough.
Specifically, they’re after:
- Product changes and resources that could help improve the long-term living experience on Airbnb
- Ideal types of accommodations for solo travellers or groups like families
- A better understanding of financial benefits of hosting while travelling
Who do they want, and when?
Airbnb is looking for a cross-section of society for the program, with a diverse range of participants (18 years and older). They want to cover everyone from young families to remote workers, creatives, empty nesters, staycationers, digital nomads and more.
You’ll need to be part of the program for 12 consecutive months, starting from July 2021 with an interview panel and then information sessions prior to travel. Travel commences in September 2021 and concludes in July 2022. Airbnb will provide credit for accommodations, transport allowance, and assistance with listing suggestions and local experiences.
How to submit a winning application?
Applications are open now until June 30, 2021. Head to Airbnb Live Anywhere to submit an application. Be sure to read the terms.
We’ve read through the T&C’s and these are the points you’ll need to hit in order to impress the judges when they’re selecting the 20 finalists, in order of importance:
- Demonstrated passion for the Program and genuine interest in exploring the blending of living and working lifestyle and potential for their experience to help shape future updates to Airbnb platform and products
- Demonstrated creativity, personality and individuality in the written response to the application question, humour and storytelling ability a plus
- Passion for the potential of sharing the experiences and findings of living on Airbnb with others during the Program and after it, as demonstrated in the willingness, enjoyment and capability to engage in dialogue with internal Airbnb and external audiences and educate others on what is needed to accommodate flexible, long-term living
- Illustrated examples of how you’d document your experiences weekly and ability to book listings on Airbnb autonomously after the initial six months.
If you make it through as a finalist, you’ll be notified by email no later than July 5, 2021 – and you must reply to the initial Finalist Notification email within two days.
You’ll then be required to submit a two-minute video by no later than July 9, 2021 telling Airbnb why you want to live anywhere in Airbnbs for a year and what excites you most about the opportunity to inform the future of the Airbnb to best accommodate this lifestyle. Then, you’ll go into a finalist interview round.
The competition will be tough, but this is honestly such an amazing opportunity that a little effort is totally worth it.
(Lead image: provided / Airbnb)
