Book review: Seeing the world through Airbnb

By Kathryn Reed

One Seattle couple has turned short-term rentals into their home.

For Debbie and Michael Campbell they call home someplace new every few days. They are traveling the world, going from one Airbnb rental to the next.

The couple, who is in their 60s, have written a book about their experience. “Your Keys, Our Home: The Senior Nomads Incredible Airbnb Journey (Elliot Bay Events, 2016).”

It’s part memoir, part how to use Airbnb, and a big part about how to be the best host – according to them.

They choose to primarily stay in an entire house/condo. But they want a lot from their hosts.

While I have rented a whole house before – some with better amenities than others – I don’t want interaction with the owner. This is why in some ways I found the Campbells’ desires a bit off-putting. I wouldn’t want hosts or potential hosts, as Airbnb calls owners, to think the Campbells represent all guests/renters.

What they are doing is interesting, but the book itself wasn’t that great of a read. It was a bit jumbled. I kept wondering where the editor was.

What was interesting was to learn about the different types of rentals and how they are just about everywhere one would want to travel.