I am no stranger to staying in AirBnB’s, especially when I am going to be staying in a place for quite some time to feel more “in the culture” than in a hotel. Hotels tend to be my last resort, honestly, over an AirBnB and hostel, unless I am in a place I really don’t know well. While AirBnBB has its pluses and minuses, especially in areas where it is causing the housing markets to sky-rocket and renters being forced out, I do research before booking. But, I still love the option of AirBnB.
Stayed in an AirBnB in Paris.
Recently, they started offering AirBnB Experiences, which i think is a great way to do some good in areas where they are wreaking havoc. This gives locals an opportunity to offer a skillset, be a guide, cook, create, show, etc. tourists and get more of an insight in the culture you are visiting. There are things such as cooking classes to street art walking tours to full-course meals in a Michelin star restaurateurs home to scuba diving. And So much more! I heard about AirBnB Experiences by a colleague who happened to do a glass-blowing class in our hometown of Chicago. I was going to be traveling to France and Italy later that summer as a solo traveler and knew this would be a great way for me to meet other travelers and locals.
Paris
Paris has to have some of the most AirBnB Experiences I have ever seen. I wanted to do EVERYTHING but had to limit myself. I decided to take a cooking class and a photography session, because everyone in their lifetime should experience a photog taking pictures of you around *insert famous city here* so you can feel beautiful for a day.* (disclaimer*: it was freaking 90 degrees at 7am, so beautiful here means literal hot mess, but whatever!)
First AirBnB experience up was the crepe cooking class – our host was Matthieu a boy from Bretagne which is where the galette, or savory crepe, originated. There were 8 of us in total from Scotland, to Puerto Rico, to the USA. This was a family friendly class and there were two young boys in our class. Included in the course was a savory crepe, a desert crepe, and drinks, which included true Bretagne cider.
We crammed into the kitchen to learn how savory crepes are made – fun fact it is with buckwheat, which I never knew. We each got to do a step – cracking the eggs, pouring the buckwheat, stirring, etc. until the galette batter was ready. To cook crepes properly, you must have the proper crepe maker – a giant circle pan that gets hot, a wooden stick that looks like a ruler, and another wooden stick that you turn the batter to make the crepe. See picture below as I clearly cannot describe it very well
We made a traditional cheese and ham crepe, extra cheese for me, with an egg on top. Rolling out the crepe is harder than you think, as you have to have loosey-goosey wrists and go in a circular pattern. Easier said than done, believe me. We then got to eat our galette before tackling the sweet crepe – people got to do sugar and lemon, or chocolate. I had to go with my all time favorite – butter and sugar!
It was really nice meeting the other families and friends while gathering around eating a traditional french dish. While people think the French eat crepes everyday (I mean, why not?!) apparently they are mainly saved for certain holidays or big family events. Overall, it was a lot of fun and I would easily do another cooking class when back in France – I especially recommend a crepe class.
The next morning, I decided to get some photos taken of myself around Paris, because why not? I had gone through some major changes the past year and never get photos of myself during my travels. Paris has a TON of opportunities and photographers offering their services on AirBnB Experiences and for relatively cheap. I decided on a Canadian photographer named Tara who has filmed for magazines, famous shoots, etc. She was a really cool girl who had been living in France for several years, doing photography – gah, my dream!
I booked a three hour session, which may seem excessive, but would allow us multiple locations throughout Paris and a wardrobe change. I have never done anything like this, as I feel really awkward in front of a camera, and much more comfortable behind one, but this was the time to get out of my comfort zone. She made it fun, despite my awkwardness. We went from the Eiffel Tower, down to the Seine, over to one of the famous bridges, to Place du Concord, and the Tuileries Gardens. It was hotter than blazes despite starting at 7am so by the last hour I think we were both over it, but overall it was a fantastic experience. She touched up the photos and sent them to me two weeks later – I finally had photos from my travels! Fun fact Air BnB Experiences offers this in a TON of cities. I would 100% recommend anyone to do this at least one time in their travels!
Nice
When I went to Nice, I planed on two Air BnB experiences – a boat ride around the French Riviera and cultural walking tour of the old town (Vieux-Nice) of Nice. I try to do walking tours wherever I go, and the major cities in Europe often have free ones, Nice being quite small and home to many rich people, the tour cost $17.00 BUT it was so worth it. My tour guide was a musician originally from Montreal who had been living in Nice most of his life (jealous!) named Thibault. (alas, Thibault left for Salzberg to join the orchestra/opera so he no longer does tours) We toured around Old Nice, learning a lot about the history, the different churches, and his favorite restaurants that locals! It was also a nice way to meet others as a solo traveler, as two girls invited me out with them later that evening when they learned I was traveling by myself! They were from Latin America and living in Madrid, and visiting France for the first time.
The next morning I was supposed to do my boat ride around the French Riviera, but the weather decided to do something else – a horrible storm hit Nice. This is the same storm that hit Genoa and where the lightning struck the bridge causing the devastating accident. As a result, the water was in no shape to be on a small boat, so after talking to my AirBnB Experience guide he said we would have to cancel. He immediately contacted AirBnB and my money was refunded right away! I was actually pretty impressed on AirBnB’s part and how willing the guide was to cancel the trip and refund me.
Overall, I had a fantastic time using AirBnB Experiences and I would highly recommend them where you are. I am already looking into them for my next couple trips, so stay tuned for those reviews!
