How You Can Help COVID-19 Responders with Airbnb

There's no sugar-coating it: the world is in a cluster cluck right now. Devastation is widespread. Health is a privilege more than ever. Confinement is taking a mental toll. And the travel industry – a source of nourishment for many – has swiftly deflated.

Amidst these heavy times, independent and large-scale fields of work have stepped up to help. The travel industry is no exception, and companies like Airbnb have quickly raised an empathetic hand.

Currently, Airbnb is offering frontline care providers with free or discounted accommodation, accepting supportive donations and more. As a former nurse myself, I can't express enough how appreciated such efforts would be. Here is how Airbnb (and you) can collectively help frontline COVID-19 providers right now.

Note: this is not a sponsored post, it has been independently written and part of our humanitarian resource sharing during this time. 

The Airbnb Frontline Stays Initiative

It's no secret that Airbnb has been a revolution in travel, both as a method of making money listing your home while you travel, and to save money on accommodation while meeting locals.

Now, Airbnb is giving back, with an initiative tat directly supports frontline care providers. If you have a bed to spare, or some money to donate, you can also make a difference too.

Airbnb has launched the Frontline Stays initiative to help provide 100,000 healthcare staff and first responders with places to stay during the crisis. The goal is to support COVID-19 responders who need to stay near hospitals or stay isolated from their family. Airbnb does not make any money on this initiative.

COVID-19 Responders

If you are a COVID-19 responder, you can sign up here for a free or discounted place to stay.

Offer your space

If you have a property to list for this initiative, you can choose to offer your place for free, at a discount, or full price (discounts will be applied to reservations made by COVID-19 responders only). All Airbnb fees will be waived for these reservations.

To keep things safe, individual rooms cannot be listed in this initiative, only entire places. Airbnb has also created an extensive cleaning checklist to be followed, and hosts will need to leave 72 hours between reservations to allow adequate time for the cleaning and disinfecting of the property.

To help by hosting, use the link on Airbnb's COVID-19 relief page to get started. If you still have questions, check out this special FAQ page.

Donate

If you don't have a space to offer, Airbnb is facilitating donations to nonprofit partners that are also connecting verified COVID-19 responders with places to stay. This includes the International Rescue Committee, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and International Medical Corps.

100% of the donation will go to the nonprofit partner, and donations are tax-deductible for donors in the United States.

You can make your donation using the link on Airbnb's COVID-19 relief page.

Despite such fear and uncertainty, it has been beautiful to see society come together around a common goal. To show a bit more empathy, to appreciate what we have in common, and to offer our help to those who need it. May we hold onto these habits when COVID-19 is a distant memory.

Do you know of any other travel companies giving back in this time? Let us know in the comments.

The post How You Can Help COVID-19 Responders with Airbnb appeared first on Thrifty Nomads.

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By: Jen Avery
Title: How You Can Help COVID-19 Responders with Airbnb
Sourced From: feedproxy.google.com/~r/ThriftyNomads/~3/lQpRUqNAXZw/
Published Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2020 06:25:02 +0000