Airbnb can facilitate the most unexpected connections.

My favorite personal example paved the way for one of the biggest honors of my career!

Remember the guest I wrote about last week? The one who cooked enough food to feed an army? Well, there’s more to her stay than I let on. 

Her brother actually lived in the same city as us. I’m still not sure why she didn’t just stay with him, but hey, I’m not complaining!

The last night of their stay, he came over to take them out for dinner. While he was waiting for them to finish getting ready, he started chatting with my husband and I. Since his sister had found us through Airbnb, the conversation quickly turned to that. 

We told him about my book, and some of the other crazy stories we’ve collected through hosting through Airbnb. He was thoroughly intrigued. And I love talking about my hosting experiences, so I had no problem answering all of his inquiries in as much depth as he wanted. 

Towards the end of the conversation, right as they were about to all leave, he casually tossed out a comment, nothing more than an aside, really. “You should do a TED talk about your experiences,” he said. “They’re really interesting.”

Little did he know that getting a TED talk is one of my life goals.

Enthusiastically, I told him so. “I’d love to,” I said. “I just haven’t been able to make the connections yet to be offered one. They’re pretty hard to get.”

“Well, I know someone who is a TEDx organizer,” he said. “I can connect you guys if you’d like.”

“Sure,” I said. “That’d be great!” I played it pretty cool on the outside, but inside I was squealing with excitement. 

Anyway, long story short, due to that unexpected connection, next weekend I will be giving my first ever TEDx talk! 

I love telling this story when people ask me why I enjoy Airbnb. I enjoy it because it’s always surprising me. The people, stories, and opportunities that come my way are things I never could have dreamed up, even in my wildest dreams. It’s an unbelievable journey that has definitely been worth making. 

What crazy connections have you made through Airbnb?