These retirees have spent the last four years travelling
Since July 2013, retirees Michael and Debbie Campbell have consecutively lived in 109 different homes around the world, all booked through room and apartment rental service Airbnb.
Later this year, a visit to Poland will mark country No. 50.
The Campbells' journey as self-proclaimed 'Senior Nomads' began more than three and a half years ago when their daughter Mary was visiting them in Seattle for Christmas. Mary Campbell noticed a lengthy list of countries posted on the couple's fridge that they'd hoped to visit during their impending retirement.
She presented an idea: go visit those countries, but instead of spending money on pricey hotels, try an affordable rental service called Airbnb. The Campbells were intrigued.
Michael Campbell, a former sports promoter, and Debbie Campbell, a graphic designer, had always been travellers, even moving themselves and their four young children from the US to London for five years to experience life overseas.
After months of "crunching the numbers", the couple determined that Mary Campbell's idea could work. "(We realised that) if we took our Social Security and retirement funds and doled that out every month to travel and live in Airbnbs, we could spend the same amount we would spend in our rocking chairs in Seattle," Michael said.
The Campbells - who have been married for 37 years - sold their car and beloved sailboat, pared down their possessions, rented out their Seattle townhouse, and bought a round-trip ticket to Paris, France, whe From there, they would embark on a six-month journey around Europe, staying exclusively in Airbnbs with a nightly budget of around $90. After six months, they'd return to Seattle to re-evaluate their scheme.
But the Campbells surprised themselves and within three months decided to keep going. Three years later, they are still touring the globe - and they haven't abandoned their budget.
Still, a strict budget doesn't hold them back. Michael Campbell is a sports fanatic whose choice activity in any city is attending the big game. Debbie Campbell, a lover of cooking and art, heads to the area's food markets and galleries. And together they take walking tours and look for free and affordable concerts.
The couple rarely eats out, but doesn't "feel deprived", Michael Campbell said. "We try and live like locals ... we're shopping in the markets and doing things in our neighbourhood," he said.re Mary lived with her young family.
The pair said continuous travel has been a mind shift. "We're not on vacation," Debbie Campbell said. "We're just living our daily lives in other people's homes in other countries."
The couple travels light - and they'd like to keep it that way. "If you can't drink it, eat it, write on it, or attend it, then you can't buy it," Michael Campbell said. "It's very freeing," Debbie Campbell added.
By now, the Campbells are bona fide experts at booking Airbnbs. Their list of must-haves includes wifi, a large table for working, reading lights on both sides of the bed, and ideally, a location in the city centre. They prefer to book an entire house or apartment to themselves rather than sharing - it feels more like home that way, they said.
"There's an art to picking an Airbnb," they said. "We read the reviews really carefully and try to ascertain from the reviews who's really a good host." They then contact about five potential hosts and determine the best match.
Last summer, they finally cut ties at "home" and sold their Seattle townhouse, though two of their grown children still live in the area. They plan to keep travelling: "We will keep doing this as long as we are having fun, learning, staying close to our budget and we're still in love."
Throughout their Airbnb-hopping adventure, the Campbells have become a poster couple for the Silicon Valley-based travel company. They have visited Airbnb offices in Portland, San Francisco, and Dublin, spoken at a company conference in Paris, and penned a forthcoming manual for Airbnb hosts called "Your Keys Our Home".
What an incredible adventure. Have you ever used Airbnb?
Written by Tanza Loudenback. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.