5 Ways to Make Your Space Feel Like a Vacation, According to Airbnb Hosts
As most travel plans are on hold right now in light of the global pandemic, finding new ways to breathe light, warmth, and comfort to your space has become increasingly important. Bringing vacation vibes into your home is possible with just a few small changes or bigger projects for those that find themselves needing to occupy extra time.
Airbnb hosts are getting their listings ready for 2021 guests — while continuing to follow all the CDC and Airbnb guidelines — with new hospitality trends and desires of the 2021 guest looking for a getaway in mind. They’ve shared some of their top tips, highlighted below, which could also be applied to making your own spaces feel like getaways in their own right.
Showcase items you’ve picked up from past travels.
While we dream of our next getaway in the comfort of home, displaying photos or items collected from previous trips can be a great way to reminisce and add personality to your space. Kim Lewis, host of tiny house Peached Casita in Texas, notes that these kinds of souvenirs “make the space feel more meaningful and unique.”
“When we host, we always aim to create travel-inspired spaces reflecting brighter colors, culture, and global views of faraway places we hope to adventure to soon!” Kim said. “In our tiny home Airbnb space, we have curated a collection of textiles, tabletop goods, and dishware from our travels.”
Get creative when lighting your space.
“When you’re spending so much time in a space, light is important,” Eric, host of West & Wild Yucca (a hip, modern house with a pool in Yucca Valley, California), said. “We had custom windows made which actually channel that magical golden light through the windows in interesting shapes.”
In addition to custom windows, different types of light bulbs are used throughout the property. “It’s not over the top, but just adds a slightly unique experience,” Eric said. “Rooms with a lot of white look really nice bathed in alternative colors.”
Create designated spaces for productivity within your home.
Work is the opposite of vacation, but with so many of us spending more time at home and some working from home, it’s important to create separate spaces that signal “work” and reserving other spaces for leisure — if possible.
“One of the biggest changes we’ve seen over the past year is people’s need for dedicated spaces within the home that are specifically designed for productivity,” Lauren, host of The Highland Bungalow (a cabin in the Sullivan Catskills), said. “With the lines being blurred between time off and work time, people are asking ‘can your home provide me with space conducive for my work?’”
As a host, Lauren has learned that creating a work space is more than just a desk and a chair. “Is the chair ergonomic? Does the work station have video conferencing capabilities? Does the internet speed allow me to do my work WHILE my kids are busy streaming something in the other room?” she said.
Design an outdoor space you actually want to hang out in.
While it can feel limiting to be mostly confined to your house, rethinking your outdoor space (whether it be a sprawling backyard or a tiny patio) can create new possibilities for leisure time. Matthew, host of Phillipsport Church House in Wurtsboro, New York, stresses the importance of outdoor communal spaces for socially distanced gatherings and hangouts with your quarantine pod.
Matthew noted that this can take the form of “a fire pit, a picnic table, or even just having some grass to stretch out on.” Bringing outside experiences in is another way to bring that vacation feel home. “A large projector creates a home theater for movie nights and binge-watching.”
Create a warm vibe with unscented candles.
Ariella and Adam, hosts of The Ancram A (a renovated mid-century modern cabin in Ancram, New York), are all about candles. As lovers of food and dining out, they supply neutral linens, votives and tea lights “in order to recreate that amazing restaurant mood lighting.”