To publicize its new ‘adventure’ packages, Airbnb is selling an 80-day around the world trip that will use eight transport modes—yes, including a hot-air balloon—and visit 16 countries.
While it won’t exactly match the itinerary of the fictional Phineas Fogg in Jules Verne’s novel, it will include a variety of stops and cultures, including the Galapagos Islands and trekking in Australia.
The package goes for $5,000, and went on sale last week; Airbnb hasn’t said how many it will sell. The trip departs September 1st from London.
“Airbnb hasn’t said how many it will sell.”It does seem to say, “2 spots are available for booking on each of the following days,” here: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/916429
On the Airbnb link I cited, alongside the price ($5000) is a button, “coming soon” which seems to indicate that they aren’t yet officially selling the trip, or maybe they sold the 6 places for the 3 dates listed and more will be “coming soon”? Who knows. Having already gone around the world twice, once for 6 months & again the opposite direction for 4, I’m not interested in a package tour, especially one that offers an if-this-is-Tuesday-it-must-be-Bhutan sort of experience as it describes in the itinerary. The price seems very low & I can’t help but wonder what the effect of “you get what you pay for” will be.
It has made different numbers available on different days, but has not said what the total available might be. That seems a bit odd, the more so in view of the problems people have had in booking it, I learn. The piece below, from Fast Company, indicates that it is a bit like trying to book tickets for a hot concert, and that a number of people were charged but not accepted, or were charged multiple times. https://www.fastcompany.com/90…some-customers-angry
Phineas Fogg appears to have had it easy!
I also thought the price was low, but assumed it was set there to seem accessible, and also assumed that they probably have a web of supplier special deals wrapped up in it…