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| Be adventurous at the Giraffe Manor in Kenya, the only place in the world where travelers can feed a giraffe over breakfast. |
I love nothing more than a fabulous hotel, but there are many times when I'd prefer to live like a local. What could be more fun than actually cooking, visiting the local market and holing up at a fabulous apartment in the middle of the action? And I don’t really need hotel services (although a late-night hamburger courtesy of room service with those small bottles of ketchup is so damn decadent and wonderful).
John and I often rent apartments when we travel. We have rented terrific flats everywhere from London to Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris and Boston.
There are wonderful resources out there for short-term vacation rentals, including VRBO and London-centric One Fine Stay, but one of my new favorites is Airbnb. The company connects “people who have space to spare with those who are looking for a place to stay. Guests can build real connections with their hosts, gain access to distinctive spaces and immerse themselves in the culture of their destinations.”
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Embrace history by staying on the Yankee Historic Ferryboat:
It's the last remaining Ellis Island ferry to have brought immigrants to the U.S. |
Whether you are looking to shack up upon a sofa in Brooklyn or an amazing multi-bedroom apartment in Berlin, Airbnb offers an incredible list of vacation rentals. There are all sorts of exotic rentals on the Airbnb site, too: There’s a mushroom dome cabin in California, an airplane suite in the Netherlands, an ancient British castle and a tree house in Hawaii.
So the next time you want to live like a local while traveling, check out what’s available online.
Photos courtesy of Airbnb