Hi all. I am Sonja from Salt Rock, KwaZulu Natal, South Afri...
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Hi all. I am Sonja from Salt Rock, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. I love opening my home to others and try to assist with provi...
Latest reply
I am excited to announce this month’s Community Spotlight with @Fred13!
So let us know more, about what @Fred13 has to say about his Host journey and experiences!
How long have you been hosting, and what inspired you to start?
We are in our 8th year, with Airbnb since the beginning.
Tell us a little about your listing. What is your favourite part of the listing?
It started from very humble beginnings and slowly has morphed into a lot more. Since its inception, the building has been the most fun aspect. The most favourite part has been the gratefulness of our guests for staying there.
How long have you been part of the Community Center, and why did you join?
I believe 2016, right after Airbnb included us in one of their “'Like This, Live There' ad campaigns.
What is your favourite part about being a Host?
Our favourite aspect of hosting is the opportunity (and reason) to create something new. Not a day goes by that we do not get excited about some new idea, though many do not make it to the final stage for a myriad of reasons, the exercise itself is part of the most fun of hosting for us.
When you are not hosting, what do you like doing?
Reading, working on our boats, helping with local community projects and travelling. Of course, pretending to be listening to the wife is the most important one.
Do you have any hobbies? If you were to try one new thing what would it be?
Fly fishing has been part of my life since I was 15 years old. Was in that industry for 25 years (1975-2010). My latest passion is paddle boarding the endless white sand, and turquoise waters of Belize.
What is the one thing you cannot live without?
Reading, learning and thinking.
Where would your dream holiday be?
Now, it would be the South Pacific and Antarctica.
What would you do if you ever won the lottery?
Donate whatever I don’t need to the welfare of animals and to wounded veteran organizations. I have been donating for years to those two causes.
If you could live somewhere else in the world where would it be?
Though I keep looking, to date I haven’t discovered a better one than where I live now.
Do you have a fun fact?
Over the years we have had our share of unusual guests; like the one that showed up with his boss’s wife, the ones in whose what they do or who they really are is still a secret, the mystery writer who came to gain inspiration, the ones in which to this day we are clueless who is with who or why they refer to one another with pronouns that make no sense to us and the list goes on and on. No matter what, we just pretend we do not get it.
Anything else you would like to tell us about?
We are still at a loss as to what it was that we saw when starting out on our island journey long ago, what article of faith we drew from then because when we look back we still wonder why the dream of building a little island from nothing even really struck us. Today, however, not a day goes by that we are not grateful we did it.
Thank you so much @Fred13 for sharing your story with us and actively being an amazing part of our Community!
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@Laurelle3 A most interesting question, and I must say it 'seems' it has but maybe we have subconsciously adopted to it by filling our island a little bit more each year and that has compensated for the change. And thank you for the kind thoughts.
I do spend much time nowadays trying something new and sharing it with others. My latest kick is Paddle Boarding, but with some 'compromises' to compensate for our advanced age. After falling 10x trying to stand up on one, and hearing my friends laugh from the shore, I think I got the 'perfect' compromise, one more for us older folks. Adding 4 to the island for the guests and making a gift of 4 to get the local kids into it.
