In March last year I had a booking request from a local girl, Katherine! She was totally upfront and wanted to book our cottage for 3 weeks for her parents who hailed from Norwich in England.
My initial reaction was to suggest that Airbnb do not permit 3rd party bookings and she should get onto her parents and get them to join Airbnb and set up their own account to book.
Now this sounds simple but I have come across quite a few people over the past couple of years who found joining and going through the verification process quite a challenge....particularly for the more elderly amongst us.
So I mulled this request over in my mind for a while. Eventually I thought, 'what the hell' I am bringing a family together who had not seen each other for a decade....grandparents who had never seen their grandson.....I was doing exactly what Airbnb are supposed to do, bring the world together.
I accepted Katherine's request.
Tinneke and John arrived and as soon as we met them we formed an instant liking for each other.
On the second night of their 3 week stay we were having a customary late afternoon cheese and drinks when the daughter arrived and abruptly ushered her mother into the cottage, a few minutes later to be joined by John the father. Heated words were exchanged and the daughter suddenly left saying she wished to have no further contact with her parents........far out!! what do we do now?
This is why we should never accept 3rd party bookings, you just don't know what is going to happen.
Well Tinneke and John had come all this way, John was not in the best of health with his poor sight and his Diabetes and the 4 of us had a common bond, Tinneke looked after John and I looked after Ade.
Tinneke spent her days helping me in the garden and John and Ade had a mountain of health issues they were only to keen to console each other with. The problem with a long term illness is, it becomes old news! People don't want to hear about it after a while, the pool of sympathy wanes! But each of them had a brand new enthusiastic audience....each other!
Every afternnon and evening would be spent talking, eating, drinking out under the market umbrella during those lovely still Autumn nights
Over that 3 weeks we became great friends and although the tyranny of distance and our respective partners health means we will probably never see each other again, Tinneke and I are like 'brothers in Arms' and John and Ade have an enourmous compassion for each other.
Just another of the lovely experiences that Airbnb creates!
Cheers.....Rob
