Has anybody had the issue where the AI will not put your cov...
Has anybody had the issue where the AI will not put your cover photo as your cover photo? How do I fix this?
G’day, Airbnb friends,
I’m an Indian Australian based in a small mining town in Western Australia. I’ve been an Airbnb guest for quite some time now, and I’m probably one of the few guests who is a part of the online community.
I work full time in the port industry, and the rest of my time is spent chasing butterflies and scaling make-believe mountains with my two rambunctious kids, aged 5 and 3. My wife is a stay-at-home mum, and between the both of us, we live a fairly busy yet pleasurable life, managing our household and raising our kids.
I paint this picture to give you an insight into how my daily life looks like. Not much different from any average bloke, I’d imagine. And yet, despite all this busyness, I dared to pursue a passion that lay buried inside of me for over two decades now - of writing and self-publishing a book.
After years of dogged pursuit and relentless efforts, I’m proud to announce that my debut travel memoir ‘Red Earth Diaries’ is no longer a dream but rather a living reality – the book has just been released on 08 Jul. 21.
Some Background
When my wife, Ambika, and I migrated to Australia in 2014, we decided to backpack across Australia instead of settling down straight away like all other migrants. We set a target of two months or ten thousand dollars. We’d decided to pull the pin as soon we crossed either of these milestones and then focused on settling down. Red Earth Diaries encompasses our journey in this peculiar land, and although it is primarily a travel memoir, it is also a migrant’s journal, a delve into Australian history, and a book aimed to inspire people to chase their dreams.
How Airbnb played a role
Cost of travel was the most significant factor when we chalked out our itinerary, and Airbnb proved to be Godsend. However, this was not the only drawcard for us to use the platform. Having lived in ABB accommodation during our honeymoon trip in Sri Lanka on one occasion (Read the post on ABB community which refers to that trip here), we were looking forward to interacting with locals and understanding the ethos of the Australian lifestyle. Australia would eventually be our home, and we did not want to settle down with preconceived or prejudiced notions about the country or its people.
Our experiences during the entire trip were immensely gratifying, and we were left richer with all of our interactions with the hosts that we stayed with.
In all, we stayed in ten different ABBs during our trip, and the book includes stories of all our ABB hosts, some of whom have graciously agreed to share their identities. In a very subtle way, the book promotes the ABB philosophy of sharing homes and, in turn, creating memorable experiences and lifelong friends - an ideology that resonates strongly with me.
One of the very first ABB Hosts proved to be a fantastic ambassador and imbibed all the true qualities of an Australian. Helen threw us an impromptu BBQ dinner one night in a bid to introduce us to one of Australia’s traditions – a warm gesture by any measure, especially when you consider that we were total strangers until we landed up at her doorstep.
I can confidently say that the interaction with our hosts in those initial two months - along with the travel experiences - is what gave us an understanding of Australian culture and a holistic overview of its citizens.
We have always loved being a part of the Airbnb community. Still, after the Australian trip and the positive influence it has had on us, I consider myself an ambassador of this unique platform. If a non-user were to ask me what the essence of Airbnb is, I’d say this to him: “Airbnb is a homestay booking portal which opens up a whole new world of possibilities when you travel. The range of accommodation options and the cost savings, however, is but one of its benefits. The biggest reward of using this platform is that a visitor gets to immerse himself into the local culture, interact with his host, and as in most cases, gain a friend despite all the cultural and linguistic barriers.”
A Gift
Red Earth Diaries is currently available online on all major online bookstores in eBook and paperback format. I would, however, love to offer the book to all of the ABB community members free of charge as a gesture of gratitude for all of the wonderful experiences I’ve had with ABB. As a first-time author, I am keen to get as many reviews as possible, and I’d appreciate it if you can consider sharing your feedback once you have read the book.
If you would love a copy, please message (DM) me directly, and I can send you a copy in any format you’d prefer - PDF, ePub or kindle.
I’m super excited to see how my author journey will unfold, and I look forward to sharing my experiences within this community.
Stay safe and stay blessed.
Jason Rebello
Sorry Jason, I didn't mean to crash your thread, but you brought it up mate!
Someone said to me when I decided to write a book...." You have to have a Pen name" !
So, I did.......
Cheers.....Rob Shannon
