Day 38: Home Away From Home

[Trudie7]

phrase of home

1. a place where one is as happy, relaxed, or comfortable as in one's own home.

Based on the Northern Beaches, Sydney, we moved from a large newly renovated home to a small beach cottage. As a family of four requiring extra space for when family & friends wanted to stay, went about building on the dual access property, a seperate apartment.

It was never our intention to use it as an Airbnb but somehow came across the idea. Usually we are away travelling at Christmas so decided to list during this period to see what would happen.

The surprises & delights experienced from running our Airbnb, booked solid now for just over 3 years, still amazes us everyday. It has been a process that has evolved over time, including, learning about our guests needs & the way they live when they travel.

‘We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.’

This is why I travel extensively myself to discover more about how we can live our best life. I love the comforts of home but also crave & enjoy adventure & different experience; the people, how they live, culture & location.

It’s an honour to be able to provide our Airbnb guests with a wonderful space, a home away from home, where they too can discover & enjoy more about the area & themselves. We are grateful everyday for being able have access to the great outdoors & living by the ocean in Sydney, Australia.

At the moment whilst we are unable to travel as far & wide as we have previously, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the celebration stories shared via the Airbnb Community. What an incredible way to stay connected, learn, discover, reflect & slow down time. It still provides us with the ability to loose & find ourselves whilst having to stay at home.

Thank you 🙏

Would love to hear about when you last travelled & had any home away from home experiences.

[Ann72]

@Trudie7  Such a resonant post - I loved it.  Who wrote the paragraph you quoted?

I haven't traveled at all except to my Airbnb in Maine and back since March.   But I've gotten to know my New York neighborhood in a  new way and have found that neighbors greet each other with greater warmth, as if relieved to find we are all still here, or simply more appreciative of a friendly or familiar face than ever before.  No one is in a terrible hurry because there's not too much to do or too many places to go 🙂

Please post a photo of the view from your Airbnb so we can travel vicariously!

[Trudie7]

@Ann72 The lovely quote came from, Siddharth Pico Raghavan Iyer (born 11 February 1957), known as Pico Iyer, is a British-born essayist and novelist known for his travel writing. He is the author of numerous books on crossing cultures including Video Night in Kathmandu, The Lady and the Monk and The Global Soul. He has been a contributor to Time,Harper's, The New York Review of Books, and The New York Times.

I thought you mentioning getting to know your neighbourhood in a new way relevant as last year also gave me the opportunity to do so in my area. I have a new appreciation for it.

[Katie]

What a wonderful quote @Trudie7, and thank you so much for sharing your story with us 😊

I was lucky enough to travel to four places last year - two before the pandemic hit (Vienna & Lisbon) and two later in the year, whilst restrictions permitted it (York and Kefalonia). I think what you said really resonates - we've been surrounded by the 'comforts' of home this year but we've been left pining for that experience of exploring and experiencing new things, and the Community has certainly filled that gap for me too 😊

I've also found myself daydreaming about previous trips this year, and this has become a way to reminisce and travel in simulation. And I've just remembered this fantastic website that @Ann72 shared with us previously, where you can open a window somewhere in the world 😄

I would love to see some photos of your listing, too, if you have them! 

Where was your last trip?

[Trudie7]

@Katie We have just returned from spending a glorious week away at Pebbly Beach, down the south coast of NSW. It is somewhere we go each year and were unable to last year due to the fires, so it made it all the more special that we could get there. A high recommendation for anyone who is travelling to Australia. See photos of the location.

 

 

 

[Liv]

Those pictures are amazing, @Trudie7! I feel warmer just looking at them 😂

[Laura2484]

Happy New Year @Trudie7 , may 2021 continue to be a hosting delight for you.

Thank you for sharing your post ‘ Home away from Home’, as a fellow host it is probably the best compliment when your guests can feel at home while away.

It sounds like you have found the right balance in your hosting style , so congratulations to you and your team. 

I agree travel opens the door to so many life experiences and discoveries, it is so easy to devour it all . Ones senses go into overload with that journey alone. People connecting with people, their lives their stories....

There is also a new appreciation or a refresh of how we look at things when we return from a trip away as well. We too are grateful , for living in a place that has nature in abundance and is right on our doorsteps. 

Our travel is limited within the shores of New Zealand for now and our next ‘travel fix ‘ will be a planned road trip to the South Island. @Katie 

All the best from your New Zealand neighbours 

🌞Laura

[Katie]

Make sure you take some pics to share with us @Laura2484 😃🙏

[Trudie7]

@Laura2484 New Zealand is one of my favourite travel destinations. You guys have everything there, beautiful scenery, glorious natural wonders, adventure & beautiful produce & products. I look forward to returning soon.

May you enjoy your planned road trip. A getaway is always so good for the soul.

[Helen427]

@Trudie7Thank you for your inspirational words.

It's lovely to see another one of our friends across the ocean from New Zealand living in Australia contribute to The Month of Celebration for 2020/2021.

Which part of Sydney are you in?

Is there any particular part of your location that you recommend your visitors to also see and learn from?

As I read your post I heard an aeroplane fly overhead, there is around 1-2 a day that fly past internationally and we can't wait to see travelers return to our climes.

All the Best

Central To All Home & Location, Remuera, Auckland.

[Trudie7]

@Helen427  I live on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. I would recommend anyone visiting to take a trip along the Beaches coastline to Palm Beach. Or you could head to Manly for fish & chips on the beach by hopping on a ferry from the city. This way you can also take in the beautiful sights of Sydney Harbour.

The photos attached are of my local area & Manly. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Helen427]

Those are very inviting and relaxing scenes in your photographs @Trudie7 
Is that one of the original Swimming Pools in the 3rd photo?

If so, do you know the history behind it?

They used to create swimming pools along the coast to capture the sea water for one's health & recreation in earlier times, they called them Sanatoriums and are often referred to in Scenic Preservation Bills/ Acts circa 1905/6.

@Katie @Jason1470 @Katrina79 @Laura2484 

[Trudie7]

@Helen427  The pool is North Curl Curl & is one of the original pools. Unfortunately I don’t know the history of the pool but there are so many along the coast it would be a nice thing to find out for our guests. Thank you for bringing this to light.

[Katrina79]

@Trudie7 This is a lovely post, thank you for sharing! It can be quite fascinating and rewarding to host guests from all over the world! Hoping the best for you in the new year. 

[Trudie7]

@Katrina79 thank you. Wishing you also all the best for the new year.