How being a homeshare host for the past eight years changed my life

[Yuan100]

Wonderful friendships made throughout the years with my guests from all around the world

Hello, friends

Some of you may know me from the community meet-up. I was welcomed to this online community with an open arm more than a year ago. For those who haven’t seen me around before, I am Yuan. I am like most of you guys here, passionate to host people from different parts of the world. I believe we all have good and bad stories to share throughout the years we’ve hosted or been a guest. However, I want to focus on the good ones. Why do I even bother with the other 0.1% of bad stories? 

I find myself sharing inspiring stories of my guests to my close friends over the past years. Some of my friends even met the guests, where we all gathered to eat, talk and laugh over a meal. Although I am not a good writer nor can I express my feeling well in words, I feel the need to share these stories. There are too many who are sceptical about sharing their homes or staying with strangers with many horror stories publicised in the media. 

But the ultimate reason for sharing the stories is how meeting these guests has transformed my personal journey - becoming a solo traveller, learning new cultures, gender identity to women’s empowerment. I thought a book would be the best way to put all these stories down. I was honestly struggling in the beginning but several years later I finally make this dream comes true.

My background

Growing up in the small city, Georgetown, Malaysia, I craved to explore the world at a very young age. I remember asking my dad to get me an Atlas book. Back then, we didn’t have much and I remember feeling bad to make him spend on the book. I treasured the Atlas book very much - it was my first encounter with the world. I started circling places where my favourite boyband lived, then the seven wonders of the world like the Bermuda Triangle, Stonehenge and Pyramid of Giza because I was intrigued by mystery encounters at these places. So, at one point, the page was filled with circles. No guessing, my favourite subject in school was Geography. 

When I was in high school, my parents brought us to countries like China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Australia using guided group tours. They weren’t good with English nor directions. I hated to go on group tours because I felt like I did not have time to ‘absorb’ the culture of the country. We were given a short period at the attractions, not allowed to roam freely, and the tour guide brought us to some rip-off tourist shops so that they can earn commissions. The tour usually lasted less than a week with jam-packed itineraries. That was not exactly my idea of travelling. 

I started to have a breather from such ‘travelling’ during my university days when I got the chance to fly to Australia to meet my friends who were studying there. I truly enjoyed the road trips, the carefree itineraries but I was travelling with friends who were from my country and not meeting anyone beyond my circle of friends.

Coming from quite a conservative upbringing and environment, it is hard for me to do things freely without being questioned. I used to live my life conforming to the rest of my friends’ expectations. My wandering mind was locked.

And then in my late 20s, one decision changes how I perceived life, which is opening my home to strangers. I had friends who commented I was crazy to do that. But I persisted because, after the first year of hosting, I was hooked. The world was coming to me, and I was travelling through their rich, wonderful stories and teaching me to understand different cultures. My mind started to unlock, welcoming diverse ways of living. I had never felt so happy and fulfilled. My life inspiration came from these strangers who came to my home and gave me a gift of friendship. 

Key changes 

I started to do solo travelling. I didn’t dare to travel solo until I started hosting. Many people who came to my home travel solo. Travelling solo is liberating where it allows me to reassess how far I’ve come in my life and reminds me to be grateful that I have the opportunity to see the world. It is also the time for me to organise my thoughts for whatever issues I face back home.

While I did have the experience of staying with other people in the same house, it was still only with people from the culture I am familiar with. Opening my home to people around the world is a whole new experience. My tolerance level being tested and acceptance towards different quirks continue to grow. 

Growing up I did not have the opportunity to meet someone outside of my culture, not even during my working years. After hosting, I started to have friends from all around the world with different backgrounds. I learned to be non-judgemental towards a person’s background, country, or by their looks. 

The ultimate lesson is having faith in humanity. Living with different types of people has shown me kindness, respect, trust and empathy exist in this world. Deep and meaningful conversations lead to a better understanding of one another which is important in creating a healthy global community. 

Sharing my dream with you

Finally, my dream came true, I released ‘My Home, Our Stories’ on Amazon last month. If you’re interested to read in more detail, just drop me a DM. I will send you a free copy of ’My Home, Our Stories’ in PDF and ePub. 

This book is self-published and not sponsored by Airbnb. My goal is to share these stories on how we can welcome people into an environment we’ve created without prejudice and judgement. 

I’m no longer a host now, but it was a wonderful journey and the defining chapter of my life that will be forever be marked in this book. 

Stay well. 

Taking a refuge in Thailand now, and loving life every second, every minute of every day

❤️ Yuan

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Yuan100 

Congrats on publishing~~ as a fellow homeshare host I very much look forward to reading your book and stories about hosting!!!!

I think I will read it during my next train ride back home 🙂 

[Yuan100]

@Jessica-and-Henry0 

Thank youuuuuu!!! Hopefully you will enjoy it 🙂 

[Flavia202]

Lovely post, @Yuan100  - thanks for sharing and congrats on publishing! So you grew up in Malaysia.  I have friends living in Kuala Lumpur and had planned on visiting but delayed due to covid. I still hope to visit some time.

[Yuan100]

Thank you so much @Flavia202 ! I hope you can visit Malaysia in the near future. You must put Georgetown in your itinerary, a lot of yummy food you can try there. 

[Flavia202]

Georgetown added to my bucket list, @Yuan100 ! Thanks!

[Yuan100]

No problem at all! If you need tips on where to go, what to eat, just PM me next time. I will remember you, Flavia from Jamaica  😄

[Sarah977]

@Yuan100  Lovely post. I really liked you highlighting the solo traveler aspect. I have only ever hosted solo travelers and I love that. I find them overwhelmingly self-sufficient, friendly, adaptable, respectful, appreciative, easy going and interesting.

It takes a certain kind of person to have the confidence, savvy, and "go with the flow" attitude necessary to travel solo.

And when a solo traveler books a home-share, they usually do that to "know" someone in an unfamiliar place, so they can ease in to the area and culture, get tips from the host and so on, and feel more secure than if they were alone in some hotel room. For me, like you, that has led to friendships and learning and some fun times with guests.

I've always enjoyed travelling solo, myself- no one to negotiate with as to where to go next, or what restaurant to try out, you're more apt to strike up conversations with friendly strangers than if you were travelling with others,  and your perceptions aren't influenced by what people travelling with you might like or think. It can also instill a lot of self-confidence to handle all sorts of different situations on your own.

[Yuan100]

Thank you @Sarah977 !! I am happy that you like my story. 

I agree with you. Somehow as a host, you get more interaction with solo travellers. After hosting for a while, we can gauge better those who want to interact and those who don't want to. But most of the time like you mentioned the one that books home-share wants to know 'local' in that area. Or else, they would just stay in a hotel or book the entire place for themselves. 

It is really liberating to do solo travelling. I love that a lot, I wish more women have the guts to do so. So much we can learn about ourselves too. 

[Sharon683]

What a lovely story.  You are a great writer.  Keep up the great work.