Meet Belinda, a host in Cape Town, South Africa

Belinda has been a host in Cape Town for a little over a year now. We wanted to find out a little more about her experience so far and why she decided to start sharing her home.

“It’s been a really enriching and rewarding experience for me and has far exceeded my expectations in terms of what the platform delivers individually and collectively.

“For me, home sharing is an immensely social experience. It encourages meaningful connection between humans from the first engagement.

“In today’s technologically-driven world, where we are more connected yet ironically more disconnected than ever, I love that hosting on Airbnb allows me to connect so authentically with people from all walks of life around the globe. Most of my guests arrive as visitors, but leave as friends.”

Belinda enjoys being able to share stories of her country’s history over a traditional South African meal at local restaurants with her guests:

“As a South African who has travelled extensively, more than 70 countries at last count, I’ve enjoyed being able to share and discuss the often troubled story of my own country with my guests. I’ve found that they are intrigued to learn about South Africa’s interesting socio-political history through my eyes, the person with whom they are sharing a home. It’s an utterly unique experience.

“For me personally, Airbnb embodies the spirit of ‘Ubuntu’, a community-driven foundation of South African culture: “I am what I am because of who we all are.”