goingbarefoot’s Airbnb
in Durham, NC

Official listing for the goingbarefoot Airbnb »

“Concierge & caretaker… Airbnb’s SuperHost designation couldn’t be more apt… There should probably be a statue of this guy in Durham Central Park…. By far the best Airbnb I've ever set foot in...."

These kinds of comments from guests make a guy very happy. I've been an Airbnb host since fall of 2014, and the listing has now surpassed 1,000 5-star reviews from guests from around the US and abroad whom I've had the pleasure of welcoming to Durham.

When I decided to give Airbnb a try, creating a two-bedroom private apartment on the lower level of my house where I had maintained my office for more than 25 years, I knew very little about the still-young Airbnb organization. But learning more about the basic Airbnb concept and principles at that time took me back to a few years in the 70s when I was a part-time host & caretaker for Himmel House, the alumni house for The Experiment in International Living in Putney, Vermont. Former exchange students & host families from around the world would stay at Himmel when they were visiting The Experiment headquarters. The memories of that time in my life remain magical, even now. Thoughts of the Airbnb hosting experience conjured up warm recollections of extending a certain expanded hospitality at The Experiment that fed my soul. I wanted to see if I could get that back. While Airbnb itself has changed quite a bit since those early days, it still brings me joy, and I'm happy that ten percent of my Airbnb revenue is contributed back to the outbound scholarship program of The Experiment in International Living.

A few years back, I had a two-and-a-half year-old politely ask me if his family could have a later checkout so he wouldn't have to interrupt his usual naptime and 'nap in two places'... He then whispered to me that he and his dad had seen some bamboo growing across the street on their walk and that “I should be careful, since it's an invasive species in case I didn't know.” Not even three-years-old…and exactly the gardener I’ve been searching for! (His dad was a landscape architect.)

That's the kind of interaction that is Airbnb to me.