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Airbnb Is Launching New 'Adventures' Today

June 13, 2019
4 min read
Airbnb Is Launching New 'Adventures' Today
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Airbnb is getting adventurous.

Early on Thursday, the vacation rental site announced the launch of Airbnb Adventures, an adventure tourism platform that will be an all-in-one product for accommodations, meals, expeditions and more. The brand is calling it an "expansion" of Airbnb Experiences.

Some of the 200-plus adventures include tracking lions on foot with Sabache warriors in Kenya; searching for UFOs in Arizona; and cliff camping in Colorado.

Airbnb Adventures is open for booking as of Thursday morning, with itineraries ranging from $79 to $5,000 and spread across six different continents. The average adventure lasts around a weekend, and will cost just shy of $600, but they vary from an overnight trip to a 10-day trek.

All "Adventures" are organized for small groups capped at 12 guests and include a wide variety of activities and appeal to a number of interests. There are epicurean getaways, for example, as well as music campouts and such eyebrow-raising experiences as "seaweed safaris" and trips dedicated to the search for Sasquatch.

Photo courtesy of Airbnb

Each Airbnb Adventure expedition is hosted by a local host, and most of these trips are exclusive to Airbnb. All the initial hosts were exclusively invited, but there will be an application open for hosts to apply according to expertise, connections and access.

Will and Jewel Johnson, for example, are two Airbnb Adventure hosts based in Wakarusa, Indiana. They will open their barn to Adventures in August and hope to show visitors their Anabaptist "celebration of simplicity." Some activities they will offer travelers include cycling, hiking, gathering eggs, making jam, leather and woodworking skills and more.

The Johnsons say they chose to work with Airbnb because they have used the platform in the past for their own family and felt a special connection to the company.

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"Airbnb made us feel like we really did have a story to tell and people wanted to experience us living in our natural, normal life," said Will Johnson.

Photo courtesy of the Johnson family

Airbnb Adventures seems to be many years in the making. After all, back in 2016, the site launched Airbnb Experiences — a similar concept to the larger Adventures — offering day-long tours and activities in more than 1,000 cities worldwide.

But with Adventures, Airbnb goes the extra step by fulfilling travelers' lodging needs and providing all meals and activities. The hope is to ease the stress on travelers planning trips by being a one-stop travel shop — and, undoubtedly, to tap into the lucrative adventure travel market, which was valued at over $638 billion in 2017, according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).

Airbnb isn't the only travel brand extending its influence in the experiential and adventure travel space. Late last year, the fitness and wellness juggernaut Equinox announced it would launch multiday luxury tours with an emphasis on active adventures (think: "summit chasing" in Morocco) this spring.

Sadly, there's still no loyalty program in place to reward travelers who stay within the Airbnb ecosystem for everything from lodging to tours and meals. Fortunately, you don’t have to completely give up award travel when you stay in a Airbnb (or book an Adventure) as you can charge the stay to cards such as the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and use the “miles” from those cards to offset the charge.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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3XEarn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
2XEarn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets.
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    Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.

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    Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

    670-850
    Excellent/Good

Why We Chose It

Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.

Pros

  • Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
  • Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
  • Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
  • First checked bag free

Cons

  • Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
  • SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
  • Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
  • Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
  • Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
  • New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
  • Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
  • Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
  • Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
  • Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
  • Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
  • Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • $250 Annual Fee.
  • Terms Apply.
  • See Rates & Fees