Trend Watch "SocialBnB": Travel for a good cause
AirBnB vacations - with a sustainable twist: "SocialBnB" combines great accommodations with ecological and social projects in its online booking platform.
May 4, 2022
The sun slowly sinks into the Caribbean Sea. In Rincón del Mar in northern Colombia, a day comes to an end. A day spent by the sea, lined with palm trees towering over the white sand. A day spent with the locals, laughing, learning about the culture. A day spent in one of many great accommodations from "SocialBnB" is an ideal starting point for this unforgettable encounter.
The innovative online platform, which originates from Germany and operates internationally, promises sustainable, beautiful travel. In doing so, they have taken the role model - the concept of the AirBnB platform - a step further: World travelers can support a wide variety of locally active social or ecological projects from all over the world with their stay.
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From school to social startup
It all started with the tuk-tuk driver Seng Chanty from Cambodia, whose dream was to build a school for his community. And Nils Lohmann and Alexander Haufschmid, who wanted to support him. Since the donation money for the construction was not sufficient, they came up with the idea together with the Cambodian to turn Seng's house into a social AirBnB. With one special feature: guests should be able to enjoy their vacation and become part of everyday life in the village at the same time.
An immersive travel experience with a sustainable aspect that became a complete success not only for Seng, who reached his goal within three months. The idea developed further and led to the founding of the platform "SocialBnB": With the social startup, Nils Lohmann and Alexander Haufschmid have been supporting various social and ecological projects and communities worldwide with the power of tourism since 2020. A win-win situation for vacationers and locals.
What is "SocialBnB"?
On the one hand, travelers stay in beautiful accommodations around the world. On the other hand, they support a local project with a social or ecological background with their stay. On site, if you are interested, you are allowed to get more involved with this and get to know the selected destination from a very personal perspective. A truly authentic travel experience.
"SocialBnB" or donations?
Often, donations do not reach the regions and places they are supposed to help. With "SocialBnB", eco-travelers can be sure that their money directly benefits small, local projects that want to change something for the better in their region. And with a personal touch.
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Where is the journey heading?
The social startup may originate from Cologne, but it operates internationally. So you can find projects and accommodations from all over the world on "SocialBnB", starting from Asia, Africa and all the way to South America and Europe.
Depending on personal interest, you can choose between several types of accommodation, from a room to a private cabin, and choose from the following topics:
- Education
- Nature Conservation
- Animal welfare
- Equality
- Health
- Sports
Since availability is always changing due to local work, temporarily only a booking request is made. Should the local provider confirm that the SocialBnB is free and available for travelers, one can look forward to a sustainable, authentic vacation.
