AirBnB Experience | Madrid, Spain
$50 / person
Last Wednesday I discovered the coolest solo-traveler Airbnb experience! Have you ever been traveling alone, and needed someone to take your photo? Typically, you have to ask a stranger to take the photo and you end up with an off-centered, maybe blurry photo with hair in your eyes.
This is THE solution to getting sharp, crisp, creative photos while out adventuring alone. I am so glad that while in Madrid I opted for a private photo session offered through Airbnb Experience. We spent three hours, 9AM - 12AM, walking around Madrid. I actually had a wonderful tour of Madrid, my photographer gave me Spanish history and talked extensively about the Spanish monuments. And in addition to getting to learn the city, I was photographed at each spot.
Because Madrilians (Madrid locals) love to sleep, 9AM was the perfect photoshoot opportunity. We were nearly alone for every one of the photo locations. My photographers, Kirsten and her associate Lola, made me laugh the whole time. It was far from awkward, I felt like I had known these women for years. We even had a drink together mid-experience. After it was all over we made friends and even enjoyed a night out on the town together.
NOTE: This would also be a super cool experience for couples. I would have loved to drag Rasmus to one of these rendezvous. We are going to Budapest in December...
The greatest thing about this was that my sister was coming in that night to spend time with me, and I had already taken all the photos I wanted, so then I could focus my attention on her and truly experiencing the city and its history—phone free. As a content creator, I am constantly taking photos which can be annoying, so this is a wonderful way to get it all done in three hours. You get to take home amazing photos and memories!
I selected this tour based on reviews. Kirsten had 4.97 stars, and I am super rating-sensitive. Always read reviews, they are the best insight into what will really happen. I would have given Kirsten 6 stars! For $50 a got a stellar tour and 200+ photos, although she only advertised that I would get 50.
On our tour we walked 7 miles, and saw these famous spots:
Templo de Debod
Royal Palace
La Almudena
Colorful Streets in la Latina
Plaza Mayor
Gran Via
Plaza Cibeles
Retiro Park
We also saw and photographed:
- Calle Baja
- San Miguel market
- Sol
- Secret rooftop bar
How to Use Airbnb Experiences:
Airbnb experience is a feature that Airbnb.com offers to travelers wanting to experience a city in a new way. The site boasts over 30,000 unique experiences put on by local guides, with no Airbnb rental required.
They offer a vast range of experiences, from cooking classes, photography sessions, literature, religion, hiking, art, food tours, you name it! I have been floored by the offerings I’ve seen.
Booking an experience is super simple. You can use the Airbnb website or mobile app to book an experience. When you open the website or app, look for the experiences section. Then, choose a specific city and dates, or browse through all experiences. You don’t have to have a home booked on Airbnb in order to book an experience and availability is set by each individual host.
Tips on Booking from a Frequent User:
Save the places you like for later. Airbnb has a great feature that allows you group your finds. This makes them easy to find later. It is easy to lose an experience!
Utilize the “lists” feature. If you look in my account you’ll see oodles of lists like: Honeymoon 2019, Madrid, Budapest, Santorini. I love to save items into my wish lists, and when you finally find a few its great to group them and be able to compare and contrast.
Don’t be afraid to ask. This mochi ball experience I did in San Francisco was actually showing unavailable on the booking calendar during the dates I’d be there with my mom. So I just reached out to Yukiko, and told her how interested I was. So she opened the day up just for us! Ask and you shall receive.
Read the reviews. This app does an awesome job of collecting the thoughts of the participants. Read what people have to say and you’ll walk into the experience with a pretty good idea of what you’re going to get. Also, leave a thoughtful review— it helps the rest of us.
If you're new to Airbnb, get $15 off of a $50 or more experience by using my link: https://www.airbnb.com/c/lindleyg11?currency=USD
Stay tuned! Later in December, Rasmus, Adela and I are headed to Budapest to experience a real authentic “fat boy food tour,” and a “beer bath,” I will pop back here to update on my findings!
If you are ever in Madrid and want to try this experience, let me know! I'd love to personally connect you with Kirsten.
@Christianne you could totally set up a tour in Albuquerque <3 I would sign up!
Thanks Mark! It was cool to be without my phone for the rest of the trip, for sure. You should checkout the Airbnb Experiences in Hawaii!
Awee Lin! This is such a cool idea! And of course you're gorgeous, love these!
Sounds like a great experience. And beautiful photos to capture your time in Madrid. I really appreciate that you are spending time without your phone.