Airbnb Bookings Are Popular in Ukraine, for Unusual Reason

People in the US and elsewhere are grabbing them as a way to donate
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 4, 2022 2:29 PM CST
People Are Booking Airbnbs in Ukraine as a Way to Give
People fleeing from Ukraine leave the border crossing in Palanca, Moldova, Friday, March 4, 2022. More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine following Russia's invasion in the swiftest refugee exodus in this century, the United Nations said Thursday.   (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)

The idea of booking an Airbnb rental in Ukraine at the moment may sound nuts. But as it turns out, people in the US and around the world are grabbing openings quickly in Kyiv and elsewhere—not to use them, but as a way to donate money directly to ordinary Ukrainians, reports NBC News. The idea has been catching on this week after the company waived fees for both renters and hosts, notes the Guardian. "It's really cheap and can make a small difference right now," tweets one person who booked in the capital. They're right on the cost: A post at Curbed notes that rentals there go for as low as $50. "It brings tears to my eyes," wrote a Ukrainian host to an American renter in an exchange highlighted at NBC. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)

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