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Edited to add: I received a sweet response from my Ukrainian host. In the past 2 days, over 61,000 nighst have been booked on airbnb to help Ukrainians.
Yesterday, I saw a post floating around Facebook that explained an easy way to donate money directly to a Ukrainian. Right now, Airbnb is waving all fees for stays in Ukraine. Obviously, nobody is vacationing in Ukraine right now. But, we can rent an apartment without staying there, and the money flows directly to the owner. You can read more about the concept in this article.
This idea made me think about the $200 rental vacation credit I have on my Capital One Venture X card. My husband already used his $200 credit, but I have not. I was planning to use it on a rental in Europe this summer. But honestly, I can cover our vacation rental without this credit.
So, I decided to pay it forward and rent an apartment in Ukraine. I picked a moderately priced place in Kyiv that is not owned by a corporation. The owner is a Super Host with a lot of reviews. I booked a few nights, and I sent a note saying that I would not be staying.
I know there are many organizations accepting donations for Ukraine right now. I’m not saying this is a better or worse way to donate. It’s just something we can do, especially if we have a credit card benefit that covers it.
I hope and pray for peace.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
does airbnb take a large share of your money as in the usual airbnb bookings? If so, it is sad that Airbnb ceo is using war to make more income….
@Ken Airbnb has waived all fees for Ukraine, so I don’t believe they are making any money from these transactions.
With all due respect – why do you think no one would be using Airbnb in Ukraine? With war going on, you’re very likely taking away a space that a local Ukrainian needs after their apartment is bombed.
Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to just donate?
@jonathon I’m not taking away space as I’m letting them know we won’t be staying there.They can rent it out to a local Ukrainian or do whatever they want with it. I’m donating to other Ukrainian causes, this is just one small thing that will (hopefully) do some good during this war. I posted other organizations accepting donations in my post last Friday.
It may be owned by a Russian. How about finding people on Facebook? Or finding a faculty member of a medical school and giving money to that person with the instruction to distribute it to students?
I picked a property that had reviews that mentioned meeting the local host. It’s a leap of faith, and for sure there are other ways to help.
Smart.