This post about Airbnb Virtual Experiences has been sponsored by Airbnb, however, all my thoughts and opinions are my own! Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Miss Moore Style possible!
“We are living in unprecedented times.” At this point in 2020, I am sure you have heard that phrase about 206 more times than you’d have liked, am I right?! Celebrating the holidays this year looks so different, so I’ve been looking for some creative ways to get into the festive spirit and feel more connected with loved ones, even though we are apart. One of the things I have missed the most this year is travel and getting to see my family. Believe it or not, Airbnb has an awesome, covid-19 friendly answer to both of these things I miss so much! Airbnb has taken their Experiences virtual, so you can safely connect with loved ones virtually while sharing in amazing experiences from hosts around the world. Here are some of my favorite Airbnb virtual experiences that you need to know about to spice things up and have some socially distant fun this holiday season!
Airbnb Virtual Experiences
Harry Potter Magic in Edinburgh Tour
In case you don’t know this about me, I’m a HUGE Harry Potter fan. If you are as well, then I’m sure you are aware that Hogwarts definitely knows how to do Christmas magic! This virtual tour is 60 minutes long, and can host up to 10 people. The hosts conduct the tour in both English and German and on this virtual tour, where you will get a glimpse into Edinburg, Scotland through the eyes of J.K. Rowling, the famed author of the Harry Potter series.
The host will show you the school that is believed to be the inspiration for Hogwarts, the shops that shops that food their way into diagon alley, and the graveyard where she took names for her characters. If you tell the hosts your favorite characters before the tour, they will do their best to work those characters into your experience as well! It really is the perfect experience for any Harry Potter fan. I know its definitely something my siblings and I would really enjoy doing together.
Holiday Cocktails at Home
This experience is a great way to spice up virtual happy hour with your girlfriends over zoom! What could be more fun than learning how to make some delicious holiday craft cocktails from the safety of your own home? This experience is 90 minutes long and can host up to 10 people. In this hour and a half, you will learn the history of bartending and cocktails, followed by a few key techniques for making killer cocktails at home, and the “finer details” of ice, dilution, citrus, bitters, and bar tool etiquette. The host ensures that you will be whipping up your own themed holiday cocktails in no time, and having a blast while you’re at it!
Making and Eating Soup Dumplings
My husband and I LOVE soup dumplings and we love to cook, but soup dumplings have never been something I’d consider myself able to make, until I stumbled upon this activity in the Airbnb virtual experiences. The host, Cici, is in Shanghai. Its so cool to get to virtually learn how to make this delicious dish from someone on the other side of the globe! In this 2 hour experience, you will learn how to make famous Shanghainese xiǎolóngbāo soup dumplings from start to finish, including how to knead a dough, how to roll wrappers and how to pinch a dumpling by your hands, and (my biggest curiosity) how to actually get the soup inside the dumpling!
After making your handmade xiǎolóngbāo and dipping sauce, you will enjoy your meal together and receive an easy-to-follow recipe so you can recreate the cooking experience in your own kitchen. This is definitely one my husband and I are going to try as cooking is one of our favorite things to do together.
Learn How to Saber a Bottle of Champagne
Ok, let’s just say, I’ve always wanted to know how to saber a bottle of champagne. What an amazing party trick to have up your sleeve, am I right?! I feel like this activity is the perfect preparation for those post-coronavirus celebrations, and you will be ready to go after taking this virtual class. This experience is 1 hour long and is $13 per person. Apparently, sabering champagne bottles is a long standing tradition that goes back to the days of Napoleon, who once said, “I cannot live without champagne, if I win, I deserve it; in case of defeat, I need it.” I’d have to say, I’m with him there!
After learning how to saber your champagne bottle, your host will take you through the steps of champagne tasting as well as a small education on how champagne is produced and some history about the Champagne region of France. This would be a fabulous virtual activity with friends or family leading up to NYE so you can all toast the new year together in style with plenty of flare!
The Barcelona Espadrilles Workshop
Maybe you still haven’t gotten yourself a gift for Christmas yet….Yes, I said it, you gotta treat yourself! When I saw this workshop, I was sold because I am a girl who can’t have too many pairs of shoes! In this 75 minute workshop, you will be transported virtually to a workshop in Barcelona, where your hosts will teach you a little bit of the history of the espadrille, as well as the materials needed to construct them, and then you will work with them virtually to create your own customized pair of espadrilles! You can choose the size of the base, the color and materials, and the style of stitching. Watch as your hosts will stitch LIVE your own traditional espadrilles, following your instructions. Once finished, they will teach you the different ways to lace them up and use them, and finally, they will ship them to you so you can wear your magnificent, one of a kind shoes.
Because this experience does result in a pair of custom shoes, it is a little more on the higher side at $88 a person. In my opinion, its completely worth it for what you receive. This would also be such a cool and creative gift idea for the lady on your list who seems to have everything. Why not give her such a cool experience and one of a kind shoes?
A Fabulous Day in Paris with a Parisian
If you’ve been following along on my blog and social media for a while, then you know that Paris is my favorite place in the world. I dream of the day when I can go back for another visit. This experience definitely has my name written all over it! For one hour, join a Parisian host as they take you through a day using props, photos and images (since they’ll be on their sofa too!), while offering fun facts, stories and good humor along the way. During your experience, you’ll learn how to order a “tradi,” which is better than a baguette, learn some fun facts about the Louvre museum, Discover the birthplace of an iconic drink in the Royal Palace and end the day with a secret underground party!! We’ve all been confined to our own homes for so long, it sounds so fun to virtually “escape” to a magical destination like Paris and learn some new things to make my next trip there even better!
Sangria and Secrets with Drag Queens
Of all the Airbnb virtual experiences this one sounds like such a blast. I’ve already texted it to some of my girlfriends for us to sign up for together. Not only will you learn the secrets of how to make the most authentic, fresh, and delicious Portuguese sangria, ALL from scratch, step by step, but you’ll also be having a fun filled hour and a half virtual experience that is highly interactive and includes extravagant costumes, live performances, fireworks, and more. This sounds like such a fun experience to not only do with friends but also an opportunity to meet new friends all around the world. Brb, I’m going to start a group text to coordinate when me and my squad are signing up for the DragTaste Airbnb experience!
Even though travel has been very restricted this year, these Airbnb virtual experiences are a great way to explore different cultures and places, meet new people, and learn new things. Airbnb offers these experiences as gift cards, which make an excellent gift idea for anyone in your life who loves to travel. Simply choose the online experience you think your loved one would be into, and at checkout select “give experience as gift” they’ll receive a personalized note from you with the experience and be able to select their time, date and even a different activity if they find one they like more on the site. I love this idea so much, I may have to gift a couple to some of the people on my list!
I hope you enjoyed this post and it gave you some creative ideas on how to make the holidays a little bit more bright this year, in spite of how hard 2020 has been. Much love to you and your families this holiday season!
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