Airbnb has the "fuck the neighbors" mindset. Interesting way to think of the inherent evilness of different companies. Google and Facebook have the "fuck user privacy" mindset. Microsoft has a "fuck competitors up" mindset. This is fun.
I used it once before, in Barcelona, staying in the flat of a wonderful couple who we got along well with and it was like visiting relatives.
This time, it felt like we were saving a buck, and the owner making a buck, by scaring old ladies. I guess it's back to hotels and hostels.
Contrasted with a flat in residential block where one of the neighbours started shouting loudly at my girlfriend, I do not speak French (she is fluent) and didn't have any idea if things where about to get violent.
It turns out the previous guests had been making lots of noise late at night, being tourists we where of course staying up much later than we would normally. It's embarrassing having someone complain about your sex noises.
Another time we simply couldn't find or contact the host. Airbnb did not help in this matter at all. Contrasted to a friends experience on NYE when a booking.com room turned out to not be available, he ended up in the Shangri La hotel. It's clear AirBnB doesn't help you when things go wrong. As such I'd never use them for an important visit, or a visit during an event.
It is illegal for me to pull to the side of a free-way and pick up a stranger who's car broke down/ran out of gas to give them a ride to the nearest gas station/place they were trying to get to.
I find it absolutely absurd that it is illegal to help someone. Moreso on the merits of "helping strangers is bad, but it's legal if they are friends or family".
I have a very loose definition of "friend". So where do I draw the line between legal ridesharing (giving a friend a ride to the airport for $20) and illegal ridesharing (giving a stranger a ride to the airport for $20)?
Legitimate curiosity - so if someone would like to clarify why one is OK but the other is bad, I'd love to hear it.
Intent is the difference between murder and manslaughter, so I recognize I tread a fine line here, unlike the aforementioned, I do not see a reason to differentiate between the following two actions:
a) I let someone stay the night in my house and they offered me $60 as a thank you in return for the hospitality, I initially decline but they continue to insist so I take the $60.
b) I charged for someone to stay the night in my house and they agreed to pay $60 to stay at my house instead of an alternative place (and/or sleeping in their car/on the street)
I guess as a couchsurfer I have a different moral perspective about the act of sleeping in someone's house, offering money, accepting money, and bargaining.
E:
A reply to this comment was deleted, comparing that A helps all people and B helps people "willing to pay". My response to that is below:
You're still helping someone in either scenario. The pool of people you are willing or able to help is smaller in B than A, but you are still helping someone. Again - helping someone else does not need to be a selfless, altruistic act.
"Instead of spending $80 at a hotel, you can spend $60 at my place and you can join me for dinner."
By saving you $20, I have helped you. You saved $60 and had a place to sleep. Your alternatives were:
1. Sleep in car for free
2. Find someone willing to help you for cheaper and/or free
3. Sleep at a more expensive place