Airbnb Just Launched Online Experiences — Including Virtual Hangouts With Goats and Cooking Classes

Since its launch in 2016, Airbnb Experiences have become a beloved part of our travel journeys. It’s taken us all to new places to try new foods, learn new skills, make new friends, and see the world in a whole new way. Though the spread of the Coronavirus has brought our in-person adventures to a halt, Airbnb is still committed to helping everyone explore the world. That’s why it’s now offering many of those same — and brand new — experiences online.

On Thursday, Airbnb launched Online Experiences, a “new way for people to connect, travel virtually, and earn income during the COVID-19 crisis,” the company explained. “With communities around the world staying home to protect their own health and the health of others, people can’t pursue routine activities like going to work, exercising or pursuing a passion.”

So Airbnb worked with hosts around the world to find a solution. “One of the most consistent requests [from hosts] was to be able to continue hosting online,” Catherine Powell, Head of Airbnb experiences told Travel + Leisure. “So we dedicated a team to work around the clock to help ensure that they could transfer the magic of their real world Experience to the digital world.”

That magic includes online experiences like meditation with Buddhist monks, virtual visits with the dogs of Chernobyl, cooking with a Moroccan family, and even spending time with a few goats in the Catskills.

That last one — the goats — was a virtual experience we got to try out for ourselves before the official launch. It included plenty of up-close shots with the adorable creatures, lots of new facts about the animals (did you know goats have a 312-degree field of vision) as well as a question and answer time with their owner, Meagan. In all, the experience lasted about an hour, cost just $10, and would make for an excellent afternoon (and educational) activity for kids, or those curious about the creatures.

“It’s so important for us to preserve the human connection that is at the core of Airbnb Experiences, and guests can continue to expect this connection with our new offering, globally and virtually,” Powell told T+L.