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So I’ve been battling depression, had to put down my beloved little dog after 11,5 years and have been sad for a really long time.
Now, I’m not here to generalize about a certain group of guests but I must say that I do have preference for Americans and here’s why.
Each time I meet and greet guests from the US I’m always astounded by their positivity and extremely kind a warm personalities and it makes me so happy each and every single time.
In these times where I’ve struggled, meeting and getting to know my American guests, it has made me a bit more positive and actually helped me get through the darker days.
There’s something really uplifting about the way Americans conduct themselves and the way they in earnest and direct manner are being straightforward, warm, happy and extremely kind.
Here in Denmark, we are somewhat reserved as people and we tend to guard our selves and keep a distance towards strangers until we have become more familiar with each other, but many Americans are just so direct, straightforward and honest in their interactions which is so refreshing and that makes the experience of hosting so much more pleasant and fun.
Now, one must never generalize, right? I do have the best guests, so I consider my self being lucky. Many other nationalities are also great to host, but there’s just something about Americans that is very distinct and for me at least very positive in 98% of bookings, if not more.
This post is just about me showing appreciation for the many positive interactions I’ve had over the 7+ years of hosting. Sometimes you just get tangled up in the negativity and hassle of it all, so I thought I’d share my subjective views towards a certain group of guests that I highly value and appreciate.
PS: Not entirely sure why I felt the need to write this but I hope you’ll just take it for what it is.
Happy Christmas to all of you on this forum!
I’m so sorry to hear about your beloved pet; they are such a part of our hearts.
Thank you for this post! As an American I hope to represent my country well as I travel and I enjoy engaging with people from other cultures and experiences. It is refreshing to hear positive feedback about my fellow travelers.
Hope your hosting journey continues to bring you interesting and engaging guests as you sound like a lovely host I would enjoy meeting. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.
Totally unrelated to Airbnb but I lost my beloved dog of 16 years this summer. I was planning on fostering dogs but ended up adopting a rescue that needs lots of love and care to get over his hurdles. It’s really helped me with my situational depression. There are also a lot of senior dogs that need homes. Just saying that the dog gets me out and about, going to dog parks, hiking with dog groups, etc. And yes, I’m American. When my daughter was in in high school, we opened our home to two exchange students from Denmark. They shared a lot about your culture. To me it sounded more focused on people and less on things. Good luck.
I am so sorry for your loss and the depression battle. I understand both and feel for you. When things pile on each other, it can be doubly hard. You sound like a kind person with a positive outlook, even in troubling times. I hope things get better and that you have a wonderful holiday season.
I’m so sorry about your loss. It is such a blow to lose a dog, as they express the purest love. I hope you will bless another dog with a loving home soon.
As an American,(first generation) thanks for the uplifting view of us. I travel overseas whenever possible and get funny looks when I engage strangers, but usually I get positive responses. I’m probably the worst in that I’m from the south and it’s just in our culture to talk to our fellow shoppers in a line, or the cashier at the drugstore. My cousins(from New Zealand) think I’m ridiculous lol.
I’m hoping for your spirits to lift and you can find joy going forward, you sound like a delightful person and host and are deserving of good things.
P.S. Denmark is on my dream list of places to visit. One day I hope!
That says it all (better than I can) so my best wishes to you, @Christian for the festive season and beyond.
This is probably a good time to say that I’ve had great guests from many countries all over the world. (And funnily enough, some of my favourites have been Danish!)
Me too. There are so many places in Denmark I’d love to see. I’ve even decided where I want to live if I happen to be there for any length of time - Isbjerget at Aarhus. @Christian if by any coincidence you host there, I’ll be making arrangments for you to have an English/American guest soon.
Me too! All of my Scandinavian guests are wonderful. But that is them traveling to the US, not Denmark. And @Christian 's experience with American guests is different than mine - I have a lot of great guests but I don’t think it’s because they are American (when they are). I wonder if there is something about being far from home that opens people up a bit?
That’s a very good point. Maybe they rely a little more on hosts to help them out if they are experiencing a new culture and way of life?
I know that many Americans won’t think so (maybe!) but there is quite a culture shock coming to the US. I moved here from England 25 years ago and I still find some things about this country weird. Which is fine because the people here find me weird.
Having lived in both the UK and the US (in a very Republican “flyover” state), my feeling is that US citizens who travel abroad are slightly different in attitudes and outlook to those American citizens (the vast majority, in fact) who have never travelled.
Lol! I love this point. My daughter is 12 and when she was little she thought it was neat that I knew the name of a waiter or our cashier, but now I get “Oh here she goes again … Mama!” muttered under her breath. Ha
Hugs and pat pat pats on your back, Christian. I totally understand your depression and want you to know that I’ll be thinking of you waaay over here in Oregon, USA.
I think this is probably true for pretty much any nationality. People who travel are a different breed than those who never venture far from home. Seasoned travelers may actually have more in common with each other, in some respects, than they have in common with their countrymen. Qualities like adventurousness, adaptibility, fearlessness, openness, the ability to connect with those from other cultures, come to mind.
I have probably 95% American guests. I’ve had multiple guests who have spent a day or two in the area or who went out for dinner that they think El Pasoans are above average friendly. I’ve even had guests say they met El Pasoans in a nearby National Park and those folks invited them to contact them when they got to El Paso. And while we aren’t generalizing about guests or nationalities I’ve long thought the 80% Hispanic population here was a big component of why people comment on our open and friendly demeanor.
So @Christian if you would like to visit with some of the friendliest people anywhere and have multiple dogs to pet and get your tears licked away, please come visit me. Airhost forum member discount applies.
