This retired Seattle couple sold their house and have traveled the world living in Airbnbs

When Debbie and Michael Campbell retired from their Seattle jobs in 2013, Debbie believed they had “another adventure” within them. Instead of working for the weekend, they created a life of adventure – one that lasted and counts for eight years. The Campbells are jumping from Airbnb to Airbnb and have so far visited 270 Airbnbs in 85 countries.

“We’re probably the most prolific users,” says Debbie. “We’re not on vacation. We live in Airbnbs. We live our daily lives in other people’s homes. ”

Their Airbnb hopping caught the attention of Airbnb, who hired the couple who blog as The Senior Nomads to mentor the winners of a promotion called Live Anywhere on Airbnb. The 12 winners will live rent-free in Airbnb units with up to three friends each for 10 months from September. Debbie also wrote a book called Your Keys, Our Home for renters of rental homes and did a three month internship for Airbnb together.

“What [Airbnb] During COVID it was learned that they had a very significant increase in the number of people booking long term stays. Instead of working in your basement at Ballard, you can work on the beach in the Bahamas, so that’s what people did. So they put this program together, ”says Debbie Campbell.

“Michael and Debbie have lived in Airbnbs for eight years. So when we decided to start the Live Anywhere on Airbnb program, they were an obvious choice to help us train and onboard the attendees who would be living in the listings on Airbnb for the next year, ”said one Airbnb spokesperson via email. “We will be hosting briefings in August to help attendees prepare for their September departure, and Michael and Debbie will be hosting a session of tips and tricks from their experience with 270 Airbnbs in 85 countries.”

This month, the Campbells are holding a briefing session with the competition winners to share advice from their Airbnbs experience.

“We have so much we want to share with them to help them get to their own destinations, including travel tips, best ways to find the right Airbnb, what to bring and what to leave at home,” said Michael .

In return for sharing their expertise, the couple is compensated with … what else? Airbnb credit.

On a Zoom call from their Airbnb in Samois-sur-Seine outside Paris, where they were visiting their daughter and grandchildren earlier this summer, the Campbells show no signs of slowing down. One of her daughters lives with her husband in the village so that their grandchildren can come to visit.

The couple enjoyed their nomadic life to the full after retirement. Debbie, 65, a former ad agency owner, enjoys exploring the artistic and historical aspects of new places, while Michael, 75, who once headed the Seattle Sports Commission, enjoys watching live sports like soccer and tennis around the world.

“It’s hard not to see how transformative travel is, it opens up your worldview,” says Michael Campbell.

The first idea came up years ago when one of her daughters mentioned a friend who worked remotely on a long-term basis.

“We just didn’t know what we wanted to do when we retired,” says Debbie. “The hypothesis was, could we retire, live in other people’s homes, and spend as much money as we would if we had stayed in Seattle?”

Airbnbs were the element that got the budget up and running versus staying in hotels, say the Campbells. They rented their house, sold their car and boat, stowed their belongings, and went on their way. A six month trial turned into “a two year old ‘I guess we’re going to do this!’ To sell our house and settle into a lifestyle that is really comfortable for us,” says Michael.

Occasionally, they return to the United States to visit their three other children, family, and friends, for medical exams, and to volunteer – and get vaccinated – in political campaigns during the last 2020 presidential elections in Colorado, Montana, and Alaska .

Living out of a suitcase and adapting to new digs with each new city and culture can be exhausting, but they band together and play well together. Debbie is already sitting close together and slaps Michael on the shoulder or leans her head back to him, laughing. They enjoy each other.

Whoever you’re with, what makes traveling so exciting is that you never know what you will find.

“[Staying at ] 270 houses mean 270 different beds, showers and kitchens, ”says Debbie. “I’ve seen every type of kitchen there is. There are some Martha Stewart wouldn’t turn down, and others are – really? Should I cook with this pot? “

In Rwanda, chickens wandered through her kitchen because it was open to the outside. In Kyoto, Japan, four people couldn’t fit in the room together.

Almost all of the homes they’ve stayed in have one thing in common, she says, elements of IKEA, the budget homeware store that pushes boundaries.

Fortunately, they did not have any serious health problems, even during the pandemic when they were locked up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for months. The deepest points of their trip – stolen twice – are overshadowed by unforgettable experiences and helpful people who took them across town to a pharmacy or helped them to get cash at the ATM.

Although Michael is learning French in the Duolingo app, the Campbells are only fluent in English. At each station you will learn key phrases such as “Sorry”, “May I please”, “Good morning” and “Thank you”. If they need help, look for the youngest adult they can find who may speak some English.

To save time, Michael likes to have key phrases handy on screenshots from Google Translate on his phone.

The couple has developed a ritual to settle in and dedicate each new “home”. They install their pillows, and then Michael checks that the electric lights and WiFi are working – preferably before the caretaker leaves – while Debbie searches the kitchen for staples and supplies like frying pans. In addition to avoiding rental cars, they cook regularly to save the budget. For some reason, Debbie says, Airbnb hosts often forget to provide cutting boards, so she carries one with her along with two knives.

Not negotiable? The next stop is a shopping spree to pick up a bottle of wine, diet soda, cereal, bananas, orange juice, milk, and peanuts so they’ll be ready for the next 12 hours, whichever comes first.

Along with cooking utensils and the pillows, their phones, e-book readers and computers, they easily pack with layers for changeable weather. Debbie likes her packable Uniqlo puffer coat and the washable wool Allbirds rugs. Their travel technology has been updated over the years. They had to buy SIM cards for their phones years ago and watched American TV on their Amazon Fire Stick.

“Right now we have plans for maybe the next six months. We feel so blessed that we are so healthy and none of our children are worried about us. In fact, sometimes they don’t even know where we are, ”says Debbie.

“As long as we’re having fun, learning, staying close to our budget and still falling in love,” says Michael. “We are curious, lifelong learners and want to see as much of the world as possible before we reach the finish line.”

Erica Browne Grivas
is a Seattle-based freelance writer; ebgrivas@gmail.com.