Why Are Iowans Getting Airbnbs In Ukraine?

We're all looking for ways that we can support Ukrainians right now. People from all over the world are doing something very smart to try to give a helping hand.

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An Amazing Idea

Someone suggested an interesting idea to try to support Ukrainians caught in the crossfire of this war. In early March, one account on social media shared a new approach to providing aid to the European country.

"Yesterday I shared an idea to support Ukraine by booking rooms for rent on AirBNB. 24 hours later, 100's of people are booking AirBnBs in Ukraine as a way to send immediate monetary assistance to people in hard-hit areas."

It's Necessary

No, people are not booking nights for rooms FOR Ukrainian people to stay in this instance. You're actually doing this for the HOSTS.

This conflict has caused many citizens to lose their income, or in some cases lose some of the working members of the family to the war effort.

No one will be traveling to Ukraine for pleasure for the foreseeable future, so these hosts are losing a steady revenue stream. Now, these individuals are receiving a rapid influx of bookings from all over the world.

Numbers Are Slowly Growing...

In less than two days, 61,406 nights were booked in homes in the Ukraine. More than half of these nights were booked by Americans, according to reports. Once you crunch the numbers, that's nearly $2 million!

How Can I Help?

It's easier than you'd think, but you still need to do your research. Many of these places are owned by. professional hosts and not individuals, as reported by Skift. When you go to book on the website, check out the person's profile.

If you can tell they own more properties than a normal person can afford, maybe try and take a second look around the booking site.

After booking, message the host and let them know that you won't be visiting.

Airbnb officials have recently announced that they will be offering free, short-term housing to up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine.

If you are eager to show support, it also wouldn't hurt to check out different organizations that are on the ground like the Red Cross.