World's Best Places to Visit

In the span of just eight years, Airbnb has risen from San Francisco start-up to a global property phenomenon – now valued at $25 billion. The premise is simple: hosts let out spare rooms or full properties that will be vacant for a short period of time, and those in search of short-term holiday accommodation can rent it out. For each successful booking, Airbnb charge a host service fee of 3 per cent, on which VAT is also payable. This ease of use coupled with the high rates of revenue generated has seen Airbnb spread to have users in more than 191 countries throughout 34,000 cities. London is of course one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and given the high cost of hotels here (averaging £136 a night) it’s perhaps no wonder that holidaymakers are in search of a more affordable option. For those living in London with room to spare then, there’s an opportunity to make a substantial amount of revenue straight away. Not to mention, London is perfect to give A...

This is the fifth instalment of a new series interviewing expats across the world. I’ve reached out to expats in different countries to hear why people might choose to move abroad, and how they do it. If you want to know more about moving to a particular country this is the place! If you’re interested in taking part, or want to see a certain place featured let me know! I lived in the UK for two years on a working holiday visa, but in Edinburgh rather than the usual choice of London. I’m always interested in the stories of other expats who found themselves there and how they did it! So here’s my 5th expat interview, with a student in London, Valerie of Valerie & Valise. Valerie is a travel writer currently based in Seattle (after loving the grey, rainy weather of London). She has written for AFAR, Lonely Planet, and Matador, and is currently planning a multi-month escape to Europe. Table of Contents 1 What made you decide to move to London? 2 Tell me about the cost ...