The nose in the suitcases

Here we go again ! After a few frantic months of finishing our projects at home, a week of putting our lives in boxes, and a few plane flights, my sweetheart and I have just arrived in Morocco.

It all happened so fast. "You must be eager to go back? You have been asking me for over a year and a half. The truth is, it didn't itch too much. After several years on the road - literally on the road! - I took advantage of the calm and the Canadian greenery with renewed great pleasure. I appreciated our luxury life more than we take for granted. Gabrielle - that you could see in brazil and several episodes of la Route verte - and I even made a few offers on houses, which failed in this frenzied market.

It was towards the end of June that I saw the announcement for Airbnb's Live Anywhere program. An incredible opportunity to have accommodation (Airbnb!) paid all over the world for almost a year, in addition to an amount used for travel expenses. We may be well at home, but I could not miss such a possibility! I filled out the first form, thinking I would never hear about it again ...

About two weeks later, I receive an email telling me that I am taking the next step. Everything then rushed. I have a few days to lay an enthusiastic video in which I have to introduce myself and my guide, and indicate how I will be able to live “nomadically”. As I have to go and film an episode of Good people la Route verte in Outaouais on the following day, I quickly answer this proposal in barely 24 hours. I offer several great ideas that demonstrate my enthusiasm!

The next and final stages of the contest are rolling in so quickly that part of me thinks I'm getting ripped off. But the people I video interview with, in San Francisco and Mexico City, have web presences and match their photos. When Airbnb finally makes theofficial announcement that I am among the 12 chosen out of no less than 314 candidates, I must face the facts: I am setting out again on an adventure!

Airbnb's goal

Mainly used for short stays, Airbnb had to reinvent itself during the pandemic. International tourists have given way to locals. And teleworking has been put forward. While many can now work from home, nothing says it must be our "real home". Several hosts offer pretty good discounts - I've seen up to 40%! - for long stays, i.e. from 28 days. In many countries, housing is even cheaper than in Canada.

The name of the program, Live Anywhere, is therefore a reference to this teleworking from everywhere. My only obligations are to rent accommodation (wherever I want) for 28 days, and give them my recommendations to improve the customer experience. At different times during this month, I have to answer a few questions and send them. They estimate the work to be a few hours per accommodation. The rest of the time, I continue my usual work of finding stories to tell, in texts, photos and videos.

A different adventure

This year's adventure promises to be different from my kilometers cycled from one border to another. Especially since we decided not to bring our bikes with us. By staying a month in each place, I have the opportunity to better discover a city or a region. Dragging our bikes would have cost a lot of transportation and would, I think, have made me want to explore further afield.

I also had to figure out what to put in our new suitcases Thule rather than saddlebags! Among other things, the tent and the camping equipment have given way to ski boots which will be useful in Italy in a few months.

Boxes made quickly in the apartment!

I am leaving this time with real suitcases… and accompanied!

The masks… and the big noses!

Vaccinated and provided with PCR certificates, we flew from Montreal to Paris, then to Casablanca in Morocco. The mask was to be kept during the entire trip, although you will see that several had a different conception of how to wear it!

No one was offended by those noses protruding like chimneys. Several travelers even had their masks simply on their chin. I was also surprised at how easy it was to go through the sanitary formalities. The officially requested certificates are little or not looked at at all and I have not seen anyone being refused entry.

As I approach Casablanca, I can feel the drought and aridity of the place even through the porthole. Everything appears beige and sandy, concrete, and the absence of vegetation is marked. If I didn't have my mask on, I could almost already feel the new adventure coming.