CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Around the world, including here in Hampton Roads, people are booking Airbnbs in Ukraine, but have no plans to visit.
They’re doing it in order to get money directly into the hands of people in the war-torn country.
Amy Norred lives in Chesapeake. She told 13News Now she made her booking at an Airbnb in Kyiv on Thursday night.
She said she was looking for a way to help and found out about the trend on social media. Norred said the gesture is small, but she hopes more people jump on board.
“If a lot of people were to do something even this simple, a lot of little things can make a big change,” Norred said.
Norred said a host in Kyiv got right back to her when she booked their property.
“The person messaged me back and they were so grateful, very personable, fiercely patriotic. They were like, ‘That is amazing, thanks, so much! You have no idea how much this means to us.’”
Airbnb said it is waiving guest and host fees for bookings in Ukraine temporarily.