I'm not surprised. Airbnb, for better or for worse, is changing the very nature of travel and the tourism industry.

There's a lot of noise in the media about realtors using the service to rent out properties to rich tourists instead of locals, but there are also countless people who put up a spare room or apartment on the service and allow people like me to experience cities in a much more rewarding way.

I'm a slow traveler and stay in the same spot for a month or two at the minimum, and Airbnb has allowed me to have a real apartment with all the conveniences of home. For instance, I love cooking, but I used to rarely get the chance to cook when I travel. With an Airbnb apartment I can now shop in local markets and try local ingredients. I also tend to try stuff in restaurants, then go home, research the dishes, and come up with my own. It means I can teach myself to cook local recipes, which is the best souvenir I could ever bring back home.

Another great aspect of renting an Airbnb place is that you don't always end up in the touristy areas. Sometimes you'll end up staying in very "normal" neighborhoods,which is really, really awesome. I can always take a bus or taxi to visit a touristy area, but living day by day in a local neighborhood, getting to know the vendors and other neighborhood regulars, is priceless to me.