Taking time off can renew your perspective on life, which is so easily lost when you're caught up in the day-to-day. Freed from your usual concerns and constraints, you can get back in touch with what it means to be you. Or you can play out what it would be like to take a completely different path.
That's especially the case when you stay in an Airbnb that goes beyond the routine. The home-rental site has some really unusual finds that can let you live a lifestyle completely different from your own. The fastest way to find them is to go to its OMG section, which features rentals that are truly out of this world, including more than one spaceship you can rent. Airbnb has sorted through structures to help 100 hosts build extraordinary rentals, granting $100,000 to each as part of its OMG fund. Pretty soon, you'll be able to stay in the Mischievous Mango Mansion in India.
As for us, we'd like to spend the summer in Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse. Which we could do, as Airbnb is taking reservations for two one-night stays (free) in Ken's wing of the perfect pink home. The listing goes live at 10 a.m. PT on July 17.
(Credit: Airbnb)Even if you don't manage to find out what's like to live inside this pink palace, there are plenty of other stunning spaces to stay, found elsewhere on Airbnb's site. We did some virtual vacationing for you, scrolling through places we'd love to stay and listing them right here so you can book them.
Want to run a bookshop for a week? Be part of an undersea world (on dry land)? Inhabit a Hobbit house? Sleep under the stars, high up in a tree? Or pool your funds with friends and pretend you're pashas? All this is possible. Choose your perfect place, and don't forget to send us a postcard!
Any time you stay somewhere that isn't home, it's smart to check your security and privacy. Here's one way to do that: "Does Your Airbnb Have Hidden Cameras? Here's How to Check."