Airbnb has opened up a whole new way to travel. It offers inexpensive places to stay that don’t require sharing a room with 30 other people like you sometimes have to do when staying at  hostels. The site has created a community for travelers so they can experience a new city on the local level by inviting people into their homes. Unlike sites like couchsurfing, Airbnb has offerings for a wide rage of  age groups and preferences. Price points range too. You can stay in a  hammock or a house built for a celebrity. That’s what I love about it … you can choose your own adventure.

At the end of my trip across South East Asia, my last stop was Hong Kong. It was a surprisingly expensive city in comparison to where I had been traveling. So I ventured on to Airbnb and chose not only one of the cheapest available options, but also the most exciting. I slept on the roof of a nine-floor apartment building in a tent.

Out of all the locations I have been and all the different types of accommodations I’ve stayed in, this was my favorite. The owners of this Airbnb were two recent graduates that were looking into making the apartment into a hostel. They also had the best information on local eats and best sights to see for my short stay.

This hostel like apartment was not only a unique experience because of the tenting option but because of the community feel.

I’m not going to say this our stay was a complete fairy tale. I really enjoyed it, but between the 9-flight hike up to the roof (I refused to do it more than once a day) and the ongoing temperature problems at night time, it wasn’t like staying at a 5-star resort. Still, I would do it ten times over.

Booking this place was a risk I’m glad I took. Often times it’s easiest to go with a known recommendation or top Expedia hotel, but when you take the risk to go local and venture outside of your comfort zone the rewards far surpass expectations.