PSA: This Sabbatical Program Lets You Live In The Bahamas For Free For Two Months
Airbnb is partnering with the Bahamas National Trust to create a sabbatical program that selects volunteers who will stay with Bahamian hosts, support preservation projects, and benefit local communities.
The two-month sabbatical runs from April 1 to May 31, 2020.
In order to be considered, you have to apply on Airbnb and applications will be accepted until 11:59pm EST on February 18.
Feeling uninspired lately? Looking for a big change? Searching for that dream job? Have some time off—or know somebody who does? You're in luck—Airbnb just announced that they're teaming up with a non-profit organization called the Bahamas National Trust to offer a two-month sabbatical trip to—you guessed it—the Bahamas, all expenses paid.
But don't expect a free two-month beach vacation in Nassau, the capital city and most popular tourist destination in the Bahamas. This sabbatical opportunity with Airbnb involves volunteer work in three different Bahamian islands—Andros, Exuma, and Eleuthera—over the course of eight weeks. Those three chosen locations are part of the approximately 700 islands that comprise the Bahamas archipelago.
How does the process work? Among all the applicants, up to 50 people will be selected to move on to the next round—which involves phone or video interviews—and ultimately five individuals will be selected for the sabbatical program.
If you're one of the lucky five, here's how your eight weeks will go. Weeks one through three will involve learning about and restoring a coral reef at Andros Barrier Reef—the third-largest living organism on the planet.
Weeks four through six will be spent in Exuma where you would be joining a team of lifelong divers and fishermen to support ethical fishing practices in the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park.
During weeks seven and eight, you would move over to the Eleuthera island to learn about and promote traditional agriculture practices, including the preparation and use of bush teas and other natural remedies rooted in Bahamians’ African ancestry.
Interested? The actual application is relatively simple, and involves filling out a form on the Airbnb website. Questions include swimming and scuba diving experience, and an open-ended query: "what excites you about the Bahamas Sabbatical? What unique qualities would you bring to the experience?"
This is not the first time Airbnb has offered an all expenses paid sabbatical trip for volunteers. Previously, Airbnb Sabbaticals sent five folks to Italy as well as Antarctica.
While we won't know how many will apply for the once-in-a-lifetime Bermuda sabbatical, if interest is anything like Airbnb's Italy excursion—where more than 280,000 people hoped for the chance—competition will be stiff. Still, we're crossing our fingers here at OprahMag.com because we've already put in a request for an ~extended~ spring vacation.
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