I’m sitting in the warmth of the sun, having breakfast on the deck of a yacht that gently sways in the water among its seagoing neighbors moored here in Hong Kong. I wave at a man cleaning a nearby yacht then sit back pretending that this is my everyday life. Of course, in some sense it is. Today I’m on a yacht in Hong Kong, a couple of weeks ago I was in a fishing town in the Philippines, and next week… well who knows where I will find myself next week!

I came across the boat online at Airbnb.com. The owner, a friendly Englishman by the name of Nigel, rents the rooms on his two yachts to people looking for somewhere unique and alternative to stay in Hong Kong. There are many hotels and hostels in the city, but for much the same price as a room in a hostel I’m enjoying the use of an entire yacht! (Nobody rented the other room.)

The boat, named ‘Ratu J Mutiara’ is a luxurious Celestial 52′ Pilot-House Motor-Sailor that has two bedrooms, a fully equipped sitting room, a bathroom, a kitchen and even wifi. It’s comfortable and so much better than a room is some crowded hostel. A real find! To get to the boat you have to take a Sampan (water taxi) which only adds to the experience.

I’ve travelled on all kinds of transport this year, and stayed in all manner of places. I’m quite sure this will be one of the more memorable settings.

Airbnb is a pretty cool way of finding interesting and often inexpensive places to stay in many locations around the world. Check it out here.