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When Strangers Meet: A Long-Distance Love Story From D.C.
This year, on Valentine's Day, we shared stories of two happily-ever-after couples who met through Airbnb. And, as it turns out, there's quite a handful of them. Our next story comes from Washington, D.C. — Hosan from New York City and Adi from Zurich.
"I love to tell my friends about this international dating site called Airbnb," laughs Hosan, as she tells the story of how two people—one from Switzerland and one from New York City—would happen upon the rare chance of meeting and falling in love. "It was the early days of Airbnb, and there were only a few listings in D.C., I had been traveling from NYC to D.C. on the weekends to launch TableTribes. And this particular weekend, I couldn't find anywhere to stay; I'd already exhausted the option of staying on friends' couches, so I found this apartment on this new site called Airbnb and thought, 'Why not?'"
The host who Hosan booked with, a journalist, was leaving town for the weekend. And while the room he normally listed on Airbnb had just been booked by another traveler, he graciously opened his own open room to Hosan for the weekend while he was away.
"I arrived to put all of my stuff in the room, and was on my way out to meet some friends for dinner. The guy who was staying in the other room had just come in from work and we just started chatting. I decided—what the heck—I'll invite this stranger to dinner with my friends. And he came along. We had such a great time. He was so easy to talk to."
That fellow guest, Adi, had only been in D.C. for four days of his planned seven-week stay. He was from Switzerland, and was there to do some research for a book he was working on, and needed a long-term solution. Airbnb was perfect for that.
"We figured that, while we were staying together, and got along so well, we might as well explore D.C. together. Have drinks. Go on little adventures. Actually, nothing romantic happened in the time we were staying together," Hosan laughs. "It was really quite friendly."
She continues, "We had so much fun together. But at the end of seven weeks, we were both clear that, even though this was turning into something more than a friendship, neither of us were ready for the idea of this long-distance relationship."
So, at the end of seven weeks, Adi went along, as planned, to Stanford to continue his research. And Hosan continued to do the back and forth between Manhattan and D.C.
But as this dreamy adventure came to a real end, things got real.
Hosan explains, "It was the night before Adi was supposed to leave for Stanford and he says to me, 'I can see myself in a long-distance relationship with you. I want to give this a shot.' And, of course, I start crying. That's when we agreed to jump right into it. We decided we would commit to making it work."
Hosan and Adi sought the advice of friends on how to make it work. After all, they'd really only just met, yet jumping into this long-distance trial. The advice? Make sure to see each other at least every three months. Because real life connections are so important at this stage, despite the inconvenience.
Adi came to D.C. a lot. And Hosan would then visit him in California, then Switzerland, as he eventually went back home to finish his book. The couple did a lot of small road trips while in Switzerland, always staying in Airbnbs.
They did this for a year and a half. Then, finally, Adi moved to D.C. to be with Hosan. Finally, they could date in the same city. A year later, they were engaged. And a year after that, they were married.
"I never would have imagined meeting someone like this—especially not at this time when I wasn't looking for a partner. I never planned on ever getting married," Hosan explains. "But I think that's part of why we're right for each other: We're both adventurous. We see the world in a lot of the same ways."
Adi adds, "Just when you are open to new experiences and to talking to new people, these things tend to happen. You just never know what's right around the corner. And what amazing people you might meet because of your willingness to embrace the adventure. I think that's why we work so well together—we're both the kind of people who love to say yes to the adventure."
Want more love stories?
Meet Shannon and Josh in San Francisco and Megan and Tocco in Berlin.
Lauren Fleishman is an award-winning, New York-born photographer currently living in England. Her photo book, 'The Lovers', documents the stories of couples who have been together for over five decades.
Written by AirbnbMarch 24, 2015
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