Airbnb allows one to share their luxurious or greatly-placed properties in exchange for great experiences and cheaper rates for travelers. But how about for backpackers and travelers who would love to share a meal with locals in their vacation spots? This is the focus of Vizeat, a new 'dine-surfing' app that lets travelers eat in the homes of people they barely know.
The app's slogan on its website is "Taste the city with the locals," an appropriate way to describe the app's functionality. But rather than posting an advertisement for renting homes, "hosts," as they are called by the website, would create events subject to the approval of Vizeat. Upon approval of a single event, hosts could now propose more events in the future.
Vizeat's events go from plain dinners and socializing with the locals to handling an entire cooking class for travelers interested in culture and tasting the different ingredients used to create the unique dishes and ways to prepare them. For travelers, the app allows them to request a book with the event posted by the host and electronic payments would ensure the host receives their funding while travelers are guaranteed their spot in the said event.
According to The Independent's Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith, her experience with Vizeat finds her practicing the unconventional way of being invited and eating into stranger's homes and getting paid for eating. According to Eleftheriou-Smith, Apple CEO Tim Cook has also tried the app made by co-founders Camille Rumani and Jean Michel Petit.
The founders said the experience of eating in someone's home is eating food "you can't get in a restaurant in a local family's home." The "Airbnb of eating" also allows travelers to know more about the culture, traditions and gastronomic offerings from a local's point of view, which one could consider truly a realistic and grounded experience during a vacation.
