I was Trond's first Airbnb guest. I can't say enough about how awesome the experience was for me. My back story is that I had planned to visit Oslo with a friend but he ended up not being about to make it and I needed to find an apartment fast! Luckily, I saw Trond's listing which had just went up right before my planned dates. What made it so special to me was that his apartment was centrally located in the hip and trendy Grunerløkka neighborhood. It was a priority of mine to stay somewhere that was within walking distance to all of the interesting bars and nightlife in Oslo. Trond's place fit like a glove!

The bed in the room was comfortable and it allowed for privacy. There were two ceiling windows which you could open to let air in or shut with a blind to keep the sun out. There were outlets to plug in your electronic devices and cabinets and closets to store your clothes and belongings.

I don't think there's a better place logistically in Oslo at any price point, but Trond's place was even more special because he charged a very reasonable rate that is uncommon for an otherwise expensive city like Oslo, where even hostels are quite pricey.

Even better, Trond had a laid back personality and encouraged me to treat the place as if it were my home. Obviously, common sense rules like not making loud noise or being messy were expected, but nothing really beyond that.

Trond also let me into his social circle and invited me to activities with him and his girlfriend. We went to bars and he was quite generous in buying me drinks. He even took me sailing over the weekend in his sailboat, and because it was getting late on the island we went to and he knew I wanted to go out in the city on my last night, he asked to borrow his friend's motorboat to get me back to the city quickly so that I would have enough time to go out since his sailboat would take longer to get back into town. He dropped me off and then went back to his friends while I was able to go out alone on the town. Of course, this is above and beyond just renting out a place to someone. Trond treated me like a good friend, not just a mere guest renting a room.

That's why if Trond ever wants to visit the US, he can stay at my place free of charge! Even if he's going to a city I don't live in, I'll check to see if I have a friend who can host him.

I really couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Oslo and Norwegian culture in general. I was deeply impressed by Trond's hospitality and consider my experience with him to be the best one I've had so far on Airbnb.

You have to stay with this guy!