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How it all began?

In 2013, when travel vlogging was still in its infancy, I would spend hours searching YouTube for videos of far-off places and foreign cultures. In my mind, I could almost feel my feet on the mountains of Switzerland, breathe the sharp pine-scented air of Colorado, and taste the complexities of Thai street food. I dreamed, day and night, of exploring the world. It seemed like an impossible fantasy. But I was fascinated by the beautiful, seemingly infinite variety of travel stories, and so I kept watching and dreaming. Little did I know, back then, that my wish would come true in a way I had never imagined. In 2017, I took some time off from my existing business venture and launched into a new one: hosting. You see, instead of traveling, I realized I could explore other cultures by hosting travellers from all over the world! I was thrilled at the idea of meeting guests and hearing their stories, but just as importantly, I knew that I needed to be able to reciprocate. Here in this neighborhood, I would be able to introduce guests to a true community. Here, I know every twist of every alley, every shop, and every neighbor. This was an opportunity to welcome guests into a community that would warmly embrace them in return. The abandoned cottage at the corner of our own house was the perfect place. Private and independent, but within this community I knew so well, and I’d be right next door! I dialed a builder’s number, and we spent the next 65 days renovating. All that was left was to pick a name that would capture the warm, welcoming spirit of the place. “Den” was easy, for the cozy and homey feel of the renovated cottage. “Vennel,” a Scottish term for a passageway between two buildings, situates the cottage between the two larger houses beside it. And just like that, Den-Vennel was up and ready to book on December 26th. Then I waited. And waited. My heart has never beat so impatiently as it did in those 18 days between the time I listed Den-Vennel and my first booking notification. I had poured so much heart, soul, and energy into this place that I just knew my first hosting experience would be perfect. Well, it wasn’t. In fact, the only perfect thing about that first guest’s stay was the brilliant smile that lit their face the whole time. During that first stay, I learned something that stuck with me. What makes a trip “perfect” isn’t that every detail goes exactly the way you planned. Instead, it’s the real, truthful moments when you get below the surface of a culture and hear its inner heartbeat. Meeting the locals and getting to know them beyond just a ‘’hello.’’ Feeling like a part of the community, without losing the privilege of being a guest. Enjoying a home-cooked meal, instead of the lackluster version you’d find at a restaurant. Seeing the reality of Kolkata, not a curated touristy experience. Those moments are the ones that my guests remember, and that I cherish. After all, we only have a few days or weeks together to share our time, our stories, and our cultures. Our shared time is too short to waste on mechanical, impersonal systems of serving people. I want to create that human bond—to cherish every moment with my guests, and find perfection in the authentic, unique interactions and experiences that they won’t find anywhere else. Forget impersonal, cold perfection. Let’s make our moments together into lifelong memories!

Blog help – Gretchen Holm (www.threebigbites.com)