An Interview With AirBnb Superhost Shelly Johnson

Spending an extended amount of time on the road means finding new and interesting places to stay along your journey. My favorite place to look for fun, unique accommodations is AirBnb. AirBnb allows anybody to create a listing on their app, offering people a place to stay in the form of entire homes, single rooms, guest houses, apartments, cabins, yurts, shipping containers, tents and in this case, repurposed vans and buses.

By far the most unique AirBnb experience I have had, was during a recent road trip through New Mexico where I stayed in a repurposed 1970's Volkswagen bus outside the town of Madrid (pronounced MAD-rid as opposed to the Spanish city mad-RID), high on a mesa thirty minutes south of Santa Fe.

The owner of this incredible space, called Shanti Community, is Shelly Johnson, an "off-grid, yurt dwelling, artist and musician" (according to her AirBnb bio) whose AirBnb listings are frequently featured among the top places to stay in the area. Her space has been featured by top photographers on Instagram, ambassadors from Google's #TeamPixel and countless curious road travelers. I caught up with Shelly to find out what goes into creating such a special place for road travelers to come together.

hanging with Shelly (left) during bang practice

What made you decide to share your amazing space on AirBnb? 

"As soon as I visited the land I knew it had a special energy. For me, the most inspiring thing about the land is how it brings these people together, a lot of times people who wouldn't otherwise cross paths. You have the central area for getting together and preparing food, and my favorite thing is when everyone comes out of their busses and gathers together to eat and drink and talk, people who are total strangers that I am privileged enough to have brought together. It's my favorite thing in the world."

a nearby canyon on Shelly's land

How has AirBnb helped create this opportunity for you?

"Oh AirBnb is the best. It's so cool. I've been lucky enough to feature right there on their front page for listings for the Madrid area and even Santa Fe, and when I make it on that trending page I see a lot of bookings come through and I get lots of messages. I think people see the pictures and in their mind it's exactly the sort of thing they are looking for on a road trip. I also use Hipcamp and Glamping Hub to get even more views on my listings, they also have some pretty cool stuff on there." 

How did you decide on Madrid, New Mexico? 

"About twenty years ago I was doing my own road trip through a bunch of New Mexico's artist towns. I rolled through town in my baby blue VW bus (photo above) and I knew right away. It just had this incredible energy from all of these different people who had settled here in an otherwise forgotten town, but it was clear that there was something special here and I think thats starting to show."

By all accounts, it is starting to show. Since Shelly settled in Madrid, the town has been featured in the movie Wild Hogs as well as a feature on CBS Sunday Morning, making it an increasingly popular tourist spot between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. To any travelers or road trippers in that area, I can't suggest Shelly's space enough. It is an unforgettable experience. And to those who can't make it out to New Mexico, keep an eye on AirBnb for unique stays that can completely transform your road trip experience!