The celebration continues for Furnished Finder’s 10th birthday!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Traveler Story Contest! We received 299 incredible submissions, ranging from stories about finding a safe shelter during a hurricane to meeting the love of their lives! We do not say this lightly: the stories were all profoundly meaningful and reminded us of our company’s opportunity to support travelers in their moments of both need and joy.
And finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for...announcing the winners!
In first place, please join us in celebrating Marisa Roman. Marisa shared about her mother using Furnished Finder after a hurricane destroyed nearly all of her belongings:
“Hurricane Debby tore through Sarasota like an average storm, but for my mother’s neighborhood in Pinecraft, Florida, it was anything but. The storm dumped 20 inches of rain, causing a nearby levee to break, flooding the area with up to four feet of water. At 4 a.m., I got a call from my mother, her voice trembling with tears—she and her partner had to be rescued by kayak. All they managed to grab before the water surged waist-high through their home were their pets. When I arrived to pick them up, they were shoeless.
The loss was beyond devastating. My mother’s irreplaceable treasures were gone: letters from my [late] grandparents, baby albums and clothes she hoped to pass down to my future children, original watercolor paintings my grandmother painted, and her entire business. For nearly two decades, she built a pet magazine from her home office, raising over $200,000 for the pet community. But the floodwaters destroyed everything: her computers, monitors, printers, and files, leaving the business on an indefinite pause.
But amid the devastation, there was a small glimmer of hope: within two days, we found them a temporary home through Furnished Finder. I had used Furnished Finder before and knew it would bring my mom some much-needed comfort. The availability of fully furnished rentals that felt like a home was invaluable to us. When you've lost everything, you begin to appreciate the small things that you once took for granted; things like a soft blanket, a place to wash your hands with clean water, or ice to chill a drink. And then there are the bigger things: a warm bed, a roof over your head, a safe space to begin the daunting process of rebuilding your life. Furnished Finder gave my mom all of that and more. At a time when she needed comfort most, your company provided it, offering us the hope that we could start anew.
I’m entering this contest for two reasons: First, my mother turns 70 in February 2025, and I want to give her an unforgettable experience after the worst year of her life. Second, I want to express my deepest gratitude for your service, which gave my mom a home when she needed it most. For that, I can never thank you enough."
The Furnished Finder team thanks Marisa and her mother for sharing this story and contributing to this amazing community!
In second place, please join us in celebrating Ashley Gibson, who shared not only about how Furnished Finder has enabled her to expand her professional experience, but also do so with the comfort of her four dogs:
“First, do you know how hard it is to find housing with a pet? Now imagine that x 1,000 and you have my situation in Hawaii. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to take the amazing opportunity to work with an outpatient clinic in Maui because housing is so hard to come by, but thanks to Furnished Finder, I found a great landlord that I was able to contact directly to secure housing in a great location. My dogs, boyfriend, and I loved Hawaii. We went to the beach, hiked, snorkeled on Christmas, heard Humpbacks singing underwater, and saw the sunrise from the top of Haleakala, all from the best home base in the cutest apartment with a fantastic landlord. I was so thankful to be part of a team that had the opportunity to help so many children on island, especially after the impact of the wildfires in 2023.
A year later, it was time to move back to the mainland, and I once again used Furnished Finder to find the perfect place. We had a six-week gap in housing upon moving, in which I was able to find the cutest [lakefront] cabin. It was the perfect place to unwind after work with room for my dogs to play and paddle boards for us to [use] on the lake. My landlords were amazing, and even went out of their way to spend time with my dogs each day. During this time, I was able to train for my PRN position in acute care.
Now, we’re in a longer-term rental in Washington that I found on Furnished Finder, of course! We lucked out again to find landlords who understand us as dog people and welcome our crazy bunch. We live in a beautiful place with plenty of space for the pups to run and play surrounded by nature and with frequent visitors (deer, elk, bunnies). We are close to my full-time school-based OT position, my PRN acute care position, [and] all the amenities we could hope for. We’ll be here for at least the rest of the school year, and maybe even longer. But, if it comes time to move again, you know my boyfriend and I will be finding a place through Furnished Finder."
Thank you, Ashley, for sharing your story with us and continuing to choose Furnished Finder on your travels!
And finally, in third place, please join us in celebrating Malia Warren and Ashley Bell! Malia shared about her experience as a graduate student:
“Lifechanging experience to say the least! As a graduate student with a full-time clinical [courseload] and making no money, all I wanted to do was move to my dream city. Thanks to affordable, comfortable, and trustworthy Furnished Finder, I got to move across the country and start my new life! My placement is 6 months, and my landlord allowed me to stay for the full 6 months so that I could get used to a new city and get comfortable. My landlord ended up becoming a friend, and my amazing Furnished Finder studio has become a home to me. I’m so thankful.”
And Ashley shared about relocating to a new city with our family:
“My husband, kids and I decided to uplift our life from [the California] small town where we were raised and move to Boise, ID for a new job opportunity. As many new California visitors encounter, very few people want to rent to California residents. Furnished Finder was my only option to find a reasonably priced furnished home to house us in our transition. Our first Furnished Finder home was absolutely amazing. More than we could ask for. The background check made it super easy to qualify for the home. The landlords were amazing. The house was plentiful for our family.
Our rental agreement was up and our home in California had not sold. We used Furnished Finder [a second time] to find our current rental. Again, this company made our second move extremely easy. I was able to post our housing request, and we were able to find our new home with ease. Thank you, Furnished Finder, for helping us and other transplants transition more easily into our new lives.”
Congratulations to our winners! We are beyond grateful to have you in our community.
Thank you again to all who participated in the Traveler Story Contest and stay tuned for more birthday celebrations!