Airbnb has its sights set on global domination. In earnings calls this year, its cofounder and CEO, Brian Chesky, mapped out what he sees as the short-term-rental giant's biggest expansion markets: Mexico and Brazil in the Americas; in Asia, Japan, India, South Korea, and China, for Chinese residents looking to travel outside the country; and further into Germany, Italy, and Spain in Europe, where it already has a stronghold.

What's connecting these scattered countries? Dave Stephenson, the chief business officer at Airbnb, says they're all places where the company's footprint is small compared to the amount of money people spend on travel there. The company is working on ways "to show up locally relevant," he says, "so that people think of why it's better to travel on Airbnb." Stephenson maintains that Airbnb, despite its name recognition, has a smaller footprint than hotels. The company says it has 8 million active listings globally, compared to, by one estimate, some 17 million hotel rooms. Airbnb aims to close that gap, continent by continent.

There's something else tying this far-flung strategy together: Airbnb is looking for new frontiers at a time when cities around the world are cracking down on the company and other short-term rental platforms, largely in response to complaints that short-term rentals draw (often unruly) tourists and displace locals. Barcelona, which has an estimated 20,000 Airbnb listings, has said it will ban all short-term rentals by 2028. Málaga will stop giving out new short-term-rental permits in dozens of neighborhoods. New York enacted a law in 2023 that wiped nearly all short-term rentals off the map. Other cities, like London and Paris, have been enforcing strict limits on the number of nights each year that a property can be listed for short-term renting.

For Airbnb, terra incognita looks more appealing as some of its terra firma becomes less firm.

When Airbnb was new and growing rapidly in the 2010s, there was little regulation on short-term rentals. Many did not anticipate how homeowners, and even renters, would turn Airbnb into overnight miniature business empires. But complaints mounted over the years. Residents reported that short-term renters often had parties that brought trash, noise, and general chaos to buildings and neighborhoods, even after the company barred guests from hosting large gatherings. Locals also blamed the lucrative rentals for pushing up housing prices. Housing costs are influenced by many factors, but in 2020, researchers found that Airbnb growth in the median ZIP code accounted for an increase of $9 in monthly rent and $1,800 in home prices, making up one-fifth of rent growth and one-seventh of property value increases. A report by the New York City comptroller found that between 2009 and 2016, 9.2% of the jump in rental rates could be tied to Airbnb.

At this point, dozens of local governments around the world have enacted laws regulating short-term rentals that are bespoke to their cities. This gives places where Airbnb is looking to expand the advantage of seeing how various regulations have started to affect housing availability elsewhere, should they want to move proactively. "Even though those places that Airbnb could be pushing into may not have a [regulatory] framework, there's at least these examples where governments have recognized the need to protect housing and implemented successful ways of regulating it," says Murray Cox, founder of Inside Airbnb, which scrapes Airbnb data to show its footprint in cities around the world. Cities could take approaches from other playbooks, such as requiring Airbnb to share data with local officials, zoning short-term rentals to more commercial neighborhoods, or allowing hosts to rent out primary residences a limited number of nights a year.

For Airbnb, the patchwork regulation around the world is both "a problem and an opportunity," says Cox. If rentals are curtailed in Paris, the company could look to expand to nearby cities or rural parts of France where there are fewer regulations. For Airbnb, that might mean moving into new countries. "They either can't grow or they're declining in cities or some parts" of their core markets, Cox says. "The only way that they can either maintain their revenues or grow is to push into other markets."

Airbnb isn't opposed to rules outright. If regulations are in place before the company expands to a new market, it could make the process simpler for hosts and guests and spare Airbnb from having to pivot and wipe tens of thousands of listings from its platform in one swoop after a new law passes. "We really do welcome sensible regulation," Stephenson tells me. "In a sensible, reasonable way, it works quite well." Airbnb is still pushing back against what it believes are overreaching regulations, like those in New York City. And despite the regulations, Airbnb is growing. Its revenue is up 10% year over year, and the number of nights booked grew, along with experiences, which include activities provided by local businesses and tour guides, by 8%.

But Airbnb's challenges don't stop at the regulations. It must also get people around the world to buy in. "Each country is going to have its own dynamics," Jamie Lane, the senior vice president of analytics and chief economist at AirDNA, tells me. In some countries, hosting strangers in your home wouldn't be culturally acceptable. Lane also says there are local competitors to Airbnb in some places "that have been impactful and made it hard for them to compete."

Those challenges are partially why Airbnb pulled out of hosting in China in 2022, wiping out 150,000 listings there. For one, the country's strict travel regulations around COVID-19 lasted longer than measures taken by most other nations, which created a drag on travel bookings. But Airbnb struggled to compete with Chinese companies offering short-term rentals long before that. The homegrown alternatives there included Tujia, which was designed to attract Chinese travelers specifically by anticipating peak travel times and rates, Melissa Yang, the company's cofounder, told CNN several years ago.

Chesky is more confident that Airbnb can win over the hearts and minds of the masses anywhere it goes. "Airbnb pretty much resonates pretty equally everywhere once there's the awareness," he told investors in a call earlier this year. "In fact, I could argue that Airbnb might resonate better in Asia because there's a younger travel population that's not predisposed to hotels, and they're on social media. And we are disproportionately on social media versus our competitors. So I'm very, very bullish about that."

While the company isn't telegraphing its expansion strategy in every country, one of its most obvious moves began in Japan this fall. Airbnb ran an ad in English last year promoting travel in Kyoto, but it ramped up its Japanese ads in October. It's looking to court young Japanese travelers who want to take weekend trips, showing photos of a family traveling to a sleek, modern cabin in a wooded area, where they sing karaoke. Stephenson says Airbnb has also learned that local travelers want proximity to onsens, Japanese hot springs and bathing facilities, so listings there now show nearby onsens.

Elsewhere, Airbnb has been implementing payment methods preferred by locals. The company recently added KaKao Pay in South Korea and Vipps in Norway, among dozens of other options. It may seem like a small step, but Airbnb thinks meeting people where and how they pay will make the service more appealing.

Researchers are closely watching Airbnb's ongoing spread. Bianca Tavolari, a researcher and member of the advisory board of the Global Observatory of Short-Term Rentals, a group of Latin American organizations focused on housing, says Brazil has lagged in regulating short-term rentals, though a court ruled last year that hosts must have explicit consent from property owners to list apartments or condos as short-term rentals. Airbnb shares some tourism trend information with local officials through its city portal, but researchers like Tavolari still have questions about Airbnb's full impact. "We are in the dark," she tells me. Yet "cities are seeing it as a great opportunity," particularly those that depend heavily on tourism dollars, she says, and thinking less about the long-term costs to residents.

Cox says he's "hopeful that some of these locations that Airbnb is planning to push to have already started thinking about" how they'll handle its growth. If Chesky's hypothesis is right, Airbnb could continue to spread rapidly once people in other parts of the world get used to couch surfing or navigating a hidden lockbox to let themselves into their rentals. Cities should be ready before more tourists start packing their bags.

Amanda Hoover is a senior correspondent at Business Insider covering the tech industry. She writes about the biggest tech companies and trends.

• After visiting over 50 countries, I've learned which spots are great for escaping the cold winter.
• The Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, is a great sunny spot for outdoor activities.
• I loved getting to experience the rich history and great beaches in Cape Town, South Africa.

Though many people take their big trips in the summer, the winter is a great time for a grand escape. I've always been someone who needs sunshine and warmth in my bones, so when winter rolls around each year, I plan a sun-soaked getaway to escape the cold.

I've traveled to more than 50 countries and have come across a few destinations offering a winning combination of stunning scenery, memorable experiences, and warm weather.

Here are four places I'd recommend checking out in the winter months.

The Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, is sunny practically all year round.

With beautiful beaches and plenty of theme parks, the Gold Coast in Australia's Queensland is filled with things to do.

The Gold Coast has a sub-tropical climate with about 300 days of sunshine a year, so you're likely to encounter optimal weather for outdoor activities.

My favorite activity here was walking the trail from Tallebudgera Creek to Burleigh Heads, which goes through Burleigh Head National Park. I witnessed plenty of scenic ocean views along the way and often stopped to watch the surfers catch a wave.

If you have any interest in monkeys, Ubud in Bali, Indonesia, is the place to go.

If chill island vibes, monkey spottings, and melodious insect cacophonies appeal to you, Ubud is the place to go.

One of the top attractions is the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, home to more than 1,200 monkeys. You can explore ancient temples and meet the local long-tailed macaques in their natural habitat.

Just make sure you follow the rules and don't take any food or water bottles with you. I learned that lesson the hard way when one enormous monkey leaped on my backpack, giving me the fright of my life.

Another highlight for me was sitting on our veranda at the Green Field Hotel while overlooking the rice fields at sunrise and listening to the cricket orchestra.

My 8-year-old son and I sat out there one morning for about two hours while everyone else was asleep, chatting and enjoying the sounds of nature around us.

For a nice, easy nature hike, check out Campuhan Ridge Walk. I loved the scenery and took my 4-year-old with me. At one point, we stopped for a rest on the trail, and I looked up to find the biggest spider I'd ever seen lurking right above us — so keep your eyes peeled.

Bonito, Brazil, is an incredible snorkeling destination.

Bonito, which means "beautiful" in Portuguese, lives up to its name. The town is in the southern region of the Brazilian Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland. We stopped here on our way from Rio de Janeiro to Bolivia and fell in love with this hidden paradise.

Surrounded by lush forests, Bonito has amazing crystal-clear rivers where you can spot an abundance of fish while snorkeling.

During our trip, a massive thunderstorm rolled in above us when we were snorkeling. Watching the fish dart around underwater as raindrops landed on my back was such an awe-inspiring experience.

I loved exploring wineries and beaches in Cape Town, South Africa.

When it comes to epic coastal scenery, warm people, delicious food, and historical sites, Cape Town delivers.

One of our favorite spots was Groot Constantia, the oldest wine estate in South Africa. We had a mouth-watering lunch and did a wine tasting before learning about the history of Cape farmers at the Manor House Museum and walking through the grounds.

Cape Town's sun-soaked beaches were also postcard-perfect. The water can be pretty chilly, however, even in the summer. I only dipped a toe in, but if you enjoy a little cold-water therapy, feel free to dive right in.

Reddit is concentrating on international markets such as the U.K., India, Brazil, and the Philippines to bolster its user base.

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• A 28-year-old used an AI tool called AIHawk to apply for hundreds of jobs on LinkedIn.
• He said AIHawk helped him land a software engineering job.
• Using AI tools during the application process comes with risks.

Applying for jobs can be a time-consuming and frustrating process, and some job seekers are using AI to try to make it more tolerable.

Guilherme, a 28-year-old based in Brazil, began looking for a software engineering role after he was laid off in April. In October, after little luck, he learned about AIHawk — a tool that allows users to easily apply for up to hundreds of jobs per day. One month later, AIHawk had submitted more than 1,300 applications on Guilherme's behalf and he landed a job.

"This the type of job I was looking for," said Guilherme, whose identity was verified by Business Insider but asked to use a pseudonym. "It was certainly a byproduct of AIHawk."

Guilherme is among the people who have struggled to find work over the past year and turned to AI tools to help them write résumés and cover letters, prepare for interviews, and apply for jobs.

To be sure, relying on AI during the application process comes with risks — including a résumé littered with mistakes — and it could be a dealbreaker for some HR departments. Additionally, in the quickly evolving AI landscape, there's a lack of clarity over how employers and job platforms view candidates' use of these tools.

Automating the job search process can save time

Federico Elia created AIHawk earlier this year, and in August, he published the code hosting platform GitHub so anyone could use the tool. AIHawk automates the application process for LinkedIn's easy-apply jobs — which pulls info from a user's profile to fill in an application. To date, AIHawk has been "starred" — or bookmarked — on GitHub by more than 22,000 people globally. There are more than 6,300 members of the AIHawk community on the messaging service Telegram, where users critique the tool, share tips on how to use it, and provide updates on their job searches.

AIHawk is one of many AI job application tools on the market. While it can be installed and used without any cost, users previously told BI that doing so requires some familiarity with the programming language Python.

Guilherme's tech background made it easier to use the tool. He said AIHawk typically applied to about 50 jobs a day and that some of these applications turned into interviews.

Guilherme ultimately was hired for a job he didn't apply for using AIHawk. He said he learned about the role after someone from the company reached out to him via LinkedIn. However, Guilherme believes AIHawk played a major role in the outcome of his job search. When he started using the tool, he said he began hearing from several recruiters about jobs he'd never applied for.

"I got several LinkedIn InMails a day, every single day, since mid-October, from recruiters, hiring managers, and C-suites of companies," he said, adding, "This was something that never happened to me before."

Guilherme said that he believes applying for so many jobs "boosted" his LinkedIn profile in the platform's algorithm — making it easier for recruiters to find him.

"With my account's activity being through the roof, my profile was boosted up in searches, which led to my new boss finding me," he said.

A LinkedIn spokesperson told BI that applying to more roles would not make a person's profile more visible to a recruiter. The spokesperson said that job seekers who keep their profiles up to date are more likely to hear from recruiters.

The spokesperson said that the company doesn't permit the use of third-party software — such as bots — that scrapes or automates activity on LinkedIn.

Guilherme recommended that AIHawk users spend time filtering out job titles that aren't a good fit and use interviews as an opportunity to practice their communication skills — which could help them land a job down the road.

Overall, Guilherme said the biggest perk of AIHawk was the time it saved him.

"Imagine if I had to do this manually?" he said, referring to the resumes he submitted with AIHawk. "I'd probably go insane."

Are you looking for a job and comfortable sharing your story with a reporter? Did an AI job tool help you land a job recently? Please fill out this form.

• Photojournalist Gary He has visited McDonald's restaurants in more than 55 countries.
• He dined at McDonald's locations with distinct architecture and unique local integration.
• He said the most unique include the McSki in Sweden and a UFO-shaped McDonald's in the US.

Most McDonald's locations around the world follow a familiar design: red and white branding topped with golden arches. But some stand out for their distinct architecture and unique backstories.

From a glass-covered restaurant in Batumi, Georgia, to one built over an ancient Roman road in Italy, the fast-food chain has found unique ways to blend with the local surroundings while maintaining its individuality.

In his upcoming book, "McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches," which will be released on November 29, author and photojournalist Gary He captures the essence of some of these locations while explaining what makes each one special.

Since 2019, He has traveled to over 55 countries and dined at more than 100 McDonald's restaurants. When it came to picking his favorite locations, he had clear favorites.

"I wanted to document the more interesting parts of the largest restaurant group in the world," He told Business Insider, emphasizing that the project was an independent undertaking.

Here are five unique McDonald's locations that He recommends fans of the brand must visit.

The McSki in Sälen, Sweden

The McDonald's in Sälen, Sweden, tops He's list of best locations.

Nestled in one of Sweden's biggest ski resorts, Lindvallen, this spot offers a unique "ski-thru" experience. It allows skiers to grab a Big Mac without leaving their skis.

The restaurant opened in 1996 and operates daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during ski season.

"The air is so clean and crisp — it's like being on top of the world," He told BI, adding, "When I visited, it wasn't even busy. It was just me, the McSki, and the mountains. I was just hanging out and enjoying myself."

Getting there isn't easy, though. He said it took him six hours to travel from Stockholm, with three transfers — first, from a train station at Borlänge Centralstation to a bus, and then 48 stops later, another bus — but the journey was worth it.

"The McSki is hands-down the coolest McDonald's I've visited anywhere in the world," He said.

The McDonald's on Dongmen Street in Shenzhen, China

"I really love the Shenzhen location in China," said He, adding, "It was the first McDonald's in China at a time when the country wasn't fully open to American businesses."

The restaurant opened on October 8, 1990, in Shenzhen's special economic zone. On its first day, it welcomed over 40,000 customers despite a seating capacity of 460, the South China Morning Post reported.

The restaurant balances local design with the chain's signature branding. The three-floor building features pagoda-style roofs, integrating traditional Chinese architectural design with the golden arches.

Reflecting on its distinct appearance, He added, "It's pretty epic."

The airplane McDonald's in Taupō, New Zealand

Ever wondered what it's like to enjoy a Big Mac on a static passenger plane? In Taupo, a town in New Zealand, you can.

Named one of the "world's coolest McDonald's," per a sign post, this restaurant is inside a decommissioned DC-3 plane built in 1943. At first, it was used as a passenger plane and then as a crop duster, an agricultural aircraft that sprays pesticides on crops from the air.

In 1984, it was decommissioned and, per Atlas Obscura, became a promotional product in Taupō's Aeroplane Car Company's parking lot until McDonald's bought it in 1990.

"The airplane location in Taupo is iconic," said He.

The UFO-shaped McDonald's in New Mexico, US

A McDonald's in the shape of a UFO is fitting for Roswell, a town known for its rumored alien sightings and extraterrestrial encounters.

The town became popular in 1947 when a mysterious aircraft, which the local newspaper, the Roswell Daily Record, identified as a "flying saucer," crashed into a ranch. Then, in 1980, Stanton Friedman, a former nuclear physicist, came across the 1947 news story and alleged it to be an alien spacecraft, sparking widespread outcry.

Government records later showed the aircraft was a top-secret government surveillance balloon used to detect echoes of Soviet nuclear-testing blasts.

But by then, people were convinced the government was hiding information about alien life, and UFOs had become a mini-industry with several themed attractions, such as the annual UFO festival and a museum, spread across town.

In 2005, a few miles from the crash site, McDonald's opened a restaurant shaped like a spaceship with neon lights.

But He loves the restaurant for more than just its exteriors.

"It has a gift shop," he said, adding, "I mean, it's cool looking, but they have merchandise, which I think is super cool."

The gift shop features Ronald McDonald in a spacesuit and alien statues.

The Méqui1000 in São Paulo, Brazil

He's final favorite is the Méqui1000 in São Paulo, Brazil, a spot that combines playful creativity with historical significance.

"It looks like the White House but decorated as a kindergartner's art project," He said, adding that the restaurant's façade undergoes multiple changes in a year and is usually adorned with vibrant artwork for promotional campaigns.

Méqui1000 also holds cultural significance; it was the 1,000th McDonald's in Brazil, one of 20 nations with over 1,000 McDonald's stores, according to Yahoo Finance.

"It's a huge market and an important location," He said.

The menu here also features items exclusive to Brazil, like the Super Mac, a fully loaded burger with lettuce, tomato, and onion, which is in a contrast to the simpler burgers popular in the US.

"Culturally, Americans want it [their burgers] cheap, fast, and straightforward, but in Brazil and other countries, people want their burgers a little more dressed up," He said.

The Magnífico, another Brazilian favorite, follows this trend with its premium toppings, making Méqui1000 a must-visit for travelers and food enthusiasts alike.