I booked my AirBnb! Or more specifically, I have my first post-retirement home! <<Yikes!!!>>
I thought I would write about how I got started with AirBnb. This is the post to read if you feel uncertain about it. I will even include how to get started for anyone who might be interested.
When Katie went to Florence Italy in 2012, she and her roommates were placed in an apartment. Maybe that is what gave me the idea, but it just sounded way more amazing than staying in a hotel. I mean, I like hotels–seriously what’s not to like? But her apartment was on the fifth floor of an old building with darling rooms and colors that looked just like I thought Italy would look.
I booked a room with HomeAway, another popular home rental site. In Rome I booked a room for both of us with VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner), again another site. Same in Paris. It was so incredible to live within each city!
When we scheduled our next trip, I discovered AirBnb, which has simply blown up in the past few years. Now AirBnb has over 3 million listings in 191 counties according to their website, and it is truly everything from a tree house or yurt to a castle.
Here are reasons why you might like AirBnb:
- It can be cheaper than a hotel. However, believe me when I tell you they also post full blown mansions.
- You get to experience a location like the people who live there. My favorite AirBnb was the one in the photograph, which included a centuries old hemlock forest to hike through. Most AirBnb postings include information about the surrounding location, so you know in advance where the best coffee shop is, for instance, or the closest pub.
- The hosts are mostly people like you. Without exception, I have found hosts to be people who are excited to share their home and location. They love sharing information and their goal is for you to enjoy yourself. One of the coolest places I rented was a room in the home of a young British couple living in Dublin. They loved to travel but now had two young children, so they figure renting out their guest room was a great way to meet people from around the world. Katie and I stayed up talking with them after the kids had gone to bed. They were in the movie industry, so it was very interesting to hear about their work and they had a lot of questions about the United States.
- Each host and each guest is rated continually. After your stay, you rate the host on location, accuracy, communication, cleanliness, check-in, and value. The host rates you also. People leave very candid reviews about each other, so you really have a good sense of where you are going and the idiosyncrasies. For instance, in the AirBnb I just booked in Osaka, one guest noted a slight smell from the nearby fish market. The host replied that yes, occasionally it is obvious and noted it is a famous fish market. This didn’t sound like a problem for me, but often it is comments like this that will help you determine what will work for you.
- The “Sharing Economy” is really cool and important. I didn’t realize it had a name until Todd told me they were studying it in college. Why have anything just sitting there when it could be used by someone else. This way we need fewer (homes, boats, hotels, cars, bicycles, car seats). The renter can use things cheaply without buying them and the owner can make a little money.
First Time AirBnb Users:
Getting started:
As I mentioned in another post, I am really not a computer person, so the fact that I could set up my own AirBnb account should make it clear that it is very simple. You literally just follow the step by step instructions to set up your account. Make sure you do all initial entries from the same computer. During the first week of checking out AirBnb’s I looked at my account from another computer. Well, those security hounds realized it and then I had to do a video! The good news is that this occurred because AirBnb takes security very seriously. The other good news is that doing the video was really easy. They just wanted to verify who I was and I literally just had to speak into the laptop camera. Within 24 hours I was authorized and never had any problems. If you are a busy Facebook user you will have no problems at all, because that is one of their primary methods of verifying that you are who you say you are.
Filters:
Once you have your account set up you can start searching for a place. If you are feeling nervous, pick somewhere you are comfortable with or where they speak English primarily–even just a trip to the beach.
First, type in a city (or country if you’re feeling bold). For now, this can be a location you know you will be visiting or a place you have always dreamed of visiting. Until you click “Book” all you are doing is searching which is really fun and will make you feel comfortable using the site.
Next, select “Explore Homes” (we will talk about the other options later).
Next, put in the date you are arriving and the date you are leaving.
Next, select the number of guests who will be staying. It is really important that you put the correct number here because some hosts charge more for additional people. Most hosts do not charge, but it is best to have the correct number. Remember the hosts want to know who is staying there as much as you want to know who is hosting, so it is customary to advise of any changes.
Next, select the Home Type. For your first time, you probably want the “Entire Place,” meaning no one else is living there. If you select “Private Room” then you will be in someone else’s home but will also save money. A “Shared Room” is pretty uncommon and like staying in a hostel.
Because I am on a budget, I also filter by the price per night. And for this trip I also added another filter because I wanted a TV. I know, how dumb. But for that first month I want a TV. I don’t even watch TV and haven’t had cable in years, but I think it might be good for gloomy evenings. Plus I really want to experience the Japanese television culture. When I was in Italy I had a TV and it was very different than watching American TV!
Searching:
Now you are ready to search for Homes. You can move your map or zoom in or out to search specifically by location. Once you see a place that piques your interest, click on it and read through it. Look at the pictures and read the reviews. If you see the ribbon on the host’s profile photo and the term “SuperHost” you know for sure you have a great one! This means that many guests have rated them great in many categories and they clearly enjoy hosting. You can put a home in your “favorites” by clicking the heart so you can look at it later. I have spent many hours dreaming and searching through AirBnb.
Ready to Book?:
When you are ready to book, you simply click “Book” and you’re in. Others require the host to confirm the request, so it will say “Request to Book” and usually you will hear back pretty soon from your host. WOW you’re going somewhere!!!
Here is my AirBnb if you want to see it: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/8665019
Photo: Our best AirBnb yet! This 105 year old farmhouse was in the hills of Pennsylvania. 10 of us stayed here because it was close to the location of our family reunion. It sits on 100 acres so you could hike during the day, stargaze at night, and sit on the porch all the time.
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