Still feeling skeptical about booking Airbnb homes? Had a previous bad experience that you don’t want repeated? This is not a sponsored post, but I love booking through Airbnb for my stays when I travel abroad. Here are some ways to carefully choose out good places to stay and to weed out the bad ones.
1 Choose a Superhost! This doesn’t mean the regular hosts are not good, but Superhosts might just be a little bit better than average. They tend to go out of their way and pay attention to detail and quality. Some of them might also know a few tour guides or tour companies that can give you better rates.
2 Location is key. You want to be inside the city area or in walking distance to all the places that are on your list. This way, it saves you time and money when you make the commute to the city and attractions. I also would recommend a location on a main street (with other houses/apartments) rather than an isolated house. They tend to have more range, better connection and better access to help if needed.
3 Read the reviews. Especially the bad ones. Reading the bad reviews gives you an idea of what they don’t have and what went wrong. If the reviews give specific reasons why they didn’t like this stay, then reconsider your options. The combination of the reviews mostly foresee your experience at the Airbnb.
4 Look at pictures. Make sure you look through all the pictures and keep in mind that these pictures are mostly taken professionally. One important thing to look for is the entrance of the home/hotel from the street. The inside of the home might be great but if you’re entering through a ratchet or sketchy place, that might already ruin your stay.
5 Look into their calendar. Check their availability calendar to see if they are booked out on most days or have very little bookings. This will give you an idea of how good and experienced they are. There is a reason that some Airbnb homes are booked more than others.
6 Know your hosts. You know when you try to get information on people by their Facebook page? Well, do the same here;) Click on their name and picture and do a little research on who your hosts are. If I am going solo, I prefer a couple’s Airbnb over a man running it alone. I look to see if they have provided their government ID, email address, phone number, etc. (You can find all this on their page.) I also look through some of their reviews, other listings, and what languages they speak.
7 Always message your hosts before booking! I always shoot a message to my hosts, even if I am not sure about booking them. I do this to find out a few things.
Firstly, it tells me how quickly they will respond. You can also get an idea of how well they communicate in English. Sometimes, even if I don’t have any questions, I will make up a few. It will help me to see how they respond to several questions at once or a problem (such as needing an early check in). Last but not least, I’ll see if they have resources (any tour guide connections, etc.). I will probably only ask this once I book with them, since they are not obligated to give information like that prior to booking. Their responses give me an idea of how much they know, care and is willing to help.
8 Take a close look at the amenities. If it shows that there is no hot water, no microwave or no individual bathrooms, then you will see this before hand. If you’re okay with it and book it anyways, you won’t be surprised when you show up and don’t have these things. Check out the rating for ‘amazing amenities’ in the review section as well!
Tip: If you are going to an Airbnb that doesn’t have a carbon monoxide detector OR new hotels/resorts (with possible on-going construction), look into buying a portable one. If you have been keeping up with news from the popular vacation destinations, you must have heard about CO poisoning and deaths associated with it.
9 Read the fine prints. Make sure you read all the rules, fees and cancellation policy. The rules may include things like no pets or no smoking. There may be hidden cleaning fees that pop up while you get to check out. Cancellation might not refund all of your payment. There are so many fine details that you have to read and reread. When you travel to another country, you can’t assume everything is the same way as it is back home. Rules and etiquette may be different.
I hope this list will help you to recognize good Airbnb stays and pick those out specifically. By following these steps, you should be able to eliminate some bad ones from your list. Now, has all my experiences with Airbnb been great? No, I’ve had a few things I didn’t like at some of my stays, but nothing major or unsafe.
Travel thoughts
With these kind of accommodations, I realize I need to look past the privileged American attitude of having everything at hand the moment I need it. When I do that, all the little hassles just become minor adjustments and it becomes more of a learning experience.
For me, staying at Airbnb make traveling a bit more local and personal and teaches me a thing or two. If I stayed in a hotel or resort everywhere I went, I wouldn’t get that same travel experience. Don’t get me wrong…safety always comes first. There are definitely some places I would recommend a hotel or resort over a private home.
Check out my travel perspective series here!
What are your thoughts on private homes and Airbnb? Is there something additional you look at when booking? If so, I would love to hear about it!
If you’re new to Airbnb and want $55 off on your first stay, click here!
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