Airbnb 101

Two  weekend ago I stayed in an Airbnb.  I was a little skeptical and realized that I have been watching way to much Criminal Minds and scary movies.  My travel took me to the rural Deerfield, MA, to see my former student graduate from boarding school.

I had learned about Airbnb a while ago from my friend Chant'a, she is a fan and must not watch scary movies like me...lol.  Airbnb was not my first choice at ALL.  Since I waited till the last minute and I was not staying at a motel for $100 a night I started to do a little more research and investigation on other lodging alternatives.  Since I believe in sharing here are a few tips for navigating your Airbnb travels:

#1 - Look at more then one possibility for stay and from their begin to narrow down your choice based off of location, reviews, and budget

#2 - Read old and new reviews.

#3- Once you think you found where you want to stay reach out to the host and ask a few questions like: do they have pets, AC, transportation options, what is the bathroom situation like? Do they live their? will you have access to the kitchen?  When you arrive will they be their or will you have to put in a code to access the home?

#4- What I found most comforting is when my host was friendly and helpful.  This is a great sign

#5- When you arrive check out the bathroom, bed, and kitchen and flush toilets.  What was helpful was helpful is that the host showed me around when I arrived.

#6- Familiarize yourself with light switches, access in and out the home,

#7-  Remember it is someone's home so clean up after yourself :).

#8- At the end of your travel pay it forward and leave a honest review for the other travelers and host. In your review mention specific points such as pre-booking arrangements, host, how clean the home was, restaurants near by, or any additional information that will help the next traveler.

So you are probably wondering if I would stay in another Airbnb? The answer is, yes, I would!  In fact, I dream of other places I want to visit and scroll my options on the Airbnb app.

Share with me your Airbnb tips and experiences.  Also don't forget to share with me your future travel plans.  I love to hear about people's travel adventures .

Till next time, remember to live, love & share.

Lo