Have you ever stayed in an Airbnb ?

This year I have been doing some traveling. Now, before you start thinking I’m out here ballin’ on a catch flights not feelings type of vibe, please note, I’m a budget baller. Traveling can be costly, especially when you are traveling to popular cities; before you know it, you could be overspending or looking at a negative balance on Monday after all of your transactions have posted. When I was planning my trip to San Francisco, I started to get overwhelmed by the cost of the hotels. I was looking 2 months before the trip and the prices just kept going up, which is common in the hotel industry. I closed out of all of the tabs I had and decided to look on Airbnb.com.

What is an Airbnb you may ask? It is basically temporarily renting a room or an entire home to stay in while traveling or transitioning between residences. A friend told me that she once stayed in an Airbnb all to herself for a few months; I never even knew you could do that. I know it may sound sketchy but similar to booking a hotel, you must do your research before you book with Airbnb. Both of my Airbnb experiences were great! The hosts had great ratings and reviews (always go with a Superhost). A Superhost is someone who is an experienced host and has provided excellent service to past guest.

In San Francisco, we stayed at an Airbnb in Foster City, just a few miles away from San Fran. It was a one bedroom and one bathroom apartment. The apartment building was not the newest but when we got inside the apartment it had definitely been remodeled.Very clean and it felt like home. We had the entire place to ourselves equipped with a balcony, parking, access to a pool, wifi, an entire kitchen to cook in with kitchenware as well as all the regular accommodations you would get in a hotel minus the resort fee. The location was perfect as well. The neighborhood was in the suburbs next to the ocean. Overall, we paid $200 less than what we would have paid if we booked a hotel.

My second Airbnb stay was in Atlanta, Georgia. This time I did not have the entire place to myself; I had my own room and shared my bathroom with another guest. The Airbnb was in an okay location, it was a few miles from both the airport and the convention center, no more than a 10 minute drive. At first when the Uber was taking me to the Airbnb, the neighborhood was a little sketchy but when I got inside o the Airbnb, it was clean and once again felt very homey. The host, who also lived in the home, did a lot of remodeling and it looked great! She also had a security camera (one of those Nest cameras) at the front door and was a great communicator. Don’t be afraid to ask the Airbnb host about your travel destination. Many times, they are your best resource for information on your travel location. Likewise, you can also ask about accommodations such as early check-in/out times; sometimes, they will work with you.I stayed in the Airbnb for 4 days and paid about $106.51! SCORE!

All in all, I know some people have had Airbnb nightmares, but by doing your research, talking to the host, and making a decision accordingly will ensure that you have a good stay. Also keep in mind if you are planning a group trip and plan on staying in a big city, the cost may be more than what you expect. Recently when I went to New York our original plan was to stay in an Airbnb for 4 people and the price was high and they Airbnb were not nice, in other words they looked questionable...ALWAYS look at the photos.

Just like hotels, Airbnbs have rules too.

Ask the host to specify the exact location of the Airbnb (you will not know the exact location of the Airbnb until you book the stay). This will help you plan out your daily activities while you’re traveling (you don’t want to be super far from the places that you want to visit).Talk to the host before you book the stay, communication is key because if something happens you need to be able to reach the host.
Remember, Superhosts are the best hosts!
Read the reviews and ratings!
Read the refund policy
Look at the pictures (if they do not show good pictures, look for something else)
Look at the number of guests they’ve had in the past. (You may not want to be the first person to stay there)
Check the check-in and check-out times. Hosts set their own check-in/out times and they vary, thus it is imperative to check.
When booking, ensure that the date of your arrival and departure as well as the number of guests that will be staying are correct.

Don’t

Invite other people without your host’s permission. They may charge extra or cause issues. (You do not want to get kicked out!)
Be too loud. Keep the noise level down.
Do not lose the key!

Dirty the home, respect the host space.

The two pictures below were taken on my phone. The other pictures were taken from the Airbnb host page, I do NOT own the rights to these photos. The first set of photos are from Foster City and the other set of photos are from the Airbnb in Atlanta, GA.