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First things first. What is Airbnb? How does it work?
Airbnb lets you rent someone’s home — that’s the simple explanation. Instead of booking a hotel when you’re traveling, you can use Airbnb to find accommodations in the place where you’re going.
Will I be renting a room or an entire home?
You can choose. Some Airbnb hosts will let you rent their entire house or apartment (great for privacy) while some just rent out their rooms (great for interacting with the local owners or other travelers). You can adjust your search settings to show only the type of accommodation you want (more on this later).
Is Airbnb better than staying in a hotel?
It depends. In my experience, Airbnb is the better option under certain circumstances:
- When you’re traveling with a group, especially a family with kids. Lots of hotels don’t have family rooms, so you’re forced to book two rooms or more; either way tends to be pricey. Hostels/dorms are great for a group of friends but might not be ideal for young children or for those who don’t like having to share bathrooms with strangers. With Airbnb, you can rent a child-friendly home with two or more bedrooms and a living room.
* - For last-minute accommodations. Sometimes — like Sinulog in Cebu, or cherry blossom season in Kyoto — hotels can fill up really fast and the only ones left that have room for you are way over your price range. I’ve often found that Airbnb can be a lifesaver (or at least a budget-saver) in these instances.
* - In some cities, like London or Tokyo, hotels are just ordinarily expensive — even during off-peak times — and renting out a room or an apartment through Airbnb can prove to be a cheaper option. It’s worth noting, though, that Airbnb can also be more expensive in certain areas so take the time to compare.
* - Long-term stays. If you will be staying in a particular place for longer than the usual holiday, you might want amenities not usually offered by hotels — such as kitchen utensils/equipment, washing machines, a living area for entertaining guests, gym/pool access, etc. — but are part and parcel of a home listed on Airbnb. Many Airbnb properties also offer substantial discounts if you stay for a week or more. Note: for longer stays, you might want to check if the owner will have someone come in to clean the property (and if yes, how regularly) or if you have to do it yourself, as you might not want to spend precious vacation time vacuuming.
How do I book?
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First of all, you should have an Airbnb account. If you don’t have one yet, it’s best that you create one now so you can follow along as I go through the steps for booking.
To create an Airbnb account, click on the photo below. The link will take you to the Airbnb sign up page. If you sign up using that link, you will get credit (usually $20) that you can use when you make bookings. (I’m also theoretically supposed to get the same amount of credit when you make your first booking — at no extra cost to you — but I haven’t been receiving additional credit lately, so I don’t know if it still works. Either way, you will definitely get your $20 credit. Of course, if you don’t like receiving $20 worth of credit, you can also sign up without using the link, it’s up to you.)
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Once you’ve signed up, you can perform a search on the Airbnb home page. Enter your destination, check-in and check-out dates, and the number of people who will be staying in the property.
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Airbnb will then show you all the properties — apartments, houses, rooms, etc. — that are available in your chosen location during the dates you specified.
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You can use the “More Filters” button to narrow down your search. For example, you can specify that you only want to see entire homes or private rooms — leaving “Shared Room” unchecked if you don’t want to include rooms you might have to share with strangers — that are within a price range of PHP 440 to PHP 5025 per night, have Wi-Fi and air-conditioning, and allow young kids to stay. Click “Show Listings” to apply those search filters. You can also use the map to narrow down the search to only those properties that are in a particular location, like if you’re going to Tokyo and want to stay within a reasonable distance of the Shinjuku train station.
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From the search results, click on the ones that appeal to you to see more information about them. Take note of the details — especially the check-in and check-out times and the amenities — and scroll down to read reviews of guests who have stayed in the property. (Always read reviews!) Once you’ve decided which property you want to book, click on the “Request to Book” button and follow the instructions. (Some Airbnb properties will even let you book instantly, without having to request permission from the owner.)
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And that’s it!
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When I started traveling I usually just stayed in hotels or inns, but after having great experiences using Airbnb in Singapore and Cebu, I now make sure to search Airbnb whenever I plan my trips. It feels like having your own home wherever you are in the world and lets you live like a local even in a foreign land.
You can read about my Airbnb experience during the Sinulog festival in Cebu here.
I’ve always been so curious about using it, but never really knew where to start or what to expect… great guide for first timers! I’ve heard a few people say this was an awesome option in Europe particularly, so it’s always good to hear more good reviews!
Thank you! I’m looking forward to using Airbnb in Europe too.
Thank you for the article! Yes, hotels can be expensive esp for stays longer than a week.
Hi! Yeah, they definitely take up a huge chunk of the travel budget.
Y’know I’m researching housing options for next year in Ireland and it never came to mind to check airbnb. There could be a long term rental for either an entire apartment or private room that would be in or under my budget. I’ve been a little worried because some accommodations set up for students are already full or taking applications as we speak & fill up quick while some of the apartments in the city center or near the school are outrageously out of my budget. I’m going to browse airbnb. Thanks for the possiblesolution! I don’t know why I didn’t think about it.
I hope you find a good one!
I already found a few interesting prospects!
Yay! Crossing my fingers for you.
im getting curious about this airbnb thing 🙂 good to have options! so they have an official list or something? say if something goes wrong you can go after them?
Yup, property owners have to actually register with Airbnb. After your stay, you and your host review each other, but you can’t see the other’s review until you’ve submitted your own review, so you can’t go, like, oh, I’ll just write a good review because he wrote me a good review. So that tends to keep the reviews honest. I usually go for places that already have a couple of (good!) reviews. Airbnb also tells you to keep all your communications within the Airbnb messaging system so that you can complain to them if something you and the host agreed on didn’t happen.
Ok 🙂 thanks for the good info!
Try mo next time you’re in Paris. 😉
Ay nakoo oo naman! Haha much better sguro. In Sg, u tried na dba? I will tell my friends na itry nila un. Most of them go sa fragrance hotels when they visit here e. 🙂 thanks for the tip! Love your blog as always! 🙂
Yes, we used Airbnb when I was there with my son, parents, and sister. It came out cheaper than if we had to rent two hotel rooms, tapos may living room, dining area, and kitchen pa. https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2014/08/11/affordable-singapore-accommodations-for-a-family-of-5-airbnb-homestays/ –> we rented the one in Woodleigh Close, pero kung wala lang kaming dalang bata, parang mas okay yata yung 3-bedroom apartment sa Geylang.
Woodleigh is along our line. Alam ko Geylang mejo red light district e. Sge i will check the link.
You have done a great job covering the details of airbnb.
We have been doing a lot of travelling over the last year or so, and when possible we like to book our accomodation with airbnb. I urge your readers to read the reviews on each location. The reviews will tell you a lot about what the previous clients thought about the place and concerns they might have had.
We don’t always find places are cheaper than hotel rooms, but with being “on the road” so much things like space, a kitchen and laundry are things we couldn’t get a hotels that were important to us, and I suspect that those travelling with children might like these features as well!
I highly recommond Airbnb to my friends as an alternative to hotels.
Yay, thank you very much for those tips. And you’re so right, Airbnb properties can cost more than a single hotel room but having the extra space (often an entire living room) and the ability to cook your own meals make up for the added expense.
Reblogged this on berryduchess and commented:
This article from the author of smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com created a post about the basic things we need to know about Airbnb. Short, simple and concise. 😀
Happy reading!
Yay, thanks for the reblog 🙂
Happy to share 🙂
I think airbnb is great and saves you moolah. My friend in HK runs an airbnb and its surprisingly very nice plus it feels more homy.
It does feel more like home than when you stay in a hotel, right? 🙂 Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
Hey there,
just got back from my first trip to an airbnb room in London and its way better than staying in a hotel, if you ask me- my friend and I were in a wonderful house in thamesmead, paying 20€ per night and person while even the crappiest hostel within reasonable distance to the city or a possibility to enter public transport costs a lot more in july…
I was really pleased because its a lot more personal, welcoming and more ‘home’ than any hotel I visited so far…
Hello! With London hotel prices, Airbnb is definitely a great option there! I’m glad you had a great Airbnb experience. 🙂 Looking at your London posts now!