Are you considering an Airbnb during your next rental? On this episode of the Travel Fun and Adventure Podcast, we will review our tips for booking an Airbnb (or VRBO) and what to watch out for.
One thing that Airbnb does right is its search engine, which hotels can learn a thing or two about. Are you looking for a cabin in the woods? Oceanfront? Lakefront? Off the grid? A castle? These are just a few of the options you have in Airbnb, which is better than even VRBO.
Of course, you will need to know exactly what kind of experience you want, but you do not have to name a specific place like you do on the hotel websites, which gives you much more freedom in finding the place for you.
Once you determine where you want to go, you will want to do a Google search and see if there are any rules on short-term rentals. For example, in Hawaii, there are only certain areas where you can rent a place for under 30 days. You will want to make sure it is legal to rent there so that you do not have an unpleasant surprise.
Once you have selected a place or experience or both, then you will have a large number of places to select from. You will want to filter them by the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, price range, and any other amenities you must have. There is also an option that will allow you to indicate if you have pets so that places that don't allow pets are eliminated.
You will also want to look at multiple properties and see how they differ and which ones would appear to meet your needs the most. Hopefully, you can narrow it down to about three to five properties.
Once you have properties selected, start going through the listings.
You will want to look at the pictures, and if there are specific features you want (say a deck that looks onto the water), then you will want to ensure that the place does have a deck that overlooks the water. One thing to remember with pictures is that many of the pictures will be at wide angles, so the rooms look bigger than they are. Another thing to look at is if the pictures seem to try to avoid showing certain aspects, such as a poor picture of the kitchen or no pictures of the beds.
Also, check the location of the property. Even though you do not get the exact address until you book, by looking at the maps, you can easily find out where the place is located, get a feel of the neighborhood, and see if the house looks like it matches the pictures.
You will also want to check out the house rules to make sure there is nothing in there that could come to haunt you, such as some unreasonable requirements that seem to be popping up on some Airbnb's lately.
Finally, click on the picture of the host, which should give you more information about the host. See if they are from the area that the rental is or are they rent a place in Salt Lake City and live in New York City. With short-term rentals being the latest get-rich-quick schemes, try to avoid people from out of the area.
Let's talk about this episode on our Facebook page.
We also have a Twitter page where we post airfare specials we see or articles important to those looking to travel now or in the future.
Our website can be found at Travel Fun and Adventure.
Travel Fun and Adventure
PO Box 842
Hudson, IA 50643
jdornoff65@gmail.com
Music provided by:
Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/reakt-music/deep-stone
License code: JSMBIKZBIADTYR
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/dixieland-strut
License code: 6BME73BXSUHQOKIO