I love to travel. If I could, I’d become the female Anthony Bourdain and travel the world. When I first heard about Airbnb, I was intrigued and a little freaked out. So… wait, you stay at people’s houses? That can’t be safe. But after perusing the site a little more, reading their safety page, and checking out some amazing travel wishlists from other users, I can’t wait to use this for our next little trip.
When I travel, I try and live as much like the locals as I can. I want to eat at the same diners, drink the same local brews, enjoy the local music, and see as much as possible. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t flat-out avoid the “touristy” things to do because they’re popular, I just want my experience to be a little more, well, unique and off the beaten path. Remember when I said I wanted to be the female Anthony Bourdain? He may not know it, but he and I are kindred, foul-mouthed spirits.
For the unique nomad traveler, Airbnb offers users to list their properties to rent for the night/week/month. You can find beautiful studios in Brooklyn, campers in California, treehouses in Hawaii… the list goes on and on. I can’t wait to try it! A few of my friends have used it already and I’m hearing rave reviews. I typically spend as little as possible on my hotel room (because I’m only there to sleep, after all), but some of these spaces are the same price as a hotel room, if not cheaper, AND they look amazing! I think I know how I’ll be finding my space in Austin for SXSW…
Lovelies, have any of you used Airbnb yet? Do you think it’s something that you’d use?
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guest
cool. this might come in handy in the future.
guest
Thanks for the link. My advisor told me that’s what he does when he travels and I always wondered how you would find a place that is safe and nice without knowing the area. His advice to look in the newspaper seemed too iffy for me.
guest
I have not heard of this service until reading this post. I do think it would be useful in future trip planning.
orchid / 105 posts
@Erika_Steele@xanga - I agree – sometimes the newspaper and Craigslist can be a little too iffy… ESPECIALLY the listings with no pictures. Airbnb seemed a little iffy for me until I read their safety procedures, and everyone I know that uses it says it’s great. The only bad thing I’ve heard about it is that one of my friends listed their space for rent and the tenants left it trashed. I think we’ll be using it in the next couple of weeks.
guest
I’m used to packing eight people into two cars, and then into one hotel room. Now, that’s kind of iffy. Staying at someone’s house doesn’t seem that bad, comparatively.
guest
I’ve actually been considering this as a way to make extra money. I am renting a townhouse in Philly with a second bedroom and don’t want a roommate. But having someone pay to rent the room for a night or weekend, I might be able to do. They’d have a futon (with memory foam pad) to sleep on. I’m still hesitant though, about inviting strangers into my place. I’m so paranoid about having my stuff stolen (not that I even have that much nice stuff).