If travelling more is one of your New Year’s resolutions, here are some tips on how to enjoy fulfilling trips while also maintaining a budget. Taking a trip can often cost a lot with hotel expenses. However, Airbnb is an affordable alternative to hotels.
Airbnb is a website that has open listings to residential places for a temporary stay. The renter decides the cost of rent. There are a variety of options, including renting a room in someone’s home or renting a whole apartment or house. Some places can accommodate up to 16 people or you can simply rent an open space for one person.
Here are some tips for planning your adventure.
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Don’t be afraid
You will not be scammed using this website because Airbnb functions as a middleman in all transactions. If you are interested in a place, you submit a reservation and will then put in your payment method information. The renter will not receive your payment until 24 hours after you check-in. -
Read Reviews
If you are skeptical about the process, you should read reviews from people who used the service in the past. The listings will also show the rating received. This will let you know whether or not the homes and hosts are as they appear to be online. -
Read the location description in depth.
Renters will provide information such as: the amount of rooms/beds available, whether they charge extra for additional people, if pets are allowed, age requirements and etc. Some Airbnb locations also charge a cleaning fee. It is important to read this description because it varies depending on the renter and so that you don’t receive any unexpected charges. -
Contact the renter beforehand
It is helpful to contact the renter to get additional information and to introduce yourself. This is helpful because sometimes renters are flexible with the rules they have on their description. For example, I contacted a renter who had an age requirement of 21 but after introducing myself, he was more flexible in allowing us to rent. -
Arrive at the rental location at the time designated.
The majority of renters are regular people that have jobs, so they will specify on their description what times to check people in. -
Follow the rules designated by the renter.
The hosts also review tenants so if you would like to make more trips in the future, it is important to have a good record. -
Don’t reserve the first place you see.
Airbnb provides some cheap and good quality rentals, so it is good to shop around before deciding on a location. There are some places as cheap as $50 per night. It is cheaper to rent entire houses or apartments if you have a large group of friends and split the price. This gives you the opportunity to bring extra people if allowed and it makes it a much more fun experience. -
Look up fun activities around the rental.
Some rental locations provide suggestions for fun things to do on your trip. You can also ask the host for recommendations.
You do not have to spend a lot of money to go on a trip with Airbnb, and it helps people stay in a budget while providing quality housing. Travelling is a goal to many college students in the New Year, but sometimes our bank account tells us otherwise. When we have to spend money on food, textbooks, clothes and other necessities travelling becomes the last item on our list of expenses. However, there is a way to travel even if it’s a short distance away and not harm our bank account.
