Our Airbnb Experiences Thus Far...

I'm guessing most of you have heard of Airbnb by now. And, if not, you're going to now! Essentially it's a website that helps connect you to people willing to rent you a room in their house or their entire place. Airbnb describes their services in this way, "Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries." They make it sound super fancy with talk of castles and villas, and I suppose it could be. But, Brandon and I are using it to find much more budget type accommodation. 

Indeed, for long term stays, we have found Airbnb to be a great option. Hotels are much pricier with per night costs. Hostels have the reputation of being cheap, but with their per person costs they add up quickly for a couple. In contrast many Airbnb hosts have reduced rates for week stays and further reduced rates for month stays. And, as our goal is to stay in a place for awhile rather than hop around, this is an advantage for us. 

We have speculated that there are a few perks for us in using Airbnb to rent a room in someone's house. First, it is cheaper to rent a room than an entire house. Second, and more importantly, we are hoping that having a host present will help us better experience the local culture. It will be nice to have someone available to tell us where the nearest grocery store is, or where the best local restaurants are, or how to use the train system, or what the must-do attractions are. These things are small but helpful in alleviating stress when arriving in a foreign place. Third, some hosts rent several rooms in the house, so we may be able to meet fellow travelers who have additional knowledge to share. Fourth, we will have kitchen space to make our own food and cut down on costs that come with eating out a lot. 

Excitingly, we already have secured two Airbnb reservations for this fall! In Melbourne, Australia, we found a woman renting out a few rooms in her house near the beach. There is a climbing gym nearby as well as easy access to the city center via public transit. In Chiang Mai, Thailand, we found a younger woman and her boyfriend renting out at room in their centrally located Thai style house. She is originally from the United States which will be easy for us for communication purposes, enjoys cooking, and even has her own blog filled with suggestions of things for us to do and see in the area. 

Of course, we won't truly know how good these places actually are until we get there, but communication with both of these hosts has been impeccable, so we are hopeful for good encounters. And, if these experiences go well, I expect we will have some more Airbnb reservations coming in the future!