There’s nothing worse than spending hours planning your dream vacation and arriving after a long day of travel at an Airbnb that looks nothing like what you expected. There are countless horror stories about peoples’ stays in their Airbnb homes, but there are just as many, if not way more, people who had very positive experiences with their stays. As long as you do the proper amount of research and make sure to keep your eyes peeled for anything questionable, you should have no problems with your Airbnb selection. Below you’ll find a few helpful tips on making sure you book yourself into a clean and safe Airbnb.
Tips For Finding Your Perfect Airbnb
Read Plenty Of Reviews
I always check to make sure the home I’m looking into has lots of reviews, most or all of which are positive ones. A home with only a few reviews can sometimes be a bit questionable, especially if the host isn’t yet verified by Airbnb. It’s also super important to read the actual reviews people wrote, not just look at their star rating. Sometimes people get angry and give bad reviews for things that wouldn’t really bother you, so you should always check to see what problems they faced in their room. You should read new reviews and old reviews, as sometimes there are things you could have missed. Of course, the higher the rating the better, just like a normal hotel, but sometimes you just have to use your best judgment.
Make Sure The Host Is Verified
This one is beyond important. Being verified by Airbnb means that Airbnb itself has done checks and scans on the host of this home to be sure they are who they say they are, the apartment looks how it’s advertised, and you’re going to be safe and well in this home. This seems like a no-brainer, but with things like Airbnbs where they aren’t owned by a bigger company (like hotels) things can get iffy sometimes if real precautions aren’t taken into consideration. As long as Airbnb has done their research for you, you should have no safety concerns with the owner of the home you’ll be staying in.
Check The Location
You don’t get the exact address of the home until after you book, but you can see the general area of the home on the Airbnb booking map. Some homes are advertised as being in the city, for example, “spacious apartment in NYC!” but they’re really located far outside of the city. Some owners think tourists who don’t know the area won’t know any better, but you should be ahead of their curveball and do your own research. It can be a bit more difficult if you’re booking an Airbnb in a foreign country, as you may not be as familiar, but take your detective skills to Google Maps and really see how long it will take you to get places.
