Travel Featured
Have you tried Airbnb?
By Betina Fuentes
L
adjust the filters. These include dates
of stay, budget, whether you prefer to
stay in a private room, shared room, or
entire home, amenities and numbers
of beds, bedrooms and bathrooms.
You can save these filters to apply to
all new searches.
ike all expats, once we get
home from our last vacation, we
immediately begin planning the
next one. Budgeting for such a
trip requires hours on the various airline
websites to find the perfect flight, time
on traveller’s websites to plan the
itinerary, but what usually happens
when it comes down to lodging? Do
you settle for a standard hotel? If you
are travelling with children or friends,
booking more than one room in the
same area can become a hassle, as
well as an unexpected expense. On
our most recent trip abroad, we solved
the puzzle of travelling as a party
of five – two adults, two teenagers
and one toddler – by using a tool I’d
heard about but never tried: Airbnb.
We saved money, time, and ended
up living like locals in London, County
Cork and Dublin.
Now comes the fun part – choosing
your lodging. All listings have photos,
reviews, an overview of the property
and a breakdown of amenities. When
we were planning our trip, we knew
that with teens, wifi was a must,
and with five people over ten days,
a washer/dryer was essential. The
overview of the London property was
useful in that it included how far away
the underground lines were from the
flat. As with any purchase, read the
reviews to get an idea of how other
guests feel about the place.
How does the process work? It’s
as simple as going to Airbnb.com or
downloading the app onto your mobile
device. I prefer the app, as it allows
me to daydream during my free time!
Once you’re there, simply input your
area of choice. To narrow the search,
Once you’ve chosen your perfect
place, use the booking feature to
request a reservation or instantly
book. When you request a reservation,
Airbnb will put a freeze on those
funds in your account, so be sure
you’re prepared for this. It is then up
to the host to accept or decline your
reservation. The host has 24 hours in
which to do so. If he or she declines
or does not respond within 24 hours,
the reservation is canceled and the
funds will be released at the discretion
of your bank (warning: our bank took
30 days to release the funds – your
bank may differ). If the host accepts,
then you are all set. The host will use
the Airbnb’s mail system to email you
details about arrival and securing keys.
Our experience with Airbnb this
summer was fantastic. Our hosts were
thoughtful, with our County Cork host
leaving us tea and scones on arrival.
When we had an issue with wifi in
London, our host promptly fixed the
problem. I haven’t even mentioned
the best part – we spent less than
half of what we would have on
accommodation if we had used hotels
– and we had plenty of room for the
whole family. We’ve already started
planning our next few trips with the
help of Airbnb. For your next trip, why
not give it a try!