Airbnb.com - Review

I am looking and looking and all I can find a hotel for is as low as $120 per a night, AND that is with a discount that I am privy to. I am thinking, why not go to a hostel? So I check and there are private rooms for $90- $110. I only get private rooms as I travel with thousands of dollars worth of photography equipment.

I know many travelers, like yourself have been in a similar situation. You look for a hotel, and it is the largest expense on your vacation. But which do you book at? Are you getting the best deal for the price? The reviews make it hard to decide, and how do you know if it is as good as in the images? You are not planning on living in the hotel, you want to go out and see the attractions and live the culture. Spending too much is not the plan but how can you plan on spending cheaper?

At this point I looked into renting an apartment. Yes, I said an apartment, and despite what you are thinking, it is actually cheap. An apartment was found as cheap as low as $83 a night or I can rent a room at some one’s house for as cheap as $45 a night. The great thing about getting a room, is I can get advice from the person who lives there about local places to visit.

The website I found these great deals is Airbnb.com, a great place to find a good place for a good price, stay in a local area that is safe, and travel like being in the comfort of your own home.

What is Airbnb.com you ask? Well it is a website where apartment and house owners can put their apartment/house or a room up for others to use while they are away or even there. Places are available from all around the world and you can feel like you are at home (without all the hassles) while you are traveling. Below the video explains more in depth on how Airbnb works:

How do you use the website? First you go to the website and choose the destination you are traveling to and the dates you are traveling and then hit search. On the left side you can filter out whether you want an entire home/apartment or if you want a private room or share a room. Also is a map feature that allows you to look for places base on where in the town/city you want to stay at. Choose a pin and check out the information.

One of the drawbacks is that you most places require a deposit (which are sometimes pretty hefty) and that it is all charged on your credit card. This requires money “up front” which is a temperary charge on your card, and removed/charged back to your card when you check out (and you haven’t damaged anything). This is just to help insure the renter from those who want to throw a massive party and thrash the place. Also the credit card is not charged for the room Until you check in (via the website or mobile app) to prevent an owner from taking your money w/o giving you a key.

The website is really well designed, simple and easy to get around. The mobile App is also the same and very easy to use. The mobile app is hands down of the best designed apps on my phone as it offers wonderful stunning images and a great lay out to find out the information you are looking for. The app makes it easy to find a place when you are on the road, simple and easy. I almost exclusively use the iPhone app more so than the actual website due to its ease of use.

Airbnb is a great solution to those who are looking for a place to stay but do not want to spend a lot of money on a hotel. It is not for those who want to be pampered, but it is great for those who don’t want to stay in a not so clean hotel to save money. Check it out and see about a place to stay on your next trip, I know I will to reduce my stay price on my next trip. Here is a $25 credit for your first time using Airbnb.

Have you ever used Airbnb? Let us know of your experience. Write a comment below and feel free to follow us on twitter and Facebook and follow our feeds.

Erick Redcloud

A partially blind Graphic Designer, Freelance Travel Photographer, Artist, Buddhist and Vegetarian who loves to travel. Erick loves traveling by being with the locals and going off the beaten path. He is the founder and owner of Pathlesstravels and loves inspiring others to follow their dreams, whether it is to travel or something completely different. He started Pathlesstravels to hone is photography skills and to meet amazing people, and to help a friend break into journalism. Check out his photography at his link.