5 Great Things About Airbnb

My previous blog post was about my summer trip to Europe, which you can check out here if you missed it. I thought I’d do a post about Airbnb, as I don’t think everyone is aware of the truly amazing service it offers!

I’ve stayed in quite a lot of Airbnbs while travelling and wanted to give some advice on how and why you should make the most out of the service.

1. Interaction

From trips to Nice, Brazil, Copenhagen and even just down in London, it’s clear that one major positive of Airbnb is its ability to bring you closer to a variety of people that you just wouldn’t interact with if you booked a stay in a hotel.

When you go on holiday, you’re unlikely to engage in meaningful conversation with locals in the area, but staying in someone’s apartment means you get to meet some great people. Your hosts can not only give you some helpful advice on your travel destination, but also tell you a bit about themselves and the cool things they get up to! I’ve met some really interesting people through Airbnb and have had useful advice on where to visit during my trip.

2. No Need To Pay Upfront

I’ve made use of this for our long trip around Europe over summer, enjoying the benefits of not having to fork out big chunks of money at one time. Airbnb lets you pay half the price when you book, and half the price nearer your stay! This is a great feature when the price is on the high side or you need to stretch your budget this month. All with no extra cost – why wouldn’t you!

3. A Home Away From Home

I much prefer staying in Airbnb’s over hotels mostly due to their homely nature. After a long day of exploring or being out in the sea, I like to have a relaxed space to come back to where I can cook some food and lie on a sofa. Something I can’t really do in a hotel, but Airbnb allows you to stay in someone else’s home where they have everything you could need to relax as if it were your own place.

4. Great Advice and Tips

Hotels will often showcase flyers of local tourist attractions and can point you in the direction of certain places. But I’ve had such useful and informative conversations and messages with Airbnb hosts that allow me to explore as if I lived there. I don’t think there’s anything better than information from people who have fully immersed themselves in the local culture and know exactly how things work over there.

I’ve received some brilliant advice pre-trip also. By communicating with hosts through the app you can find out the best bus to take from the airport to their apartment; the best tourist attraction passes to get; or simply asking about budgeting and how much money to bring.

Airbnb offers much more in terms of this than a hotel can.

5. Variation

With Airbnb’s growing popularity, there are so many places available that you can stay. When looking in Amsterdam, you’ll be offered Canal Boats as houses, even a Windmill! Two story open plan flats in Antwerp; private rooms in cosy flats in Brussels; perfectly decorated apartments in Copenhagen. It offers you so much variation in where you can stay compared to a typical hotel. Why would you opt for a one room en-suite hotel room that offers nothing to your senses when you can stay in some unimaginable homes?

Overall, for anyone new to Airbnb, I would 100% recommend using the service. You can choose the perfect apartment for you, with previous customer reviews, lots of information and pictures, and a general location given!

If anyone has any questions or wants to add why they love using Airbnb then please drop a comment below!

See you on the next post,
Maddie