AirBNB Travel Tips for 2022
THE “WEEKLY” DISCOUNT
Most AirBNB’s charge a daily rate that can be expensive with fees and taxes, but if you book for a week (or more), the price can drop substantially (10-25%). This is a great tip if you have the time to stay for a full week, but if you don’t, this next tip is for you.
NEVER HURTS TO ASK
Throughout our travels we have discovered that it never hurts to ask for a discount. We simply message the host and ask if they would offer a discount for the dates that we want to stay there. The worst that can happen is that they say no, and quite often they will actually say yes!
EAR PLUGS ARE A MUST
This one is pretty straightforward. We always seem to forget to pack our ear plugs and then end up searching them out after a rough nights sleep! This AirBNB tip is especially important if you plan on getting a place in the city center, as the noise can get loud at night.
RENT YOUR OWN HOUSE/APARTMENT WHILE YOU’RE GONE
If you are going to be doing long term traveling (a month or more), it can be a great idea to rent out your place back home to put some extra cash in your pocket while you’re gone. In Tacoma, Washington where we live and own several homes, there are a lot of contract-nurses, students & military folks looking to rent furnished or semi-furnished properties for as short as 4-6 weeks. The site FurnishedFinder is a great resource to list your unit and is primarily geared toward travel nurses. You can also list your home on AirBNB. The most important part of the listing is to make sure you take beautiful pictures, as bad photos can limit the amount of renters interested. If you have more questions about how to rent your home, please feel free to reach out to me. I am happy to share our experiences renting homes in Tacoma.
NO HOT WATER ?
This definitely doesn’t apply to every AirBNB, but in Asia and Europe we weren’t sure why our hot water wasn’t working at several places. Also, what was that broken light switch for? Turns out, some AirBNB’s in Europe have a switch to turn on the hot water heater! The strange part to us is that the switch isn’t even necessarily going to be anywhere near the water heater or bathroom. Even more confusing is that it is often next to other light switches that all look the same. I suggest asking the host if there is a hot water heater switch and where it is located. **Bonus Tip: before you’re wanting to take your first shower in a new AirBNB, turn on the water and make sure it actually gets hot…
EXTRA TOWELS PLEASE!
As a lady with a good amount of hair I always like to have a towel for myself, and an extra one for my hair. It’s also nice to have one to hang in the bathroom to dry my hands with. And let’s be honest, it’s also nice to have one in the kitchen to use when cooking too… I found that most AirBNB hosts are happy to give you extra items that you might need, including different small appliances like blenders, mixers, kitchen utensils, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need from your host!