I’ve been using AirBnB a lot lately here in Europe as I’m finding that a private room in someone’s home doesn’t cost that much more than a dorm bed in a hostel. The biggest benefit of a private room for me is being able to get a good night’s sleep. Even better is if you can rent the entire place, sometimes it can cost just as much as a private room depending on location.

One of the main reasons that people like hostels, other than the cheaper cost, is to meet people. But in most capital cities here in Europe, it’s very easy to meet people thanks to sites like Couchsurfing.org,Meetup.com, and Facebook groups. Public transportation is also usually very good in the big cities, so even if the house/apartment listed on AirBnB is not near the center of the action, getting there is very easy.

Below are just some of my observations and experiences with using AirBnB as a guest.

Fees

• AirBnB charges guests around 6-12% of the total as a service fee (no charges for the hosts). This could really add up if staying longer. So unless the place you want to book is very popular, it might be a good idea to just book the minimum number of nights and extend later, paying the host directly.
• Some hosts charge cleaning fees, so keep this in mind when budgeting.
• Some hosts require a security deposit in case you break things. AirBnB can take care of this automatically by authorizing your credit card for the amount of the deposit 24 hours before check in. It is then released if the host doesn’t make any claim 48 hours after check out.
• Sometimes they offer you a $25 coupon if you leave a review. It seems to happen more to those listings who have very few to no reviews.

Communication

• AirBnB uses a filtering system to prevent hosts and users from communicating directly. This works by omitting keywords that look like websites, physical addresses, email addresses, or phone numbers. While I haven’t tried it yet, you can probably trick the filtering system by spelling out the phone numbers in another language, or saying something like “my email is my first initial followed by my last name, using Google.”
• If you want to see the apartment first and avoid the service fee, you could also try by asking the host to meet at a famous landmark in the city somewhere. You’ll probably want to see the apartment first if you’re staying for a month or more.
• Another tip on getting the host’s contact information is to do a Google search for part of the description. There’s a good chance they posted their place at another website that allows posting the real address and contact information using the exact same description.
• A welcome email with information on how to get to the apartment, things to see nearby, places to eat, supermarkets, etc. is very helpful.

Searching for a Place

• AirBnB’s website is probably the best one I’ve ever used when searching for a place to stay. You can filter by district, price, facilities, amenities, etc.
• If you’re looking to book an entire place, it may be a good idea to confirm with the host that it’s what you’re really booking if it’s not mentioned in the description. I’ve seen postings listed as “Entire Home/Apartment” and then the description will say “You’re renting a room in our nice apartment.”
• I usually filter by entire home/apartment first as I usually find them a much better value.
• For professional-looking photos, expect the actual place to look less pretty. Not always the case, of course, but most of the time it is.
• I don’t understand why some hosts post pictures of the place with all their clutter. I’ve seen pictures with their clothes everywhere, unwashed dishes in the kitchen, dirty rooms. Sure, maybe you’re just being in honest that it’s what your place really looks like. But, is it really that much effort to do some cleaning and make your place more attractive to guests?
• A description that only says “A beautiful house near the center.” doesn’t really help the users much…
• I think most guests would agree that we’d actually like to see more pictures of the actual rooms/house/apartment (both inside and outside) than the popular tourist attractions in the area. I’ve seen some listings that only had pictures of the attractions…
• You may want to confirm which areas of the house you have access to. I recently stayed in a place with a family where I was, apparently, not allowed to use the living room. The living room was shown in the pictures and the husband even showed it to me when he was showing me around the house. Then the wife came one day while I was in the living room on my computer and was told I wasn’t supposed to be there. Not nice.
• Always check the weekly rates if you’re flexible with your dates as they can sometimes be considerably lower than the daily rates (for example, staying 5 nights could be the same price as staying 7 nights).
• Location doesn’t have to be near the center if public transportation is good. Up to a 5-minute walk to the nearest metro, bus, or tram stop is ideal.
• Another plus on being away from the center and in a more local area is lower prices on food and drinks, usually.
• A decent supermarket within walking distance is really nice if staying for more than just a few days.
• I guess a tent in a park can count as “entire home/apartment”…

During the Stay

• Little things such as providing free soap, tea, coffee, maps, plug adaptor, or guide books to your guests are really nice touches.
• Toys such as an LCD TV, PlayStation 3, or Apple TV are nice too.
• A washer in the building that you can use is a plus.
• A reliable Wi-Fi/Internet is a must.
• I find it surprising that not everyone has a microwave, a fairly cheap and very useful appliance. It’s the busy man’s best friend!
• A decent-sized desk to work on and a decent chair is a huge plus. Very helpful for digital nomads.
• Nothing against little kids, they can be cute sometimes, but I’d avoid places with them unless you like noise and seeing toys everywhere.
• What??? You were expecting me to bring my own towel?

Trust/Verifications

• In today’s sharing economy, leaving traces all over the Internet could actually help you look more trustworthy. For example, you can link your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles as forms of verification. The more “friends” or connections you have, the more trustworthy you’d probably look.
• Reviews matter. I’m actually quite hesitant on booking a place that doesn’t have any reviews or references. Though, at the same time, those new listings without reviews could turn out to be a better experience as the hosts would probably be more attentive and friendly so you’d leave them a good reference.
• It’s pretty neat how the system looks for similarities between you and the host. For example, one time while searching I saw that one of the hosts went to the same university as I did. If her rate was in my price range, the chances of me picking her place would’ve probably been higher just from that fact alone.

Will probably add more to this in the future as I still have a couple of months travel time left.