Insider's Guide To Airbnb: How To Make Your First Airbnb an Awesome Experience

Jul 24

Ready to try Airbnb for the first time? Travelers who are looking to go on vacation with Airbnb often have a lot of questions and concerns. Here are some tips that will make your first experience at Airbnb more comfortable and optimized.

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Airbnb, it's one of my favorite ways to experience travel.

I know some travelers are still a bit adamant about using, the online community marketplace that connects people looking to rent their homes with people who are looking for unique accommodations. But, there is nothing really to worry about if you do your homework. Airbnb can benefit both hosts and travelers.

Hosts get to meet people from around the world while making a little extra money, and travelers can often stay for less than the cost of a hotel room. In addition, many travelers enjoy accommodations that offer a different experience from standard hotels. Many users find the personalized service, both from hosts and from Airbnb’s customer service, makes for a good experience

My very first experience with Airbnb was in Amsterdam back in 2012. my husband and I instantly fell in love with this whole concept, and later used Airbnb in a location perfect apartment in Nice, France; a modern pad in Hong Kong; a shared apartment in trendy Surry Hills twice in a penthouse with breathtaking views in Sydney; an uber-hip spot in Seattle; Asheville and Tamarindo. We've done both the shared house (where one stays in an extra bedroom at your host’s home) and private home (your host’s home is entirely yours during your stay.) Both were great experiences with some of the best hosts and some friendly pets. We've also listed our place on Airbnb, which was also a cool experience. I'm sure we will be using Airbnb for our 4-month stay in Charlotte, and out 2015 travels to Costa Rica, Spain, and Italy.

If you are new to Airbnb, this will be a great start to your Airbnb experience, and hopefully will encourage you to give Airbnb a try.

What is Airbnb?

Airbnb is the world's leading community marketplace for people to list, find, and book unique accommodations around the world. The concept of Airbnb started in 2007 when its co-founders gave up their San Francisco apartment and rented it out to travelers on a month-by-month basis to make money while they were living in Paris. In 2009, they made a decision to share their idea with others and therefore launched the website that year. Today, Airbnb has 200,000 listings in 66 countries and is available in over 34 languages!

How do I use Airbnb for the first time?

Carefully consider your booking needs

Before you even start searching Airbnb’s website make sure you are clear in your accommodation needs. Airbnb generally presents a long list of broad rental options so narrowing down your search requirements will help reduce the overwhelming feeling I’m sure some first-time Airbnbers feel. As a recommendation, have a clear understanding on how many guests will be staying, the rental type you are after (whole apartment, private room or shared room), and maybe some loose budget ideas. Airbnb hosts do their best to be very specific about what they do and don’t offer, being able to match your requirements without confusion is the aim. Play around with the search functions on Airbnb, you may find the perfect hidden gem.

Check reviews and host’s approach

So you’ve found a few interesting rental options, now it’s time to get a feel and develop some trust in your potential host. As a first-timer, you would be strongly advised to stay with a host who has a few reviews. Every review left is a real, paying Airbnb Guest so the reviews can be trusted. The beauty of being a great Airbnb user (host or guest) can only be gained through doing fun things with your host's and guests real-world experience.

Aside from the reviews, take a look through the Host’s photos are they Airbnb Verified? Has the host verified and connected themselves to their listing? Do you have any social connections in common? How quickly do they respond? These aren’t hard and fast rules but as a first-timer, best to play it safe – your Host’s approach should give you nothing but confidence in staying with them.