7 pro tips for a great vacation with this app

Airbnb is an app that helps you find a nice place to sleep with a local resident, whether it’s for your vacation or a business trip. The accommodation itself varies from one room to an entire private home just for you, but almost always the experience is more distinctive and a lot more personal than staying in a hotel. Here are seven important Airbnb tips.

Airbnb Tips

Ever since I first tested Airbnb while on vacation a few years ago, I’ve wanted nothing else. In general, it was a great experience where I really got a lot of extra information and added value from the relationship with the hosts, and the rooms themselves also felt really homely and atmospheric. Less sleek and basic than what the average hotel room offers for the same money. Would you really like to spend a night on a houseboat, in a tree house or a tipi? You are also guaranteed to find this kind of crazy stuff with this app.

All these great experiences do not detract from the fact that I have learned a lot about using Airbnb over the years. Not only have I discovered some useful tricks, but there are also really important things to keep in mind so that you don’t get any nasty surprises. These tips can help you have a great vacation, because there are Airbnb hosts at any fun destination.

1. Know what you are looking for and filter smartly

There is an incredibly wide range of places to stay in Airbnb and the app comes with a powerful filter system that helps you find the ideal places to stay. So carefully read all the options, because this is the only way to get the list of accommodations you want to see.

First you choose a destination, but immediately afterwards the app asks you to choose a period. If the date of your trip is not very important, it is best to choose the option Flexible dates, because that’s how you get the most results. You then indicate how many children and adults are traveling with you, and you will immediately receive a list of results.

Then don’t search through that list just yet. That may sound crazy, but pressing the filter button in the top right will give you access to the more advanced filters, and good filtering is essential, especially in places with a large selection of Airbnbs.

The most important filter option from the list is undoubtedly the Price range in which you choose the desired price per night. Airbnb can be dirt cheap at times, but some other prices are through the roof. You also choose whether you want an entire house or are already satisfied with one room. You can also indicate the number of beds and bedrooms along with all the facilities you need.

There are also a few other things that definitely deserve your attention. If you travel with your pet, check Pets allowed On. Those arriving by car can also search by Free parking, and smokers should check in advance whether smoking is allowed with the option smoking allowed. It is also better to indicate which languages ​​you are fluent in, then the app will look for hosts who understand you. This makes things much easier when you agree things with the host in advance and when communicating during the stay. Flexible cancellation finally ensures that you get (part of) the amount back if you have to cancel the trip unexpectedly.

2. Scroll through the list and Favorites

When you’re done with the filters, tap at the bottom Show more than [aantal] accommodations. You now have an overview of all destinations that in theory meet your preferences, and from now on it is a matter of reading descriptions, viewing photos and checking reviews.

Airbnb also has an algorithm in which it automatically mixes new accommodations without reviews with places that already have a lot of (good) reviews. This also gives those new places a chance to come into the picture, but it does mean that you sometimes have to scroll to find top destinations after a long time.

For that reason it is also best to work with the system for Favorites, which is a tab at the bottom of the app. Press the heart on each fun slice to mark that accommodation as a favorite. This way you can easily find them and you don’t have to pick them from the full list of places to stay.

3. Read reviews

In addition to the description of each Airbnb, the reviews are the most important measure by which you discover whether a room or holiday home is something for you. More reviews usually gives more certainty about the experience that awaits you, and if you want to try something new that has no reviews yet, then you better read all the descriptions and information that the host provides beforehand.

If you read reviews, you better do it thoroughly. Also, assume that reviews in Airbnb are usually more positive than too negative. That has to do with the way the reviews work, because not only do you have to rate your host, but you can also expect a review from him or her. Were you an exemplary guest? This will soon also be visible on your profile. For that reason, users of the app seem to be naturally more cautious.

Keep that in mind and pay close attention to the different pillars that belong to a review, because there are separate scores for: Location, Arrival, Accuracy, Communication, Value for money and Cleanliness. If the general score is positive, but if you notice that the figure is slightly lower for one of these pillars, then that could already be an indication that that aspect in question is really less good than it seems.

Especially in terms of Cleanliness people are sometimes too shy to be really critical in their review, because that friendly host with whom they had such a nice time also gets a personal notification when their review is in.

4. Instant booking

The weather is nice and you want to go out quickly? You may have to go on a business trip unexpectedly. For reservations that happen very late, look for Airbnbs that Reserve immediately support. You can find that option in the filters of the app. With Instant Booking, you don’t have to wait for confirmation from the host to make sure your insurance is in order. It is immediately booked in the agenda.

5. Experiences

Airbnb has been doing more than just showing nice places to stay in recent years. In the meantime, the app has also embraced all kinds of activities, and you can also type in a destination when searching Experiences choose Activities can vary a lot, but certainly in touristic places there will be something for everyone.

Whether you’re on a culinary trip learning about local produce, taking a boat trip, or looking for a photographer, Airbnb can help. In some cases, the host of your place of residence is also the organizer for a fun activity, and that can always be an added value.

With the corona pandemic, precautions for activities have become important. The host therefore informs you how this is taken into account. Airbnb also pays attention to activities that can take place online, which are also usually a bit cheaper.

6. Airbnb Plus, Superhosts (no reviews)

When you look at the filters or scroll through all possible Airbnb’s, you will probably see the terms Superhost and Airbnb Plus come across. A Superhost is someone who has been a member of Airbnb for a long time and gets not only many but also very positive reviews. The app rewards such hosts with this badge and you can also choose in the filters to only see where Superhosts reside. A good host can play an important role during your vacation, because he or she provides you with useful tips that only the locals can give.

Airbnb Plus locations are also places recognized by Airbnb, but only rooms or homes where the quality has also been verified by the app itself. An Airbnb inspection has been carried out in those places and the bar is set extra high. Although unfortunately you usually feel that in your wallet. Airbnb Plus places are also rather scarce, especially in less touristy destinations.

7. Watch out for extra costs

This is an important thing to check before you decide to confirm a reservation. We’ve been talking about it for a while flexible reservation, that is a filter option that only shows you places where you do not lose the full amount in the event of cancellation. Yet there are even more possible extra costs that you should check, so that you know exactly where you stand. Don’t worry, because those costs are already included in the total price that Airbnb always displays, but apart from that it is still useful to see how that total price is calculated.

Airbnb lists all types of costs on its website that can be added to the price per night:

• Airbnb’s service fees: Service fees that Airbnb charges guests to keep Airbnb running and available to the community 24/7.
• Cleaning fee: Fees that some hosts charge to cover the cost of cleaning their space.
• Surcharge for extra guests: A fee that some hosts charge for each guest who exceeds a set number.
• Deposit: Certain reservations require a security deposit imposed by the host or Airbnb (learn more about security deposits).
• Sales tax (VAT, JCT and GST): Tax charged to guests residing in certain countries (more information about VAT).
• Local taxes: Taxes charged based on the location of the host’s accommodation (more information on local taxes).

After you stay at a place of residence To reserve have pressed, choose under price information for More information, and this way you will find out how the host arrives at the requested amount.

Have you ever traveled with Airbnb, and do you only use the app for weekends or also for your entire holiday? Have you had good experiences or not? Let us know along with your tips in the comments at the bottom of this article.

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