Why Airbnb?
When I travel I always use Airbnb. When people ask me about travel - I always suggest Airbnb. If you’re curious about Airbnb, this post will provide everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Airbnb: how it works, how it is different than traditional accommodations, and why I always to love to recommend it for new and seasoned travelers.
What is Airbnb?
Most simply Airbnb is a vacation rental online marketplace. Airbnb allows people looking to vacation, people traveling to see family, travelers on business trips, and folks just looking to getaway to book unique travel accommodations. In 2008 founders Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky came up with the idea for Airbnb as a way to make extra money and network with other business professionals in the saturated San Francisco rental market. They placed an air mattress on their floor and offered to rent it out to professionals visiting San Francisco for conferences and events, when traditional hotels became difficult to book. As a way to entice potential customers, Gebbia and Chesky would also provide breakfast, and airbedandbreakfast.com was born. Since shortened to simply Airbnb, the service has become a worldwide phenomenon and as of October 2019, was providing 2 million guests a night with a place to sleep. Airbnb now offers traditional Bed and Breakfast style stays, entire homes to rent, and still couches to crash on for a cheap night in a new place. Airbnb has recently expanded to include Airbnb Plus (homes verified for comfort and hospitality), Airbnb Luxe (manors, villas, and the very best in high price amenities), and Airbnb experiences (host guided tours and unique local attractions)
How does Airbnb work?
Airbnb’s functionality is very simple. A host who has a place available for rent can list their space on Airbnb and a guest can book the accommodation. Airbnb acts a broker, and provides a safe and reliable transaction platform to connect the host to guest. An Airbnb can take many forms. I have stayed in the spare bedroom of an expansive mountain manor, rented an entire house overlooking the beautiful Florida coastline, and an apartment in a luxury downtown high rise to name a few. Airbnb allows you to filter your searches to meet exactly what you need. You can find entire homes to rent, or crash in someone’s spare room. You can filter for places that allow you to bring your furry friend with you. You can filter for places that have free parking in large cities. (Click here for some of our favorite filters). The choice is all up to you, I guarantee there is something to meet your needs!
Why is Airbnb our favorite way to travel?
I could write for days about all the merits of Airbnb, but I’ll provide some highlights here. Firstly, I love to travel, but always wanting to go somewhere comes with a price. Oftentimes it is prudent to travel on a budget. Airbnb matches the need perfectly. I can filter my searches by budget, and find something that is within or lower than my budget. Almost always, I can find an entire bungalow in a city’s arts district, or a luxury condominium steps from downtown for the same price (or less!) than what I would pay for a night in a chain hotel. The benefits there speak for themselves - for the same price, I would much rather have entire rooms to explore, or be close to the action!
Secondly, the unique accommodations. I love to tell people about the castle you can book nestled in the North Carolina mountains, or the house boats along the coast in the Florida keys, or the flat in Paris with a private terrace looking over the Eifel tower. Traditional accommodations just can not provide these types of experiences. Don’t get me wrong, I love how comfy the beds are at Holiday Inn, but no view of a parking lot at Holiday Inn will beat the view from the floor to ceiling glass windows of an architect’s home in the rocky mountains. This may sound like expensive luxury, but like I said before, an Airbnb is often the same price or less than a hotel so for me it’s a no brainer!
Thirdly, your stay is often more authentic. I know this sounds like a pretentious travel cliché, but hear me out. A stay in an Airbnb is truly more authentic. It allows you to live like a local, and meet genuine people who are familiar with the area you are exploring. Most hosts provide guidebooks that share their favorite spots, or make themselves available to tell you about your new surroundings. Once I stayed in the basement of a Chicago brownstone walk up. The host, who lived in the upstairs portion, took my travel companion and myself out to local brewery the night we arrived. We spent hours discussing the local area and he provided his expertise on what we should do during our time there. Another time, I stayed at an Airbnb in Washington, D.C. One of the hosts was a craft cocktail maker for upscale grocery stores across the Southeast. One night during our stay, she provided us with cock“tales” - unique craft cocktails and tales about the nation’s capital from a local. These are just some of the unique experiences Airbnb has provided that I would not have been able to get from traditional accommodations.
How to find your perfect stay
I hope this post has helped shed a little light on why Airbnb is such a great travel resource. I would love you help you find the perfect place to stay, or the perfect experience to book. You can use the link below to start searching for your perfect place, or email us at seeseeksleep@gmail.com and we can send you a customized search with your preferred region, budget, accommodation type, and time frame! I am an Airbnb associate, so if you book please do so using our link, and we can earn a portion of the booking. Thank you!