How to Find the Best Airbnbs!
When searching for Airbnb’s, it can sometimes be quite a hassle. There are so many things to consider: will it be clean? Is the neighborhood safe? How close is it to the airport? How close is it to what I want to see? How much is it? The list of questions can go on and on. This is exactly what kept me at one point from staying at Airbnbs. But when looking for hotel alternatives, it quickly became a regular option of mine, even becoming my primary source for finding accommodations. If you are wondering about how to find the best Airbnbs or if you have never stayed in an Airbnb before and would like to, hopefully the following tips will help you in selecting the best stay for your money.
Reserve Far in Advance
As with many lodging reservations, it is always best to reserve your stay in advance. Airbnb has many filters where you can search for a room or apartment based on the dates that you plan to visit that area. The closer you get to your vacation dates, the fewer options you’ll have to chose from. Not only that, but the fewer options that you are left with will more than likely be the “scraps” of Airbnbs. I remember when I planned a somewhat last minute booking with Airbnb, three weeks before my trip to Bangkok, Thailand. The booking I reserved had a 5-star review rating, was operated by a Superhost, and had all the qualifiers I needed to make me feel comfortable in booking the location. However, I was in for quite a rude awakening. When I arrived to the airport and got into a taxi to my Airbnb, my stomach began to drop in anticipation of what I would soon see. Opening the door to the room, I could see the frayed window curtains and the slightly disheveled comforter on the bed. After a couple of moments of attempting to be comfortable with my stay, my friend solemnly said to me “there is a bed bug on the window.” My heart immediately sunk and I darted up from the place I was sitting on my bed. Less than 2 seconds later, we called our Airbnb host and requested to cancel our stay, and the next day we were staying at a hotel. All of this is to say, be vigilant and book your Airbnb early so that you are not left with these options that may or may not be a desirable stay.
Search for Superhosts
Searching for Superhosts is probably the most important qualifier to look for when booking an Airbnb. Superhosts are host who offer accommodations that have a decent history and a high number of positive reviews based on characteristics including cleanliness, response rate, and location, among other important factors. Because of this, reserving an accommodation offered by a Superhost is more reliable than hosts who may have less reviews, or hosts that are new to the Airbnb experience. When booking a hosts with less reviews, you run the risk of reserving an Airbnb that is not up to par. Similarly, hosts that are new may not have the proper experience to offer a stay up to the standards of comfort that Airbnb customers expect. To filter by Superhosts, after you select your dates, number of guests, and type of accommodation (Home vs. Experience,) you can select the filter for Superhosts among other filters. All Superhosts have a badge pictured by their profile image.
Scour the Reviews
Because of my obsession with reviews, I make sure that I scour the reviews for any mention of a negative about the place I’m looking to book. I look at the ratings the reviewers give, and then look at the reviews that have less than a 3-star rating. For these reviews, I do a pros and cons of what the reviewer is mentioning about the location. For example, if I see a 3-star rating, I stop scrolling and read the review. If the review mentions that the bathroom has mold spots, I will take mental note of this and search for other reviews that may be saying the same thing. I then weight these negatives based on the number of other reviews that may mention the same issue. Being thorough in reading the reviews will help in ultimately making sure you have a comprehensive understanding of how the accommodation will be.
Research the Neighborhood
As an extra step of precaution, I also like to research the neighborhood where the Airbnb listing is located. Most of the time, when we travel, we are not completely confident of things such as how safe the area may be, whether it is in a noisy neighborhood, or if it is in a residential neighborhood. Much of this, although sometimes mentioned under the listing of Airbnb and in the reviews, will not be something that is out right known. I like to do just a brief search of the neighborhood to see whether I’d be comfortable staying in that location for however long I plan to stay.
Stay in Locations According to Your Travel Agenda
Finally, I always try to research the proximity of my Airbnb to the locations I’d like to frequent during my trip. Most often in the Airbnb listing, there will be information on how far the accommodation is to certain landmarks and subway lines. Take this into consideration, but also be sure to do some of your own research since many times you may have different spots of interests you want to visit while on vacation. For instance, some locations may be closer to the part of town that has a lively nightlight whereas you may be looking for a location closer to the historical sites or where the airport is located. It all depends on what you’d like to do, and it is important to cater your searches for that.
I hope these tips are helpful as you look for Airbnbs to stay for your next trip. Overall, Airbnbs are always a good way to stay in a not-so-touristy part of town that will allow you to have more of an authentic experience.
Once I got notified that I would be teaching English in South Korea, the next big decision to make would be to decide where I would be living in South Korea. Historically, many foreigners interested in traveling here are primarily concerned with living in Seoul. In fact, many people who are even somewhat familiar with South Korea are often times only aware of Seoul.