We travel a lot and have seen a lot, good and bad.
Spoiler Alert! We never use Airbnb if we are staying less than a couple weeks. For short stays, hotels are a better option. That said, Airbnb is a great option for long term stays, for the obvious reasons. Let’s skip the obvious reasons and go to lessons learned.
Avoid little tyrants
The property owners’ credentials are the #1 priority. All the bad experiences we’ve had have been nonprofessional property owners. Too many do not understand that you are a customer. One called me a guest in her home! It was a separate building! Most do not understand that the cleaning fee is for CLEANING. They think it’s another way to make money. That said, all the bad experiences we’ve had (sorry ladies) were women managers.
Search for the (one) stars
DO NOT ignore the 1-star ratings. Most Airbnb guests are short stays. They always say the trip was wonderful. Long term stays see the problems. Things to look out for are “It was hot and there was no AC,” “There was a lot of street noise,” “Such and such was broken but the owner fixed it right away.” Too many Airbnb owners do not manage the properties. There is no excuse for broken anything. I stayed in one where the internet didn’t work. It took 4 days to fix it. (And it still didn’t work)
Watch for pickpockets
If the property description says, “cleaning services mandatory,” go somewhere else. This is another rip-off. Property owners see this as another way to make money. They will charge you $20 an hour and pay the maid $4. According to Airbnb, never pay anyone in any way other than through Airbnb.
Book early
Airbnb’s that are great value are typically full. If you are booking a month in advance, you’ll overpay for a bad property, guaranteed. In Airbnb, location is huge. Smart property owners will charge less to have long term stays, and the apartment booked all the time. That said, in places like Vienna, Budapest and Prague, the best places are a few miles outside the city within 300 meters from a main rail line. It’s not just that the rents are lower, the apartments are typically nicer and restaurants, pubs and stores catering to locals who do not pay tourist prices.
The kitchen is the key
Look for comments on the kitchen. This will tell you more than you think. If a rater says, “the kitchen could use more utensils,” this is usually a sign that the owner is renting on the cheap and EVERYTHING will be on the cheap. This includes blankets, sheets, cleaning supplies, knives, etc. I would estimate that about half of the Airbnb’s I’ve stayed in did not have a proper frying pan.
Avoid the selfie-cationers.
Use a map as your guide. In areas with large tourist centers, like Vienna, Prague, Munich and Nuremberg, you will confront the tourist industry. Many tourists take what I call selfie-cations. Their primary travel goal is taking pictures of themselves to post on Instagram. To each their own, but these areas CATER to selfie-cations. The astrological clock in Prague is a great example. Everything around it is tourist centered. The churches are pay-to-pray, it costs 1 Euro to piss, a beer is twice what it costs a mile away and it’s overrun with pizza and burger places. Prague has some of the worlds most beautiful city parks and they lie empty. (except for locals) They’re restaurants are fantastic. The hiking trails are spectacular, and you’ll be the only tourist there.
Why Airbnb?
I stay in Airbnb’s about 5 months per year. I’ve haven’t seen it all, but I’m close. I never stay in inexpensive apartments, so the real dregs of Airbnb I can’t comment on. In my opinion, Airbnb does a better job at screening than anyone. That said, I do not stay in Airbnb’s in the US unless they are stand alone homes. I’ve had great experiences in Germany, Hungary, Spain, Chechia, Bulgaria, and Brazil, but the best were in Asia specifically Vietnam and Thailand.
Take command
The worse were in Colombia and Austria. Anyone who thinks they’re going to travel to Colombia and not get ripped off is a fool.
Austrians are, by and large, miserable people, which is also true of the Czech’s. That said, these are 2 of my favorite places in Europe. The key in these countries is to read the fine print from prior customers. I love Prague, especially during Opera season, but the people are rude as hell. If you’re like me, and don’t plan on knocking on doors to make friends with the locals, you’ll love it there. Both Austrians and Czech’s are extremely honest and disciplined… and miserable.
Asians are service animals. I’ve never had a problem there. They run their Airbnb’s like hotels. They’re extremely orderly and appreciative of your business. Last year I spent 5 months is Asia and didn’t have a single issue. They don’t have extra cleaning services. You just walk in and find the place cleaned.
There are a lot of negatives on the internet on Airbnb. Some are justified, but many of the customers are just idiots. Airbnb’s are in residential neighborhoods. If you make noise, you won’t be popular. Each Airbnb is an individually run business, some professionally, some still learning, some will never learn. They’re not travel agencies. People often expect the hosts to drive them around, translate and give travel advice. I typically have zero contact with the host because I don’t require hand holding.
In short, understand what you’re getting into and adapt.
