Airbnb vs Hotels: The TRUTH from Full-Time Travelers
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- Ep.56 We compare Airbnbs to hotels with TIPS to tell you why and when we use each of them. This comprehensive guide breaks down locations, accommodations, check-in/out processes, fees, problems, and our experiences. With all the negativity surrounding Airbnbs, should you give up on them? We give you our honest opinions and our detailed review.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Start
01:31 - Comparing Locations
03:34 - Cancellations
06:52 - Loyalty Programs
09:18 - Overall Price Comparison
13:28 - Our Accommodation Choices
19:50 - Comparing Check In/Out
21:30 - Making Connections
23:57 - Airbnb Assistance
28:30 - Are Airbnbs bad?
31:59 - Our highest and lowest per night costs
33:35 - Cost Breakdown
36:30 - So what did we decide?
Finding Gina Marie is where we share our lives as full-time travelers and the connections we make along the way.
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We spent a month in a Lisbon Airbnb. We used it as a home base when we did a weekend in Porto, an overnight in Evora, and 3 days at the beach. It was centrally located to everything and saved quite a bit of money by staying for a month in the “off” season. It was great not packing up all of our things for the quick sightseeing trips.
Hi Deb, we are in Vienna and will be making a 3-day detour to Amsterdam with only our backpacks. I don't love double booking ourselves, but I agree that it's sometimes the most logical way. Thanks for watching and for sharing what you've done while traveling. We weren't in the best head space when we visited Portugal, so we definitely want to go back and give it another chance! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarielovely video! Question- which camera do you use to shoot vlogs indoor, outdoors and in low light night scenes? 🙋
@@ankitkumar2011 Great question. We bought a new DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo when we were in Chiang Mai and that's what we use for vlogging as much as possible, including low light scenarios. Before that, we relied on our iPhone 15s and our Sony FX30 Cinema Camera. All of our "talking-head" style videos like this one are filmed with the Sony FX. We also have a light kit we use (ZHIYUN X100 Light), but that's mostly for indoors because it's fairly impractical to set up vlogging shots in busy places. You can check out our full gear list in the link below. -Judy
GEAR LIST: findingGinaMarie.com/gear
@@FindingGinaMarie thank you for this insightfully detailed and prompt response! I wish you great adventures along your way, health and happiness!
@ankitkumar2011 Thank you so much! We love answering questions, so don't ever hesitate to reach out! And we wish you all the best, too! -Judy
I use a simple system. I travel about 1 month out of the year. I use my Chase CC every day and accrue points, transfer them to Hyatt and I have never paid for a Hyatt hotel. All my lodging is free. Airbnb could never compete with that. I don’t have to buy a room to get points. I get them from buying gas and groceries.
Thanks for watching, Cameron. We know people who do the same, but we travel 365 days per year, so that doesn't work great for us. We tend to use our miles for long-haul flights. But it's a great idea for people who travel less than we do. Thanks for watching. -Judy
Thank you for putting so much thought into this topic.
Thank you so much, Sharon, for the idea, and so glad we could give you our perspective. It was something we were tossing around, but knowing that someone was actually interested in the topic was the impetus we needed to pull it together. And we're so glad we could give you a little nod in the video. If you have questions we didn't address, please reach out! -Judy
In my stays at Airbnb ( I'm a single senior woman) I have had numerous safety/cleaning issues you did not address. Here were my safety/cleaning issues : electric lock being disabled a day before my checkout, flimsy locks, cameras in different spaces, sheets not changed from previous guests, room not cleaned,, no instructions on how to adjust heating & cooling & owner not responding to my requests for instructions. I always booked a "super host" & made sure to read a multitude of reviews so was quite surprised to find these issues. I found your presentation limiting in not addressing these very vital areas.
Hi Peggy, we didn't address these sorts of things because despite being in 17 Airbnbs in the last 13 months, we never had these types of experiences. We're sorry that your experience hasn't been the same.
In our video we suggest sending a message to the host prior to booking to gauge a sense of their response times. We have had one Airbnb that throttled the heat, and that wasn't any fun, but we made the best of it. She ended up delivering blankets to us. It wasn't ideal, but we survived for the week we were there. BUT as far as safety issues go, we suggest you notify the host immediately, and if you don't get prompt resolution, take it to the Airbnb customer service portal. We'd even find a hotel nearby if we truly didn't feel safe and get the money sorted out later. We know people who travel with rubber door stops and door alarms (amzn.to/47Jfa3l). There's also a super packable door lock to give you more peace of mind: amzn.to/3t9vN9c. We also haven't booked on the ground floor.
We don't book any hosts with a lower than 4.7 or preferably 4.8 score for cleaning and we look very carefully at location and ALL the reviews. We don't book Airbnbs without detailed reviews and scrutinize all the photos. But once you're in a bind, for whatever reason and depending on the length of your stay and what you paid for the accommodations, you may have to tackle some issues by yourself. You may encounter equally slow service from a hotel, so don't think those all are perfect, either. I know people who buy a cleaning item or two because they are fastidious, regardless of how clean it appears to be (and they do the same in hotels!).
We also carry a large rolling beach towel and our own wool blanket that could work in a pinch, but if the hosts aren't responsive, I would contact Airbnb and get permission to go to a hotel for a night until the host gets it sorted out. Hotels are few and far between that provide as many amenities or location options for the prices we pay in Airbnbs. If we didn't use them, we couldn't afford to be full-time travelers. Our video mentions that we have been able to spend half the cost of a hotel night in an Airbnb, which is pretty significant to us, so we try to do as much due diligence on the front end as possible. We wish you better luck for your future stays. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie , what a gracious reply... Btw., your video was fantastic.
@michaels3003 Thank you so much for watching and for your very kind words. They mean a lot to us. ♥️ -Judy
Love your videos with costs 👌 can you please share Airbnb in Istanbul old town, Venice,Santorini?
Hi Shazia, Unfortunately, you might have us confused with someone else. Although we include prices for all our travels, we haven't been to Istanbul or Santorini. We've been to Athens, Greece and when we were in Venice, we stayed at the Hotel Agli Alboretti (www.hotels.com/affiliates/hotelscom-home.feOvig7). However, it looks like the price for this property have gone up quite a bit since we were there in March 2022. -Judy
One alternative is staying in a private room at a hostel. It may not be as nice as an Airbnb. but it would be cheaper than a hotel and you often meet interesting people there.
Hi Scott, Part of the reason we don't typically consider hostels is that we tend to work out of our Airbnb quite a bit. I think a private room in a hostel isn't a bad idea if you are spending most of your time out exploring. For us as full-time travelers, we need more than a bed and a desk with a single chair to be comfortable long term. We don't get breaks from traveling, so having a couch and a kitchen and sometimes a television help to normalize our days, especially since there are some days that we just want to do absolutely nothing but hang out. Thank you for the suggestion; I know many people move around a lot more than we do. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Thanks for your reply. I was definitely suggesting hostels as an alternative to hotels, which are more comparable. For long term stays, it seems like nothing would compare to staying in a local’s rental space. Airbnb definitely found that need and filled it. I haven’t stayed in one, however, I’m looking at options for a couple years from now when I’ll retire and be able to slow travel.
I appreciate you thinking about the issue of creating real estate issues in local communities. I lived in the foothills in North Carolina when I got a job there out of college in the mid 80’s. There was no internet or cell phones, or other communication avenues that we take for granted nowadays. The biggest thorn in the locals’ sides were the Floridians who purchased summer cabins in the area that were only used for a few months a year, but drove the real estate market to be too expensive for the year round residents.
Thanks.
@@skeller61 We lived in San Francisco for 8-1/2 years, so we know full well about unaffordable housing. We're about the same age. I remember those days of communication and information gaps that we take advantage of today. Thanks for the clarification about a hostel as being more of an alternative to a hotel, and we agree, particularly if you are staying only a few nights. We have had really great experiences with Airbnbs. Our host at our current stay in South Korea is preparing a dinner for us with local foods, which we are really excited about. There are benefits to Airbnb, but we don't pretend that there's not a downside. For us, not using Airbnb would have a huge impact on how we travel and how long we stay someplace. Thanks so much for watching and for your thought-provoking comment. -Judy
Loving the tips, trips and info
Thank you so much for watching and for the kind compliment! Let us know if you have any questions or things you’d like to see! -Judy
Thank you for your time and posting. Going to VN and will stay at very nice places; about US$30, and splurging once in a while. In the past, I've only stayed at Youth Hostels or Backpackers. If I have my own bathroom, excellent. :)
That sounds like a great plan and it's definitely doable within that budget. Because we work so much, having room to spread out is helpful to us, but we know that not everyone travels the way we do. But you can save money if you decide to hang out in one place for a week or a month at a time because Airbnbs do offer discounts. -Judy
Thank you for this breakdown :D
Thank you so much for watching! We hope it was useful! -Judy
This was great thx!! Keep having fun and sharing with us!!
Thanks, Kathleen! We have no plans of stopping (either having fun or sharing our adventures)! We appreciate your taking the time to watch and comment. It means a lot to us! -Judy
I'm glad I found you channel thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks so much for watching, Jene' and for taking the time to leave us this comment. We're happy to answer any additional questions you might have about our experiences with Airbnbs. -Judy
Thank you Sharon B. for suggesting an excellent topic.
With much appreciation,
Judy❤️Kevin, the detailed information presented candidly is extremely helpful. Again, Thank you.
Thanks Linda, for watching and for taking the time to drop such a sweet comment! We are glad it is helpful. Right now the media is focusing hard on fees and chores, but the vast majority of Airbnbs are NOT doing this. And for full-time travelers, staying somewhere for a month and basically getting three or more free nights is a big deal! -Judy
Thank you for sharing so much information about the comparison of hotels vs Airbnb’s
Great for us planners before we head off to full time travel.
Hi Annette, We are so glad to hear that this is helpful for you. If you have any topics you'd like us to talk about, we'd be happy to try and pull it together. We are excited about your upcoming travel and are so happy for you! -Judy
Hi Annette, can you reach out to us via email? It doesn't appear that the email address you provided to us is going through. I'm trying to respond to your membership and the email is bouncing.
Thank you for this video! It provides a lot of good info. We generally use Airbnb(or VRBO), when we are staying more than 2 nights. But, of course it all depends on our specific needs at the time. Generally, I research the costs of hotels vs Airbnb accommodations, weigh the pros and cons and make the decision based on that evaluation.
Thanks, Linda, for watching and for sharing what you do when booking travel. We had looked at VRBO, but they didn't offer discounts for long stays without you negotiating it with the host directly. Unfortunately, that's backwards to how we travel. VRBO now is under the OneKey umbrella and you can earn loyalty dollars. I'm not sure how the pricing of VRBO properties compare to that of Airbnb, but we'll be taking a closer look at that. -Judy
Thank you for the informations 👍
Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to comment. I hope this was helpful for you! -Judy
I enjoyed the video and I like the new perspective that you provided. I wanted to ask, how did you guys become full-time, travelers? I'm also planning a trip to Egypt, how long would you recommend? I did see your video in Egyot with the cruise, and I love it. Thank you
Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to comment. We actually document our process and how we came to living this lifestyle, beginning in Ep. 9, but fleshed out more fully in Ep. 16 and continues through Ep. 22 and 23. You can easily see the details by going to the episode section of our website (findingGinaMarie.com). Not to overly simplify, we decided that living/retiring in San Francisco was too expensive, we had worked too hard during the pandemic and stepped back and realized how much time we had given to our jobs and decided to choose health over wealth. Kevin's father died at 61 and my mother died at 56, so we realized that we wanted to travel while we were young and healthy enough to do it. Finally, although we considered moving someplace in Europe or the UK, we evolved our thinking into wanting to travel the world instead.
We have an entire Egypt playlist you might want to check out, and I'll link that below. I don't think two weeks would be too long. Cairo is worth four or more days. I'd probably recommend a 5 or 4 day cruise and then give myself another two days in Luxor. We didn't have time to visit Alexandria, which I would recommend. Also, we have friends from the cruise who went on and spent time in the white and black deserts, which also sounds very cool. It's a very inexpensive country, and Cairo does take a minute to get acclimated to. Feel free to ask questions as they come up. -Judy
Egypt playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF1WcH9GxfK4ngH49MXf5oOv.html
@FindingGinaMarie thank you for the details, Question: I appreciate your thoughts on Hostels?
I just recently came across it and have never used them but we are planning a graduation trip to Prague.
Hi Edith, thanks for watching. We haven't stayed in hostels, but our daughter has. There are options where you're in a dorm-style room. The other option is to pay a little more and get a private room with a en suite bathroom (it's common to have a shared bathroom unless you pay more for a private one). They're very basic, but clean. There typically is a public kitchen. Airbnbs and Homestays also have options where you can save money by being in a room of the house along with the host versus having an entire place to yourself. But look carefully because we've seen some hostels that have cost more than an entire Airbnb where you have the whole place to yourself.
Whatever you decide, you'll have the widest selection if you book early. Sounds like it will be an amazing trip whatever you decide. -Judy
I personally prefer hotels by default but traveling as a family of six we use AirBnB usually because we can get larger accommodations with kitchen etc for much less and can be together. We’ve had extremely good (up to becoming friends with our host in Paris) to extremely cruddy (locked out in Berlin and having to get a hotel) experiences.
We’ve become pretty good at getting reasonably priced places where we can feel like we are living somewhere (couch, kitchen table, kitchen, etc.) where we are pretty comfortable and happy. Conversely, we spent 42 days in various very cramped hotels in Japan, which was not fun at all. A hotel is fine for a week or two, but when you’re living on the road full time, having the conveniences of home matter a lot. Very sorry you’ve had one or more cruddy experiences. That’s frustrating. Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences! -Judy
I just love your vlogs. My husband and I are in your age group (retired) and your insight is very valuable to us. We also love travelling and will be travelling more in the next coming years. One question I have: do you typically book your next Airbnb from the current place you are staying in or do you book many weeks ahead? Thank you.
Thank you so much for watching and for your very kind words. Ideally we book fairly far ahead. I’m making plans for as much ahead in 2024 as possible. There’s a lot of interdependence and I try to book Airbnbs that allow for cancellations close to the arrival date whenever possible. We have to balance costs because booking everything a year in advance is quite expensive. So we’ll typically book early those Airbnbs or specialty excursions we expect to be expensive if we wait or that won’t be available. We also book our long-haul flights and will wait to book trains, puddle jumps, and non-critical excursions closer to when we need them. Feel free to ask whatever comes up. We’re always happy to help! -Judy
This was very informative keep it up. One question I have is how do you do research for the various locations you guys travel too? How do you know when a place is in a safe neighborhood? What research do you guys do to make sure you are in a safe place with a comfortable home to lay your head.
Thanks for watching and for the great question. If you are asking about how we pick the countries and cities we're interested in, let us know. Otherwise, as far as a part of town, we really like to be in the city center whenever possible. We were disappointed in Vienna when we were near to, but not in, the city center. We also enjoy "Old Town" when there is one. But I always do a search, such as "best places to stay in Chiang Mai." I look for a few blog posts that will walk you through the various neighborhoods, "family area," "nightlife," etc. Here's an example of a website I'd typically look at, "misstourist.com/where-to-stay-in-chiang-mai-thailand-best-hotels/". And then I go to Airbnb and try to narrow in on that area as well as I can in order to find an Airbnb that's rated at least 4.8 or higher in our price range. I read every single review and look at all the pictures, and there are things like a couch, wifi, and depending on how long we're staying, a kitchen, a washing machine, and depending on the weather, either heating or A/C. I hope this helps! -Judy
Thank You excellent
Thank you so much for watching. We continue to recommend and use Airbnbs because they still give us the best value for our money. -Judy
We stay in Airbnb’s often. We’ve had good experiences. We really prefer them to hotels, especially for longer stays. Having a washer, space and a kitchen is great.
We completely agree, Barbara! And gosh, our current Airbnb/host has been incredible. We often build relationships with our hosts, and that is something we've never been able to experience with the nameless people we meet in a hotel. And except for the priciest hotel chains, hotels don't typically give you a long-stay discount, which we SO appreciate! Also, having a couch without having to pay for an expensive hotel suite is such a luxury. Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience! -Judy
Lovely share,maybe im just too old fashioned but i have never stayed in an AirBnB.the sound of it makes it feel like some dark seedy appartment where I`ll sleep on the sofa and the owners in the other room or being isolated in a house where the owners are enjoying their vacation somewhere and want someone to take care of the house and paying them to do so.
Still, very informative.Maybe one day I might try an AirBnB, never say never.
I have enjoyed the video and look forward to future shares and to enjoy your adventures and experiencing your steps thru your lenses. Thanks again for sharing.
We completely understand feeling this way, and we felt exactly the same. But we never stay in an Airbnb where the host is present or even a place that the host occupies. This is more like renting a staged house and in every case for us, we've chosen a place that's a second property belonging to the host, not a place where they're just out of town for a few weeks and their stuff is around. Some people stay in those places, but we don't. What changed our minds in part is slow traveling and really needing more space than the four walls of a hotel room (and the price). But you can find really beautiful Airbnbs for not a lot of money per night. You just have to look at pictures and read reviews very carefully. Our episode in Genoa has photos of our Airbnb there, so you can see that it was in near pristine condition. Thanks so much for watching and for taking the time to provide this thoughtful comment! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Cheers Judy
Hi, I was reading your comment and I wanted to let you know that it could be. scary but you have to do your research on the place by looking at the reviews and comments. My wife owns an Airbnb and I can tell you that she is the nicest host, she cares so much about taking care of the people that sometimes makes me jealous lol but in the end, it is what makes you feel wonderful
@@erickc623 Thanks for chiming in. I think all of our stays have been at places not occupied by the owners. We have dealt with a lot of really terrific hosts and highly recommend Airbnbs after doing some basic due diligence. -Judy
Hi Folks, Jeff and Paula here from San Francisco…still watching and enjoying your videos! We’re 7 months(ish) from launching on our own Slow-Travel. Of all the questions and concerns that we have, the issues around accommodations is most important. So, first question: how long before you arrive do do wait to reserve an Airbnb? The reason we ask is because we have wondered if it is possible, or makes any sense, to go to a city, explore for a couple days while staying in a hotel, and when we find and area, or even a specific place, then we can go ahead and reserve….trying to hedge our bet. Second question, are you willing to provide recommendations on specific places that you’ve stay at? So, if we were on our way to Athens, for example, would you be willing to give us a heads up on your positive, as well as negative, experiences? Last question: Have you had any really difficult communication/language barrier experiences? Thanks Again! You are doing such a good job with your videos…very instructive and helpful!
We are so excited for you, Jeff and Paula! I have happy butterflies on your behalf! We actually book ahead. Before we moved out of San Francisco, we had booked November through January. In January, we booked through mid May, and in February we booked through mid June. Based on some suggestions from our viewers, we rearranged our summer to get in a few short trips. We just recently booked/changed our Airbnbs and flights through mid October for a trip back to the US before heading to Southeast Asia.
Doing it this way has worked for us because we have so many destinations on our bucket list. It also has come from budgetary constraints. For example, we wanted to visit Spain, but we didn't finalize an Airbnb soon enough and it meant that when we were ready to book, prices in the areas we wanted to stay were too expensive. If your budget is looser than ours or if you have a ton of flexibility, you certainly can do it the way you are suggesting, and we have talked with fellow full-time travelers who write to us saying they do exactly what you're saying. They like the benefit of being able to stay a few weeks longer if they love it or leave early if it's not the experience they want. They also will sometimes stay in an Airbnb for a short time to see if they love it, and if they do, they try to negotiate a price for a longer stay. Since TH-cam and our website are pretty time consuming, we like not having the stress of finding a place in real time. But if you are fully retired, then that shouldn't be an issue at all.
Yes, we absolutely would be happy to share our recommendations for Airbnbs we liked/didn't. Are you specifically interested in the Airbnb we used in Athens? Please let me know. We liked it with a caveat.
Getting my hair colored has sometimes been the biggest language barrier, but I've mostly been able to overcome it! There have been an issue or two 😂
Language otherwise has been really great. Egypt was interesting, but if you are able to be flexible and treat it like an adventure, then there is no problem. One of the best things I recommend is to install WhatsApp. It has a translation feature built into it, so it makes a lot of communications more straightforward. Thankfully, Airbnb has a translation feature built into it as well.
Thanks for watching and all the encouragement. We are happy to answer your questions! It's part of the joy of building this community! -Judy
Jeff what is the link to your travel site. We enjoy Slow travel and are interested in your experiences. Regards from Down Under.
@christinewitton3260 I do not believe that Jeff has a travel site. They are becoming slow travelers like us, but not necessarily TH-camrs. He may chime in to say otherwise, but this is my understanding based on his comment. -Judy
Thanks
We hope our answers were helpful, Brenda! Thanks for watching! -Judy
Hello GINA and KEVIN! I have booked an Airbnb in Paris for March! I should have looked you up before! I just didn't think of it with all my excitement! The place is one room on the 5th floor with sofa-bed, bath and kitchen, walk-in closet - but what sold me was the BALCONY with table and chairs where I will have a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower for 8 days! I paid a little more than I was expecting but - it is in a new apartment building with heavy security features, in a neighborhood where I could feel safe, 2 short blocks to the Metro with lots of local places to dine and shop. It's my first Airbnb. So wish me luck! AND THANKS for this wonderful video! ♥♥♥♥
How awesome, Enrique! We would have loved to visit Paris when we were in the South of France, but that huge strike happening there made it prohibitive. We love Paris! Sounds like you snagged a stunning view! The weather should be nice for you to enjoy it, too! Best of luck to you; we'd love to know how it works out! -Judy
Thank you, JUDY ♥♥♥♥@@FindingGinaMarie
Just this past May (2023), my wife and I tried Airbnb for the first time. We stayed at 3 very different places in Tallinn, Estonia, Hyvinkää, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden. All were good experiences, with good hosts, in good locations, and at reasonable costs. The Finland property had a great sauna, as well! I will definitely use a mix of hotels and Airbnbs on future trips; I’m past the point of enjoying hostels as I did in my twenties! Thanks for the comparative, experience-based video!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We aren't hostel people, and seeing that some hostels are the price of Airbnbs doesn't impress us. We try to book Airbnbs that are above a ranking of 4.8 and read all the reviews and all the postings from the host and scrutinize all the pictures. We've been pretty happy so far! We stayed in hotels in Japan because many of the airbnbs were Japanese style and we needed Western-style accommodations to work effectively as creators on our computers a large part of the time. But we definitely missed having space to spread out and having a couch and a comfy chair besides the utilitarian desk chairs in hotels. Thank you for watching! -Judy
New subscriber here. There are masses of hotels right across Edinburgh. There are atleast 4 hotels in the Grassmarket alone. By end of October, all B&Bs and Airbnb type of accommodations in Scotland must have registered/applied for a licence. So far about 90% of Airbnb type applications are being refused. Hosts of over 10 years are quitting.
Thank you for watching and subscribing, Jane! We agree that Edinburgh has a lot of good hotels in the heart of the city. We stayed in three of them this trip! We prefer whenever possible to stay in a place for a month at a time, but Edinburgh was too expensive for us to do that. We stayed in Broughty Ferry and took a detour to Edinburgh on our first night and then the last two days of our time in Scotland.
We can appreciate that Airbnbs should be regulated and have no problem with the requirement of a license. But it looks like that plan might still be in flux: www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65846327
Airbnb is not perfect by any stretch, but it has disrupted the hotel industry and is addressing a need that hotels don't satisfy. Who's to say what will happen next-Hotels.com merged with VRBO and Expedia and even Booking.com are connected to Airbnb-style properties. This is an interesting article if you're able to read it: medium.com/harvard-real-estate-review/a-new-era-of-lodging-airbnbs-impact-on-hotels-travelers-and-cities-de3b1c2d5ab6
We certainly will do what's necessary to adapt as necessary because we do want local people to have affordable housing. We want to continue to learn and adapt since full-time travel is our life now. If there are things we should know, please keep us updated. Thanks for sharing this information. -Judy
Great video I’ve never stayed at Airbnb cause how can you know if the bed sheets are clean?
Thanks for watching! I'd say you can get a sense from how clean the rest of the Airbnb is, the reviews that other people have given-read every single one of those reviews and look closely at all the pictures! You don't actually know that a hotel's bed sheets have been changed either. Thankfully, we have never had an experience where we distrusted the cleanliness. Also, for long stays, we sometimes also are given a spare set of sheets, and we try to book Airbnbs that have washing machines. But I would alert my host if I noticed that the sheets weren't clean and give them an opportunity to respond. I actually don't think it's a big concern if you read reviews. We don't stay anywhere without at least a 4.7 (ideally even higher) cleanliness rating. I hope this helps. -Judy
Glad it's worked well for you as we've had some not great experiences recently with ABNB and wouldn't recommend the last two places as the pics were old and the reviews didn't exactly match what we experienced, even though they were recent.
That's really unfortunate, Catherine. We are very glad it's worked out so well for us because we can't afford to stay for a month in a hotel in many of the countries we visit. Airbnbs have been on the whole a great experience. In fact, our hosts in Cambodia enhanced our trip more than we can say. I can appreciate that some guests don't want to hurt a host's business, but it is important to give a true picture of your experience for travelers coming afterwards. When the issues were small, we left a note to our host, but we've been fortunate to not have terrible experiences anywhere. We also don't book anything less than a 4.75, and even that's pretty low. If we book at that rate, we brace ourselves to having a less than ideal experience. And we are pretty easygoing. A lot of places are rated a little lower because of street noise. That's not something that ever bothers us, so maybe we all have different expectations. Hopefully your future experiences will be better ones. Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience. -Judy
I completely agree with you and almost always go for an Airbnb.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your perspective. From everything in the press, you would think no one is using Airbnb anymore! -Judy
Great video! I've been very fortunate and had really great AirBnB stays. For me, for now, they are my first choice. They've definitely come along way and that is only natural. There are always ways to learn and improve and they've continued to do that. Cheers ~
Great to hear you've had similar great experiences, Jen! We were reticent at first, but they really have been a game changer for us as full-time travelers. And we did feel that there has been a lot of Airbnb bashing and we wanted to weigh in on that conversation that-as you say-they are continuing to learn and improve. Thanks for watching! -Judy
For our recent trip to Italy we stayed in Airbnb properties in Venice, Bologna, and Tuscany with zero complaints. The hotel in Rome was fine, but paying with points made it more palatable.
In 2019 we used Airbnb in Krakow, Salzburg, Prague, and Istanbul and the experience was near perfect.
For both trips the Airbnb properties were comfortable and well located with great hosts and without breaking the bank.
As a Marriott Lifetime Platinum with 500K+ points that is my preferred chain domestically, but often look for boutique options in Europe.
Hi Tim, thanks for sharing your feedback! I love that you've accrued so many lifetime points with Marriotts. We are pivoting for a few days to visit Amsterdam and we are doing it on Marriott points, so I'm right on board with you. And when we stay in them, we really enjoy the fluffy towels and how streamlined they are (no clutter as some Airbnbs might have, but that's just our personal preference). I'm glad to hear how well your Airbnb experiences have gone. At one point in preparing for this video, I wasn't sure if we had enough cred because we haven't had things go wrong, but really, it's telling that we've traveled all over the world without any significant problems using them. And you've validated us that there don't have to be problems, especially if you do your due diligence! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie When available we try to look for Airbnb Superhosts which, while not a guarantee, should guide you to better properties and they are not always the most expensive. In our experience, they are available when issues pop up and can be really helpful as local guides. We arrived in Venice late due to a BA flight cancellation and our host met us at the Alilaguna stop close to 10pm and escorted us to the apartment which could have been a challenge. Not sure that you mentioned this in the video, but a feature we often look for is a clothes washer which can make a huge difference in the middle of a 2-3 week trip.
Hi Tim, good point about the Superhosts. We appreciate them, but we have never filtered for them, primarily because we don't want to limit our choices. Our filters are for whole home, price with all fees, wi-fi, washer, and kitchen. At the very beginning, we filtered for English speaking, but Airbnb does such a terrific job with translating messages, that we no longer include that. After we've filtered down, we try not to book anyplace under a 4.7, but ideally a 4.8 or higher. We look for places that have good lighting, a couch, an actual bed (versus a sofa bed as a primary place to sleep), and ensure that the kitchen includes the basics of oil, salt and pepper, etc.
I can see how a Superhost can increase the value of one property over another if you're trying to choose between multiple properties. Good point! We'll need to look at this more. We did mention that we look for a washing machine, but Kevin shared that we never filter for a dryer since we are very used to using a drying rack these days and it's not inconvenient to use them, except in the most humid of areas. Thanks for sharing your experience! -Judy
I agree ; choosing alternative depends on your situation and Circumstances ..
My experience with Air bnb in many times was a negative one ..
in Poland I arrived at midnight, I found my self in a very dark area where the apartment located , yet I need to figure out where is the intercom to open the door, then to another door .. !!
In Mercer Island , Seattle when I step out the Airbnb house to say goodbye to a friend the door closed behind me..! I tried to check with the house owner to ask for help but I guess she was sleeping.. so I spent the night in my friends apartment..!
The next morning we call some one to unlock the door .. he charged me $80.. the lady checked with me later on to guide me to the spare key..!🙂
The house was beautiful though .. 😊
We are so sorry to hear you've had these experiences, Muhammad. We try to stay in close contact with our Airbnb hosts before arrival to try and avoid these kinds of glitches when we can. I've learned to either call or text immediately. I'd have been very frustrated with the host who couldn't help you when you got yourself locked out, but I'm glad you had a friend's house to go to! When we have issues, we try to keep them in perspective and learn what not to do in the future. We've been lucky to get really wonderful hosts, but we always recommend looking at all the pictures, read all the reviews, and ask all the questions necessary so you can set yourself up for success. Ironically, we had an issue of getting lost finding one of our *hotels* in Japan (Google maps took us to the back side where there was no entrance and some kind soul tried to help us but took us to the completely wrong place. We didn't have the heart to tell her that we needed to retrace our steps and go back to where we were originally. Of course, it was so much easier in the light of day! That's why we try to arrive earlier in the day whenever possible, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie It’s fine, I learned from my experience.. , and off course I find some of the best hosting with best stay..
Only need to be more careful in choosing the right one ..
Thanks for the good advise⭐️
Have you used apartments ? Furnished studios or 1 bd for longer stay 1 month
We haven't done this! We stay for a month and very occasionally up to six weeks, but it seems like that might be too short of a time for renting a furnished apartment. It seems like there's a bit more legwork involved because you don't have the reviews that you'd get from a platform like Airbnb. We have friends who stay in a hotel while they check out Airbnbs in person and then negotiate an off-platform price for longer-term rentals. For now that is too much of a hassle for us, and I would imagine that renting an apartment would be similar. If my understanding is inaccurate, we'd love to know more! -Judy
What made you guys pick the zdx suitcase vs the zdx duffel?
Thanks for watching! Great question. We really like the idea of rolling suitcases. We occasionally put our backpacks on top of them using the pass through on our backpacks and, in the case of our current situation where Kevin just had a hernia surgery, we don’t have to worry about carrying too much weight on our bodies. I hope this helps. -Judy
And can you confirm that these Briggs & Riley zdx do fit in every overhead bin? @@FindingGinaMarie
@@rebeccagriswold282 Yes, they do, but they should be compressed. They may be able to fit uncompressed as well, but you will make your life easier by compressing them. And that feature is one that we absolutely love! We also try not to overstuff the front exterior pockets as well, because obviously that's going to create additional height, depending on how much you put in them. But we like that you at least have exterior pockets! -Judy
Very down to earth. Good advice for booking accommodation. Cant see the link to the carbon monoxide reader. I dont think this is available in Australia. Interested in the Torino Airbnb - can you share which one? Kevin, your accent is stronger than Gina's making it ddifficult sometimes to understand you. Perhaps speak a little louder and more slowly? Although we travel for 5 weeks at a time, we dont stay anywhere for longer than 5 days. We therefore book an apartment not AirBnb because of the exhorbitant cleaning costs. We always leave our accommodation as clean as possible given what cleaning equipment they leave.
Thanks for watching, Christine. Here's a link to the carbon monoxide detector, which I also added to the description of the video: amzn.to/3XKjRWx
Here's our Airbnb from Torino: www.airbnb.com/rooms/15813278?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=92523b0a-27e9-4d7d-802a-20e33cae57df. Note that our host was very nice, but the Airbnb itself was an attic space (it had a full kitchen, etc., but it wasn't our ideal Airbnb by any means. Although the location was great and Kevin loved the piano, it had plenty of flaws, so we want to warn you that it was not luxury by any stretch).
I've passed along the suggestion to Kevin about speaking a bit louder and more slowly.
As far as exorbitant cleaning costs, we have never stayed anywhere that the cleaning costs are high. In fact, the Torino Airbnb has no cleaning fees at all. We specifically turn on the toggle that includes all taxes and fees when we are looking at prices, and we highly recommend you do that as well. When we stay for a month, we empty the garbage, strip the bed, gather our towels, clean out the fridge if we've used it, and washed dishes ,counters, and inside the microwave. None of that is specifically requested, but I think those things are common courtesies. But we've never done anything more anywhere we've stayed. If we've cleaned in any way it's because we don't want to live in dirt ourselves, but not for the sake of cleaning up before we leave. We hope that is helpful for you. -Judy
When entering a new country for tourism are you asked to provide proof of funds, accommodation for the entire length of stay and onward or return ticket?
Hi Cynthia, US citizens are not required to provide this type of information. We can enter the Schengen without applying for a visa, but there is a limit on the time you can spend in the Schengen region (no more than 90 days out of every 180 day period)-we have a few videos on this. I can direct you to them if you are a US citizen and need clarification. Customs may ask some generalized questions, but not what you are asking about.
The questions you mention are part of the process for obtaining a Schengen visa by citizens of certain other countries who require a visa in order to visit Schengen countries. You can find information here, which breaks down exactly who needs a Schengen visa and what the requirements are for each country: www.schengenvisainfo.com/who-needs-schengen-visa/.
Additionally, if you are a citizen of a country who requires a Schengen visa, here are the subsistence requirements for each country you want to visit: www.schengenvisainfo.com/schengen-visa-application-requirements/means-subsistence/
I hope this helps, but don't hesitate to circle back if you have followup questions. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Thank you so much for the detailed reply. I'm American and was hoping this was the case. ✌
Oh wonderful! So glad we could help! -Judy
How do you find the exact location of the Airbnb before booking it? From what I’ve seen you get the general idea of where the Airbnb is located but maybe not the specific address and neighborhoods can be very different even within a small area. How do you manage that?
Thanks so much for watching, Claire! You actually can get a very dialed in area to a street level by zooming into an area so you can be pretty sure of the area where you are booking. I think at one time it would give you a big circle radius, but it doesn't do that anymore. Plus, if you read reviews, you'll also get a good sense of location information, so you aren't booking in a vacuum. In additional to people's comments, there also is a rating of the location. Ideally we try to book places that have around a 4.8 rating (or better), but within our price range and location (e.g., we wanted to be in the Jewish Quarter when we stayed in Krakow and could basically choose the street we wanted-not really that exact, but close). I hope this helps! -Judy
Google Street msos can be very useful if there are pictures of the outside. Also I look on Google maps, street view to scout the area, public transport connections, walking routes, restaurants etc.
We stayed at a B&B in Assisi. The pictures were completely inaccurate. But it wasn’t a bad place. However we decided to leave the place early. We asked the host who worked in the store next door. We had a language barrier for one thing. That’s to be expected. She didn’t give us a refund for our remaining days. We had to pay for the complete stay but we just sucked it up and left anyway.
Hi Christina, B&B or Airbnb? What I really appreciate about Airbnb is how well the translate feature works. We've had almost zero issues with language thanks to that feature. We never book an unrated property and we meticulously read reviews and examine pictures. So I'm wondering if it wasn't a bad place why you decided to leave early. If it was an Airbnb, did you reach out to the platform to see if the discrepancy would warrant them giving you a reprieve? I do think that in some cases, the host should have an opportunity to correct certain things. Otherwise, I feel like the misrepresentations have to be pretty glaring and integral to the stay for a host to refund the remaining days, and your primary recourse is to leave a review detailing the discrepancies, which is a blow to their ratings and helps others to potentially dodge that host.
We acknowledge that our host in Assisi went above and beyond to refund our last day and that it's not the norm. Sorry for your experience, though. It does suck to have a holiday get spoiled by a subpar room. Good for you to do what you had to do to reclaim the rest of your travel time. -Judy
@Does that happen with hotels as wellFindingGinaMarie
@brendasoares4442: I'm not 100% sure what you're asking, but for the most part hotels don't refund your money, either. They may offer a different room, but if you're disappointed in the hotel, you may not be able to get a refund. Having the Airbnb HQ as an intermediary gives you more options than if you're in a non-chain hotel, but even in chain hotels you're at the mercy of getting in touch with a corporation who may not care about you as an individual. And no, there isn't necessarily an English translator, but there typically is a front desk so even if there's a language barrier, you can be in front of people with a translator app and go back and forth. Typically our Airbnbs do have someone local that is available to assist if there are issues. In our 14 months of full-time travel, Airbnbs have given us much more value at cheaper prices than our hotels. If you have some other question, please let us know! -Judy
Did your pricing comparison include the cleaning and other fees? If you decide to spend 1-2 nights at an air bnb and still pay a cleaning fee it could change your opinion.
Hi Christina, Yes, our Airbnb prices included all fees and taxes. We avoid the dilemma you mention by turning on the toggle that includes all fees in the price. We then base our choices only on those properties that meet our budget. And you'd be surprised at how many Airbnbs don't charge cleaning fees or only nominal ones. We've found that there are a lot of hotels on booking.com and other sites that show the room price, but then the total price is outrageous. They don't allow the same filtering that Airbnb does. Thanks for watching! -Judy
If you only paid $30. $50 bucks that sounds dirt cheap. It would be cheaper for the host to do long term rental.
Those prices factor in that we stayed for a month. Airbnb hosts often give a small discount for a week or two, but you can save a lot by staying for a month. Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
Have you ever used any of the AirBNB alternatives such as VRBO? If so, how do they compare?
Hi Carolina, We have not used VRBO. When we first started traveling, the only way to get a discount for an extended stay was to reach out to the host to see if you could negotiate something, but that's not what works best for us. But now I see OneKey through Hotels.com has VRBO under their umbrella. I haven't checked it out yet (today is a travel day), but we'll give you an update after we spend some time with it! -Judy
I’ve used VRBO in the past and I still look at it as I’m comparing rental options. It’s very similar to Air BNB but I think the fees must be higher because it seems like their prices are higher. I’ve had experiences with Trip Advisor too. A couple of different owners have contacted me directly and asked me to cancel on TripAdvisor and rebook on a different site in order to save on the fees. You have to be careful with this as recently scammers are doing this but personally I’ve had good experiences with owners who are looking out for their renters.
@christinabayma119 We've not had a lot of luck on VRBO. We've found that prices are higher overall, there are fewer reviews, and fewer properties than on Airbnb. And I agree with you about being wary about canceling on one platform and booking elsewhere to save on fees. I haven't booked a VRBO, but when I've seen a property on multiple platforms I have asked the host if there's a preference of one versus the other for them when it doesn't matter to me. Thanks for sharing your experiences! -Judy
Why is Judy laughing😂
Thank you for asking, Kathleen and for watching our video! This particular hotel in Cairo was sprawling and at one time it was a casino. At check-in we were asked if we wanted the bellman to take us to our room, and we said no (our bags aren't heavy!). So we get to room 82 and all we see is a living room. The connecting door doesn't open or have a lock, and so we examine everywhere. we can think of that there might be a Murphy bed, but there is none. There's a full bathroom, so at this point we are very confused. There's a huge random empty bookcase, so we see if there's a button somewhere that converts it somehow. We go outside just to see if on either side has a separate entrance. None. We debate whether we should go back down to the lobby and ask them to show us what to do. Finally, after at least 15 minutes of exploring every angle, we decide to try our key in room 83, and voila, there's a traditional hotel room with a bed, a desk, and a bathroom, and from this room you can open the adjoining door.
We just couldn't believe that they didn't tell us that we had rooms 82 AND 83. We had crossed our fingers that if there were a person in room 83 that they weren't going to accuse us of breaking in! You may have needed to be there, but we've never encountered a suite that worked that way, and we've stayed in many over the years! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie haha! Love that you thought of a secret bookcase door as an option!
I really thought it could be! It was ridiculous in retrospect, but we couldn’t think of anything more plausible! -Judy
You made a comment to a comment [ 😁] that I cannot find now (without searching thru the entire thread) that maybe you could expound upon. You had said you did not stay in AirBnB's in Japan because they were Japanese style and you needed Western style accommodations. What is a "Japanese style" accommodation? What is the difference between the two? Thanks!
Hi Leandra, happy to explain more. Japanese style rooms don't have raised beds. Often the floor has a tatami mat. You would sleep on futons, which also aren't raised. It's basically cushions laid on the floor that later can be stowed away. The cushions can have varying degrees of thickness, but some can be fairly thin. You're basically on the floor with some cushions under you. If there is a table, often they are very low and instead of a chair, you sit on a cushion. Our video of a ryokan is attached. This is a very upscale Japanese room we stayed in for one night, which will give you an idea of what I mean, but this was a much more luxurious experience (with a deck and hot springs tub) than you would expect to find in a typical Japanese Airbnb.
For us for the bulk of our time in Japan, we wanted to have more options for sitting since we work from our accommodations quite a bit. Japanese style sleeping rooms in hotels or Airbnbs could be a fun, local experience if you only will be sleeping in one and spending the bulk of your day exploring.
🎥 Japanese Ryokan Experience: th-cam.com/video/FOQPdhDUVlM/w-d-xo.html
@@FindingGinaMarie Thx for the detailed answer. I haven't (yet) done too much research on Japan as it is further down "my list" but will keep this in mind!
We hope you have a great time, Leandra! -Judy
I hate the large clean up fee no matter how well you clean it when you leave !
Hi Robert, You don't have to choose properties that have large clean-up fees! We certainly don't. We turn on the toggle that includes full prices and we look at those that are within our budget. I've found that Booking.com has a huge differential between their price per night and the total cost of the stay, so I've found Airbnbs to be more transparent. And you also can choose Airbnbs that don't require you to do any cleanup, which really is what we encounter at the vast number of properties we stay at. We (1) wash our dirty dishes; (2) gather our towels and put them on the floor; (3) empty the fridge of any leftovers; (4) take out the trash-which is a courtesy since we're at a place typically 30 days and have to take out trash regardless. We think these four things are just part of being good guests and aren't any effort on our part. -Judy
>200 airbnb's here. Prefer not to book a month, even if I intend a month as some airbnb's have problems even if they have great reviews. Go by the week, and if you like it after a day or 2, and it is available (usually not, but that is ok), then extend. My recommendation is ONLY choose a place with great reviews (4.9+ ideally). If nothing is available, go for a hotel. And remember, in a developing country, there is always a higher risk of poor utilities. You want smooth, go to Switzerland!! ($$$ ;)
Hi Dan, we know people who do the same, but it's not been our preferred method. We have a slightly lower rating preference (we'll take a 4.85 and have been known to take a 4.75 IF the issue is primarily due to noise, which isn't a bother to us but a major burden to some people). But we agree that the higher the rating and the number of reviews, the more predictable your experience is likely to be. Have you had bad experiences in Airbnbs with such high ratings? Hotels are okay for us in a pinch, but it's hard when we are working to only have a bed and a single chair to work on. We've started using coffee shops occasionally, but we prefer to have the flexibility to not have to leave if we're doing deep work. We actually haven't had too many issues with utilities (beyond having to throw away versus flush toilet paper) in any of the countries we've stayed in during our time in Southeast Asia. Of course, water is an issue in many places. Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your views and extensive experience. We appreciate it! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Glad I can be of help! With high ratings - sometimes there is not a lot of reviews and then you might get a more "high maintenance" host that is not prepared to fix wifi or other issue. Also, even with high reviews a place may be pretty basic and not so clean. Sometimes I am amazed a place has such high reviews - but that is often a factor of the host being a good hustler and being very energetic to make you know they are trying. One other thing, sometimes I will take a place that does not have many/any reviews if the host is very experienced (and I don't have any decent alternatives). It is obvious they know what they are doing, have a new place and have a low price to get people in and get some good reviews. I am a very adaptable person and nothing really bothers me, so the unpredictability of airbnb is ok. Love having the kitchen, washing machine and extra bedroom as I am only single some of the time. I almost always get an airbnb vs a hotel, but in some places hotels are the best option. Good luck and good travels. Greetings from London - until Friday, then greetings from Bergen ;)
We agree that the extra space and options for cooking and laundry also are nice. I also think that the more you use Airbnbs, you know what to look for in pictures and in reviews. We've made really good choices overall. I also like the added relationship that we can build with our hosts when we're looking for additional information or insights about the city we're in. Helpfulness does go a long way for us. -Judy
I stopped using AirBnb because of the impact on affordable housing. Why is the quality of your experience as a traveler more important than the needs of locals for affordable housing?
We are full-time travelers, Judith. But we would have a much harder time staying in hotels because they offer very little in the way of loyalty discounts or incentive to stay a week or like us, a month. Affordable housing for locals is important to us as well, but we also believe that by living in a place for a month provides a lot of benefits to the local economy. We eat at restaurants, shop for groceries, sometimes need to get laundry done, pay for healthcare services and dental care in addition to sightseeing and taxis. Our extended travel dollars to the local economy are a reasonable offset to the housing issues. Also, we respect when a local government limits the number of Airbnbs in a place and try to find alternate housing. However, it sometimes means that we have to skip those places or go to more affordable places. We truly see it as a win/win. But everyone has to make those choices for themselves. -Judy
Hi @lucibelle, My response is that we could not afford to stay in a country for a month in a hotel because they do not discount their stays. Also, spending a month in a room with a bed and a single chair is not a great plan. We work several days per week, so we aren't touring every single day and need someplace that allows us to live as locals, and that includes a couch and a kitchen when we can get them. We got prices of under $55 per night in 18 different cities worldwide. That's not feasible from a hotel. And many of these places depend on tourism. With the possible exception of Italy, there is no place we've visited where we've been told that tourism has returned to pre-COVID levels. Locals are still missing the revenue from tourism. And these places aren't house hoarders. In many cases it's local people trying to earn some extra money versus hotels that underpay their staff. You don't have to agree with us.
PER NIGHT (staying 2 weeks to a month)
Luxor, Egypt - $22.18
Saigon, Vietnam - $22.51
Siem Reap, Cambodia - $30.68
Belgrade, Serbia - $38.76
Athens, Greece - $44.03
Paphos, Cyprus - $44.60
Cairo, Egypt - $44.68
Vienna, Austria - $47.06
Aswan, Egypt - $50.49
Krakow, Poland - $51.88
Bucharest, Romania - $51.90
Broughty Ferry, Scotland - $53.81
Hoi An, Vietnam - $22.29
Tirana, Albania - $28.72
Taipei, Taiwan - $43.11
Chiang Mai, Thailand - $44.46
Summonte, Italy -- $52.40
Cagliari, Sardinia - $53.04
We used both hotels and AirBNBs when we traveled to Scotland, London and Iceland in August of 2022. I booked partly based on price and partly based on location, with location being THE most important factor. Price was never the deciding factor for me. In Inverness, Scotland, we stayed in one of the Premier Hotels right in the heart of Inverness, which was perfect! Very comfortable, decently priced, and convenient to everything we wanted. In Edinburgh we stayed in an AirBNB literally across the street from St. Gile’s Cathedral. The only negative to that one was that it was 4 flights of stone stairs and it was our first time traveling carryon only and we still overpacked. Otherwise, WOW! Perfect with laundry included! In London we used an AirBNB 2 blocks from St. James Park and 4 blocks from Westminster Abby. It was super basic but the price was spectacularly right and the location couldn’t be beat. In Glasgow, we stayed in a hotel attached to the main train hub that was beautiful and convenient. In Reykjavik, Iceland it was a hotel right in the heart of where we wanted to be and we were able to park a car for free (we rented a car). All in all, each had its pros and cons. I could have saved more money if I had tried harder, but I was intent on location, location, location due to our limited time. In the States we’ve stayed in several AirBNBs and have been super happy with them. It’s all about what your goal is for where you are visiting. I think what you guys have done has been wonderful. It’s been challenging at times I’m sure, but you’ve also learned so many things and experienced things you otherwise might not have experienced. ALWAYS do your due diligence. So very, very important. Very good video as usual Judy.
Thanks, Rebecca, for watching and for sharing some of the details of how you've traveled and your decision-making process. We've definitely had to weigh cost more heavily than we had to when we had full-time jobs, but I agree that location also is very important. We passed on Barcelona this year because we needed to stay too far away from the city center that we didn't think we'd get a real Barcelona experience having to bus in from a far-away neighborhood. We've been willing to sometimes stay in very average places to get the location and price we want, and that's worked out pretty well for us. Giza was an interesting experience, and had we done more research-at the time we were overwhelmed with being new full-time travelers and juggling TH-cam-we probably wouldn't have stayed in the area we did. However, we got a unique experience and are grateful to have have had such an unconventional experience. I've heard mixed opinions about Reykjavik. Did you love it? We don't currently have Iceland on our radar, but it's someplace we're open to visiting! Glad to hear you enjoyed this video. We realize it was a long one, but we wanted to be thorough in what we discussed (and you'd be surprised how much we still cut!). -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Iceland was wonderful. We were there for a long layover (36 hours only) on our way home from the UK. We could not have afforded more to be honest. We rented a car and stayed at a relatively reasonably priced hotel where we had feee parking. We spent waaaaaaaaaaaay too much $ on our evening meal but WOW was it good. Got up very early and drove the Golden Circle and ended our trip for a 2 hour stop at the Blue Lagoon. Then drove 30 minutes to the airport and headed home. I think if I ever go back to Iceland I would do a cruise. Iceland is like being on a whole different planet. There’s a reason Game of Thrones filmed partly in Iceland. Incredible and unique landscape. Despite the cost, it was very worth the stay. Given your particular travel situation I would encourage you to plan wisely for it, and whatever you plan be prepared to spend more than you planned. The food is where the significant cost will affect your budget. Nothing is cheap where food is concerned. But site seeing can be done quite affordable.
I think it's worth spending a short stay somewhere versus skipping it altogether. And there is nothing wrong with a delicious home-cooked series of pasta dishes or other inexpensive meals to offset the expensive food during that window. I have the Northern Lights on my bucket list and Iceland is the perfect place to see them in the fall. We won't be able to get there this year (due in part to Schengen rules), but your information is very helpful for our travel in 2024. Good for you for making the most of your layover to have this experience! -Judy
@lucibelle Sure, perhaps. But sometimes there are places that aren't practical for locals because they are right in a very touristy area and locals don't always want to pay for food and services that are in overpriced touristy areas or dealing with crowds. Many places rely on tourism for a variety of reasons and affordable Airbnbs make it easier for people like us to stay in a place for a month or more and patronize local businesses. They bring benefits as well as challenges. -Judy
Where in the world are you staying for $30. - $50. a night? That is about a 1/4th of what I’m looking at spending and what is available.
Hi Kathryn, as full-time travelers we get a very nice discount when we stay for a month. This is why we stay in Airbnbs. We cannot get these rates from hotels:
Luxor, Egypt - $22.18
Saigon, Vietnam - $22.51
Siem Reap, Cambodia - $30.68
Belgrade, Serbia - $38.76
Athens, Greece - $44.03
Paphos, Cyprus - $44.60
Cairo, Egypt - $44.68
Vienna, Austria - $47.06
...And some just over $50
Aswan, Egypt - $50.49
Krakow, Poland - $51.88
Bucharest, Romania - $51.90
Broughty Ferry, Scotland - $53.81
In 2024 we've booked these additional places:
Hoi An, Vietnam - $22.29
Tirana, Albania - $28.72
Taipei, Taiwan - $43.11
Chiang Mai, Thailand - $$44.46
Summonte, Italy -- $52.40
Cagliari, Sardinia - $53.04
@@FindingGinaMarie Aha, makes sense. I’ll be staying a week at a time in the Monterey Bay Area, in CA. No wonder
The USA is our most expensive country to visit, which is why we only come home once per year. We lived in San Francisco for 8.5 years, and our son and some aunts and cousins live there. We offset hotel costs by not needing to rent a car, but everywhere else we also need to rent a car. US is more expensive than most other places in the world! We also visit the LA area to see my mother, and Houston to see our other children. We also have family on the East Coast, but it's too expensive to see them all.-Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie I grew up on the Monterey Peninsula and now live in Michigan so I fly home now and again and I’ll be staying in Airbnb’s due to your informative and detailed report. Thank you so much. I so love ‘the city’ I know it’s changed, but it must have been wonderful when you were there. Happy travels and thanks again for your content. So helpful.
I have been using Airbnb for about 7 years. I have learned to use filters religiously. I also look for Super Host. I read all reviews and sometimes from the reviews I can figure out where the Airbnb is located. One thing you should do is check to see if the city you are visiting allows airbnbs or if the airbnbs have the required license if it is required by the city. The owner should post the license number in the description. I know in Paris there were many people who were unable to stay in the airbnbs they had rented because they didn’t have license.
I love to experience the culture of a location, but I’m really funny about which airbnbs I stay in. I look for ones that are set up like hotels and prefer they have a front desk for security. And if cleanliness is below a 4.9 I won’t stay there
Thanks for the tips. It seems that most of the Airbnbs right now pinpoint their location much better than they did previously, where they had a huge circle around a very broad area. And we also try to get a sense of what's around the area by reading the comments. We've been lucky in that we haven't had issues with unlicensed Airbnbs, but we will add that to our checklist. We're fine in an apartment-style location, but we understand that each person is different. Thanks for taking the time to comment and for watching! -Judy
I've stayed in numerous AirBnBs, mostly really good experiences! I did have a reservation in Elizabeth, NJ... This was NOT an actual place to stay. What I mean is, I showed up at the appointed time and found out that the occupants knew nothing of this being an AirBnB... They lived there all the time. So my booking was to a scam artist... Unfortunately, I had put all my money for lodging for the week into this booking, AND it was in the middle of a snowstorm!! AirBnB got me my money back in about a day. Thankfully, I had a friend within driving distance. I did, however, ensure that this location got removed from the platform!!
Wow, Rebecca, that had to be completely frustrating, and I would have been panicking. Were there reviews for this Airbnb and did you communicate with the "host" beforehand? I'm wondering what other ways there are to ensure that someplace is legitimate. We do check to see if a host has other properties and how long they've been on the platform. I'm not sure how someone posts fake reviews, but I'm sure it can happen, but wow, not cool. Glad to see that the Airbnb Portal took care of you and that you were able to get the posting removed. I wonder what other consequences there were, but I hope that Airbnb prosecuted them for scamming. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie To be honest, I had only used AirBnB a few times prior, and didn't know much about it, just that AirBnB was trustworthy, so I didn't pay much attention to the fact that this site didn't have any previous renters, and of course, no reviews... They had a "bargain rate" and I was pretty broke! But they really screwed me! As I said, however, AirBnB made it right pretty quick... Now, unfortunately, I won't ever be someone's "first" guest... too bad for new people coming in...
Sometimes you can take a risk if the host has been on the platform with properties in other countries or in other neighborhoods and see what the ratings are there, which says something about their quality, responsiveness, etc. But we have yet to be someone's first. The price is low because it's an unknown quantity. We have occasionally tried to negotiate a lower rate for a property if we love it and the price is a bit outside our price range. I'd say we've had it lowered by around $200 when we are staying a month. In those situations, the host is potentially incentivized because it's a longer stay. But we don't do it often. I'm so glad that you at least were reimbursed, but dealing with it when you're trying to enjoy a vacation is a huge bummer. -Judy
Wow! We've been traveling a little over 10 months and our Airbnb count is 11 with 5 hotels (a total of 5 nights). You've been traveling at warp speed with your Airbnb and hotel count.
We've had one cancellation due to a water leak and we had to rebook one of our Airbnbs due to mold (yuck!). While Airbnb is somewhat helpful, it can be very stressful to lose an accommodation at the last minute. As you would expect, we ended up paying significantly more than we wanted because we had to find another place last minute. To your point, don't cancel if the host asks you to. Contact Airbnb and ask what they can do to help financially. You will definitely get something (usually a credit) for an issue like mold, but probably not a lot if the host cancels.
Happy Travels!
Steph and Chris @388days
Thanks for watching, Steph and Chris, and for sharing your experiences. It has been a whirlwind, as evidenced by our recent video about Slow Travel or No Travel where Kevin shares his desire for us to slow down a bit more. I agree, but it's not been as possible as we would like. We have been making some compromises to make these recent short trips a little easier, which is helping. And we are in Vienna for an entire month-BUT I didn't think about A/C when I booked it in March and it is VERY hot here now and there is no air conditioning. We are grateful for the fan that's here and have it blowing on us now!
You are right that those last-minute cancellations can be expensive. Even with a credit from Airbnb, I can appreciate that it still may be wildly expensive, especially if you are bent on a specification part of a city or town. Glad you left the mold-infested place but sorry you had to deal with it. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie This heat wave in Europe is intense. We can relate to the air conditioning situation as the AC in our Airbnb stopped working a few days after we arrived in Belgrade (our current location). Our hosts have been so nice and responsive, but it took several days to finally repair. During that time we were seeing highs of 39 C/102 F. We just made the best of it and visited a museum, found some great ice cream, and we even spent a day at an upscale mall. We don't envy you spending an entire month without AC. Hopefully things cool down a bit.
Happy Travels!
@388_days: We'll be in Serbia in September, so we're open to any suggestions you have for us! Good for you to have a good attitude about the broken air conditioner. I know being overheated can put us on a short fuse at times, but making lemonade out of the situation is such a better way to go! Fortunately for us right now, there's a little bit of a breeze coming in while we're working and we've at least got a standing fan we can move around-it was still warm, but sleeping was much better than it would have been! Enjoy Serbia, and hopefully you have drama/stress free days ahead! -Judy