One of the defining moments of any trip lasting more than a day is choosing where to stay overnight. The ZagraNitsa portal decided to introduce readers to the best housing rental services in Europe. Tiny rooms and inedible breakfasts in the first available hotels are cancelled!
Pre-booking accommodation (subject to careful selection) makes travel, whether on vacation or a business trip, more comfortable and safe. So-called “mashups” (aggregator sites) will help you find suitable options, through which you can rent hotel rooms, apartments or villas all over the world. International services allow you to compare offers from several booking systems and rent a room, room or other accommodation for a specific date. Vivid examples of such sites are Booking and Hotels.com: they have an impressive database of properties in various price categories and locations.
Photo: preferredhotels.com “Booking” and “Hotels” are convenient with instant confirmation of your reservation. But as practice shows, you shouldn’t delude yourself and it’s better to play it safe. Reservations made through online services - due to technical glitches or other unknown reasons - are sometimes not confirmed by the hotel. It’s good if there are free rooms there, because otherwise you will be left without a place to sleep.
The cost of a room in the same hotel on different aggregators may differ and be higher than the price on the official website of the hotel. When looking to save money, it's always a good idea to surf different platforms to find the best deal.
Photo: hotel-madison.com A healthy alternative to hotels - renting from locals
An excellent option for lovers of diversity and authenticity would be to rent housing from local residents. You will be able to chat with your foreign host and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the country. Living in a standard hotel, you will not get such pleasure.
On many sites you can leave comments and participate in the formation of ratings of hotels, homeowners and the apartments themselves. Reviews from ex-clients will help you make a choice. These comments are especially valuable when the service is not responsible for the accuracy of the information.
The most popular rental services from the owner in Europe are Airbnb, Homeaway and Wimdu. They offer a large selection of both simply cozy apartments and more exotic options. You can find a chalet in the mountains, a villa on a picturesque seashore or a small family castle.
Home Exchange - exchange holiday
You can stay for a couple of days in a foreign city or country without money. Participation in the Home Exchange program will help you find a room, apartment, or even a house for free living with the owners or during their absence. This way the trip will cost at least half as much.
Photo: solotravelerblog.com
The practice of exchanging homes for vacations originated in Europe and the United States more than 50 years ago and is gaining popularity every year. It’s not surprising, because this is one of the simplest and most accessible ways to integrate into the everyday life of a foreign country, make new friends and exchange cultural values with them, and see the most interesting sights. To join the club, you need to pay an annual membership fee. The number of trips is not limited.
Hospitality sites are a kind of social networks, where participants are ready to provide a roof over their heads to strangers or simply accompany them on a walk around the city. To become a host, you must have your own home (confirmation will be required) that is being offered for exchange.
Europeans are mostly friendly, but are not ready to travel into the unknown. They want to clearly understand who they are visiting and are not averse to conducting reconnaissance. To do this, they communicate online for a long time (six months to a year): they correspond or have “live” conversations via Skype.
When making a preliminary acquaintance, it is better to find out all the details. Exchange photos (personal and home) and detailed description apartments/houses. Ask any questions that will help you get comfortable in a foreign city. By the way, residents of the USA and Europe often plan their holidays in advance, so you rarely see last-minute options for exchange holidays.
Modern travelers do not tend to limit themselves to traveling within their own country. If finances allow, many go in search of adventure to the most remote corners of our planet. One can only imagine how much effort was required to conduct international travel a quarter of a century ago.
Absence mobile communications, the same Internet, problems in embassies - and these are just the beginnings. Whereas now, by opening an Internet browser, you can find so much information that it will be enough to ensure maximum reliability for your upcoming trip.
And what does the growth of our needs cost? Having visited some five-star hotel in Turkey last year, a person will no longer want to go to Croatia next year with no less comfortable conditions. Moreover, everyone strives to find a nest that is cheaper and with more comfortable conditions.
Today I will talk about an excellent service for renting apartments around the world from homeowners, which has found recognition all over the world, allowing the user to rent cheap apartments/rooms in any corner of the planet. We will talk about the site airbnb.ru.
By the way, Russians are reluctant to use the Airbnb apartment rental service due to ignorance of its existence. There are older services like hotellook.ru or generally “oldies” that stay afloat only at the expense of citizens of the CIS countries. These are sites like booking.com. They are also good in their own way, but the peculiarity of AirBnb is that it is possible to rent apartments directly from the homeowners, and this is its main advantage. But first things first.
Airbnb service - an inside look
Airbnb.ru gives you the opportunity in a few clicks rent an inexpensive apartment or room in many countries around the world. Airbnb offers not only hostels and daily apartments, for lovers of exquisite relaxation, there are offers to rent an expensive yacht or some oriental palace.
And what’s good is that on Airbnb (AirBnb) you can find a budget option housing in very good location, in which if you shoot hotel room, you will give five times more money. Here's an example from Airbnb - renting a room in Barcelona with a view of the Sagrada Familia costs 1,848 rubles
The photo above is the view from exactly where you will live! Time passes and the exchange rate of the ruble against the dollar and euro changes, but still, as a percentage, renting apartments through AirBnB will be cheaper than in a hotel.
Yes, if for some reason you didn’t watch the video above, I’ll tell you again that the very story of the creation of the Airbnb website is quite funny. Two guys, being students in another country, did not calculate their finances when renting a room, and in order to somehow get off their knees, they began to rent out their air mattress on the floor. By the way, the name of the Airbnb website follows directly from the description of this story, and translated means an air mattress and breakfast.
As practice shows, the Airbnb service offers the most various options housing in Europe or America, while East Asia Either I haven’t heard about the existence of the Airbnb service, or they have their own competitive site similar to Airbnb, but the Airbnb service is almost not represented here at all. Although, if you really want to and have Google translator at hand, you can also find good apartments at an affordable price.
I like that on Airbnb you can immediately filter apartments by quality, view from the window, location, price, even by the face of the owner of this property and his friendliness, because on the site AirBnb people write real reviews about the apartments that were rented from the owners. Moreover, these are not paid reviews, but real comments from real people:
Like any project, the Airbnb service has its advantages and disadvantages, which I will discuss below.
Benefits of the AirBnb service
1. Airbnb is awesomeaffordable prices
Even in the most major cities there are affordable housing offers around the world. Airbnb's website is proof of this. On Airbnb it is quite possible to find better offers for renting apartments compared to private advertisements for renting apartments or hotels. As a rule, the local representation comes down to people who are eager to make a little extra money on their home. In fact, the offers on Airbnb are completely different. If you are trying to rent an apartment in London for 100 dollars, then it’s better not to go anywhere, but you will be gladly provided with an air mattress in many parts of the city. On Airbnb you can actually settle in cheaper upon arrival, plus you will have a local resident “at hand”, who is also the owner of the apartment you rented, who will show and tell you everything.
2. Airbnb is comfort
If a cozy and comfortable life at the level of a luxury hotel room is very important to you, then Airbnb is the perfect service for you. As a rule, many apartment owners rent out their homes in order to earn money during that period of time when they themselves go on vacation or simply live in some other place with relatives. In this case, you will be absorbed in a homely atmosphere with complete autonomy.
I think you won’t refuse to see how the French or Italians furnish their apartments, or what household appliances the Germans or British use. I can say with confidence that you obviously won’t get such a vast amount of information while staying at a hotel.
Often, such apartments are rented fully equipped - you will be provided with everything you need to lead a normal life, including a washing machine, dishwasher and equipped kitchen with a full set of appliances and dishes.
Here are some examples of apartments
AirBnb - apartment in London
AirBnb - apartment in New York
AirBnb – apartment in Paris
AirBnb – apartment in Rome
3. Airbnb is forclear communication
When renting out a home, owners not only look for potential client, just like you, they are given a unique opportunity to communicate with foreigners. As practice shows, people are always happy to chat on a variety of topics, even to the point of giving you valuable advice on visiting a particular place, or, for example, giving you the number of the cheapest taxi to get to the place you need. Don’t think about it, this is not necessary - if you don’t want to, no one will oblige you
4. Airbnb is aboutdiscussing housing conditions in advance
The Airbnb service requires fulfillment of a mandatory condition before booking - you will definitely need to communicate with the owner of the apartment, where you will be provided with comprehensive answers to all your questions. For example, how is the infrastructure in the area where you live, are there cheap supermarkets here, is the metro or bus station far away. You have the opportunity to clarify whatever your heart desires.
5. Airbnb islinking accounts
If you are registered on Facebook, you will have no problem tracking the movements of your friends, especially if their profile is directly linked to the Airbnb service. Share your impressions!
Disadvantages of the Airbnb service
1. I don't argue that Airbnb is a great service. But Airbnb, like everywhere else, has its drawbacks. First of all, this is the lack of a professional approach. Most of apartment owners, as a rule, ordinary people who want to earn extra money, so be prepared for anything and have maximum patience (especially if you are booking an apartment for the first time) - some questions may take too much time to discuss.
2. Living conditions. Each person has his own moral values, so there is a high probability that your wishes will not coincide with the specified living conditions from the owner. Not because you are being deceived, but everyone has different preferences.
3. The lack of instant booking of accommodation on Airbnb is also a small drawback, especially for businessmen. The fact is that if other sites for renting and renting out apartments - analogues of Airbnb, offering reservations in hotels, provide a maximum of five minutes for placing an order, then on Airbnb you will have to wait for the owner’s decision. Therefore, this option is not suitable for people who are still at home today, and tomorrow - somewhere at the other end globe and they urgently need housing.
4. Virtually no privacy on Airbnb. To make a reservation on Airbnb, you will have to spend time. Registration, sending and checking documents, filling out a profile (which, by the way, is mandatory). The documents will be available only to the site administration and, as a rule, the owner will not see them, unless, of course, you offend him or do something else illegal. Well, another important nuance on Airbnb is the possibility of communal living, when other people can potentially live with you in the apartment.
5. Don’t be surprised by the fact that you may be denied a reservation if the host of your Airbnb property simply doesn’t like you or your profile – this is also quite possible. Agree, everyone decides for themselves who they can move in with them.
Please note that it is worth reading in advance reviews of accommodations on Airbnb or view the owner’s profile in detail. You never know how he will behave in one case or another. And so you can already hint at some common interests.
How to use the AirBnb “inflatable service”, AirBnb discount coupons
To get started, go to AirBnb website and register. I think this operation is not worth describing in detail, everything is simple and clear. By the way, you may have heard that there is discount couponsairbnb. Would you like to receive $25 off your accommodation reservation? If yes, then follow this link, it is already included airbnb coupon code, and then, by registering on the site, you will receive a bonus of $25. That is, by ordering a rental property, the rental price will cost you $25 less! Agree, not bad!
The main page of the Airbnb website presents the hottest offers from the most different countries world, if you haven’t found anything suitable, enter the city where you are going. The Airbnb system will give you a comprehensive list of offers for a specific locality, and the location of the proposed housing on the map. Airbnb also has many filters available (just like an online store), which can potentially speed up the search for accommodation based on your request.
When choosing accommodation on Airbnb, you will receive a sufficient amount of information in the form of photographs, descriptions and numerous reviews, which, by the way, are checked by the administration for authenticity. As a rule, in the right corner of the page on Airbnb the price directly for renting an apartment per day is indicated. There you can also decide on the number of days and the cost of all services provided by the service.
Well, ultimately, after checking all the data when writing a request to book an apartment, you can make a payment using a bank card. In addition, for owners of electronic wallets, the PayPal service is provided.
Criteria for choosing accommodation on Airbnb
First of all, a verified user profile. Let me tell you that on Airbnb everything is serious about document verification, which is why scams rarely come up here. To register your accommodation (apartment, house, yacht, etc.) in the Airbnb system, you will need to provide everything Required documents, confirming not only your identity, but also your right to own housing.
Only after approval by the administration of the Airbnb service, the user will be marked with a special icon, which gives the right to take further actions. The same situation applies to photographs of the proposed housing. When choosing, pay attention to the inscription “verified photo”, which indicates that the “photo shoot” of the property was carried out by a professional photographer from the agency and, of course, corresponds to reality.
The next item is the response rate on Airbnb. This box indicates the percentage of questions asked by potential tenants and answers given by the landlord. That is, if you see a frequency of ten percent, you don’t even have to try to find out anything there, since it’s unlikely that anyone will give you a complete answer.
On the other hand, if the response rate is greater than 90 percent, then the host is incredibly sociable and responds to all messages as quickly as possible. And, believe me, if the housing is good, then you have to answer 100-200 requests per day.
Don't forget to update your service calendar. By updating it regularly, you will, first of all, save time. Imagine, you are looking for accommodation on the website, find a suitable one, look at the photos, compare with other offers (as a rule, this takes at least one hour if you are planning a serious trip, and especially if you are a woman).
And already when you agree to book accommodation, you are told that the apartment is occupied. Moral of the story: Update your calendar often to avoid wasting unnecessary time. Good apartments will not stand empty for long.
"And I changed my mind"
The “inflatable” service Airbnb, due to the huge number of different scammers, has provided various conditions for canceling a reservation. This opportunity allows you to select accommodation directly depending on your confidence in the upcoming trip. Don’t worry, the Airbnb service fee for making an apartment reservation will not be reimbursed in case of cancellation. Of course, serious circumstances are taken into account when refusing, but in this case much will depend on communication with the administration.
The Airbnb website has special “Site Visitor Compensation Rules” that allow you to get your money back if certain misunderstandings arise, including:
The tenant independently canceled the reservation or provided you with accommodation on the spot;
The expectation does not coincide with reality due to the fault of the apartment owner;
You personally discovered that your new home is incredibly dirty and, even more so, unsafe.
Of course, such nuances do not come up often, but anything can happen, and if you are not satisfied with something in your new home, just contact the service administration within 24 hours after moving into your new place.
Accommodation reservation certificate for visa
Everyone knows that when visiting many countries, the embassy will require confirmation of your solvency and mandatory place arrangement. None of my friends have used this service, but based on reviews online and on the website, it becomes clear that a printed reservation made on the website is positively accepted at the embassy.
The downside of Airbnb
It is quite obvious that in addition to renting any type of housing, you can just as easily rent out your apartments: an apartment, a dacha, a yacht (whoever has one) :)
Much, of course, depends on the location of your home, but if there is free space and you don’t shy away from neighbors unknown to you, then why not rent it out? Speaking of guarantees, the AirBnb rental service provides a potential tenant with no less guarantees than a tenant.
Plus, it's completely free. The system is as follows: to assure you of a guarantee (the so-called “safe transaction”), the Airbnb service imposes its own markup on top of your housing price. If there is a service office in your country, then in some cases the agency can take professional photographs completely free of charge.
In order to rent out an apartment on Airbnb, you need to go to the “Your Ads” section in the “Control Panel”.
In conclusion I would like to say that AirBnb service may seem incredibly complicated to some (which is why I gave such a detailed description of it). In fact, this service is quite advanced and easy to use, so at a minimum, you need to pay attention to it in order to keep it in mind or simply recommend it to friends. It’s not that I’m advertising it, it’s just that after using it, me and my colleagues were left with only the best impressions.
And don't forget that when you first register on Airbnb, you'll receive a small bonus of twenty-five dollars to your account, so don't waste time and get the most out of your vacation.
Hi all! In this post we will talk about how to use a website for renting housing abroad. And also about some interesting nuances that we recently encountered.
Surely many of you know about this resource, and perhaps you have already discovered it for yourself a long time ago and are traveling this way. Nikita and I first used airbnb services in the summer of 2014, after which we were absolutely delighted and since then we prefer to look for travel accommodation only there.
So, let's start in order. What is airbnb?
Airbnb stands for Air Bed and Breakfast. The name came about after two guys from San Francisco hosted guests at their home because they themselves needed money to pay for their rent. They had three air mattresses at home, which they offered to temporary residents. Every morning the guys prepared breakfast for the guests. After some time, these guys saw a great business idea in their actions and founded the Airbnb website.
The portal itself says the following about itself:
Airbnb began operating in August 2008 in San Francisco, California. Airbnb is a safe and secure place to rent, find, and book unique accommodations anywhere in the world, right on the website or via your mobile device.
Whether it's an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb brings unique travel experiences to people at every price point in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries. Add to that global customer support and a rapidly growing travel community. Airbnb is the easiest way for people to make money by renting out their spare space and offering it to millions of people.
In other words, on Airbnb you can find exactly the kind of accommodation that suits your level of comfort and price. The cheapest option is common room. You rent a bed or sofa in a room where someone else lives. At the same time, you naturally use the shower, kitchen, Internet and all the benefits of civilization that are present in the apartment.
The next option is separate room. An apartment may have several rooms; you rent one of them, but other travelers or apartment owners may live in adjacent rooms. This option is very good for those who have little money, but want some privacy. The advantages of the first and second options are that you can always communicate with the owner of the property, and he, as a local person, will tell you how best to get somewhere, where to go, etc.
And the last option for renting apartments on Airbnb is entire housing. This could be a separate apartment or even a house - it depends on your goals and financial capabilities.
Today, more than 25 million people around the world use Airbnb and more than one million apartments are available for rent. The choice is very large for any budget and for any expectations.
Is it safe to travel with Airbnb?
The answer is yes. The service pays great attention to security. If you are afraid of going to unknown people in an unknown apartment, then think about the fact that the owner allows people unknown to him into his apartment, full of his things. In theory, both are at risk, but in practice we have never heard or read about security problems.
The Airbnb community is built on trust. A verified profile is one of the necessary elements that allows guests and hosts to decide who they want to host and stay with.
Airbnb has provided several levels of verification and identity confirmation. When registering, the owner of the apartment attaches a scan of his documents, links accounts on social networks, and guests do the same.
There are two main rules that will help you ensure safety:
- Please review carefully landlord profile. If your profile is missing any information or photos, write to the owner to update your profile. We always pay attention to the comments left previous occupants. If there are a lot of comments and they are positive, then the landlord is an active participant in Airbnb and can be trusted.
- Pay for your reservation only through site payment system. Do not agree to transfer money to the owner’s personal account, because... In this case, Airbnb will not be able to help you if problems arise.
What's good about Airbnb?
Let's look at the undeniable advantages of renting housing through this site:
1. Cost. For those traveling alone, the cheapest accommodation option is either a hostel where you can rent a bed, or even free Couchsurfing. Both options are not very comfortable, noisy and not always pleasant. Especially if you are on a long journey and need to work.
For those traveling as a couple, like us, the hostel is not suitable at all. Because renting the two cheapest beds in a room with 16 beds costs more than renting one separate room in an apartment. This is true. Tested in all countries and cities we visited. Particularly noticeable in Scandinavia. But there is an exception - Riga, there are really very cheap hostels there!
Moreover, if you are traveling with a group of 15 people, I don’t even know what can save you except some camping and Airbnb.
2. Feeling of home. The idea behind the Aibnb community is the slogan “Welcome Home.” This is true. A hotel room is, of course, convenient and comfortable, but real housing, a blanket like at home, mugs with funny inscriptions, a guitar in the corner and morning coffee in the kitchen is completely different. Walking around the city, you feel not like a tourist, but a local, because after the walk you will not go to a room cleaned by the maid, but home.
3. Immersion in culture. Not the longest excursion, not the most ancient monument, and not even the most important National Museum, will not help you understand as acutely and deeply the mentality of the country in which you find yourself as the unexpected everyday little things that you find at home. You will see the city and the country as they see it local residents. Because you will have the opportunity to become that local.
With Airbnb, you can stay in unique homes of real people - these can be ordinary houses and apartments, or even treehouses and igloos.
4. Comfort and coziness. The good thing about Airbnb is that it makes you feel free. You paid money for housing, they gave you the keys - that's it. You don’t have to hang out with the owner of the apartment, how nice it is on Couchsurfing, you don’t have to endure the snoring of your roommates in the hostel, your things are safe, you don’t have to leave them in the safe every time. You have full rights for an apartment for the rental period - do what you want. The accommodation is usually very cozy, comfortable and pleasant. Everyone, of course, has different concepts of what is convenient and pleasant; more on that a little later. But when traveling around Europe, you can be sure of the cleanliness and beauty of the rented apartments.
But a coin always has two sides, and a stick has two ends. During all our travels, we have more than once encountered various situations in the process of renting through Airbnb, which are better to know about in advance.
What to look for when renting on Airbnb?
1. The service takes a commission ranging from six to 12% of the booking amount. The larger the booking amount, the less Airbnb service fee. It would be hard to call this a minus, because... It is clear that the company's employees must receive a salary and have the means to develop this wonderful resource.
At the end of the booking, you will immediately see the full amount, which includes all fees and the commission of the portal itself. Example below.
2. Some owners, in addition to the rental price, set additional charges. Cleaning fees and damage deposits are common. The deposit for property damage will be taken from your card when you pay the rent and will be returned to your card 48 hours after check-out. If you damage the property, the deposit will not be returned.
As a rule, a deposit is set for those apartments that are quite expensive and have expensive furniture. If you rent cheap housing, most likely there will be no such deposit.
3. Default for people from Russia prices on the website are indicated in rubles. If desired, you can select a different currency in the settings. Given the unstable ruble exchange rate recently, the rental process sometimes turns into an attraction. Because the price of the apartment you choose may change within a few hours. Don't be surprised by this. It's not the owner of the apartment who's being naughty.
4. The cost of the same apartment may be different depending on the rental period. Often renting for a month is cheaper than to rent for two weeks, and then for another two weeks. Because the hosts offer discounts for long bookings. Therefore, if you want to spend 25 days in a certain city, consider whether it might be worth staying for 30 days and thus saving several thousand rubles.
5. The owner of the apartment is not always a virtuoso Internet user, so his profile may contain very serious mistakes. One of the situations that we recently encountered would have been completely unfunny if the owner had not eventually agreed to meet us.
The situation is as follows: the landlord indicated the price per day per person. However, he did not enter into the system the information that for each additional guest the same amount must be paid. Airbnb is a very well thought out system that automatically calculates the total payment amount based on the number of people, number of days, etc. But, of course, if the owner did not indicate some data, then this system does not work. For our part, we indicated that there would be two guests and paid the full rental amount from the card.
When we checked into the apartment, the owner asked us to pay in cash for the “second part of the rent,” which we did not know about. He explained this by saying that we paid with the card for only one tenant, and there were two of us. After much investigation, we explained to him his mistake, but it turned out that all the tenants had previously agreed to his conditions and paid for the accommodation of the second tenant in cash on the spot. Wow! Either he really wanted to deceive us, or he really wasn’t very smart.
The moral is: Airbnb charges you in full! You don't have to pay anyone anything extra! To avoid misunderstandings, before paying, talk to the owner of the apartment via correspondence on the website, discuss the final amount and talk again about how many people there will be. Discuss all the conditions with him and make sure that you understand each other.
6. Although the Airbnb name suggests that you are entitled to not only a bed but also breakfast, you can only count on breakfast if it is indicated in the description of the accommodation. Read the description very carefully! Not everyone has the Internet and a washing machine. To avoid disappointment with your apartment, simply consider your options carefully and don't be afraid to engage in correspondence with the owner.
7. Correspondence with the owner It’s better to only conduct on Airbnb. Because in case of any claims from one of the parties, it can be used as evidence.
8. When you move into an apartment, together with the owner, look at everything carefully and point out broken things, if there are any. Perhaps one of the previous tenants spoiled something, but the landlord did not notice and will blame you in the future. We also had a similar situation. It is almost impossible to prove that you didn’t break anything.
9. All apartments and all owners are completely different. It’s almost impossible to get a complete picture of the property from the profile on the website. For example, twice we unexpectedly found ourselves in the slums, although, of course, this was not written about in the profile.
Sometimes housing is very expensive, but on site you find a lot of dirt, dust, lack of towels and necessary utensils. The owner gives you the keys, and you don’t see him again until you leave, although according to Airbnb rules he must help you in every possible way if something breaks, etc.
And sometimes, you find the cheapest accommodation in the whole city, and the owner goes to meet you at the airport, prepared toiletries, fresh bathrobes for you, stocked the refrigerator with food and comes to cook dinners! All in all, price is not always an indicator of the quality of housing.
Three times already we have received a pleasant surprise. We usually book a private room because... This option suits us best in terms of price. But three times in a row, having paid only the cost of the room, we received the entire apartment at our disposal, because... either the owner of the apartment was away, or constantly spent the night with his girlfriend, or decided to live with his parents. There's always a little bit of uncertainty with Airbnb. 🙂
10. Airbnb is a large and busy resource. It's no surprise that glitches and errors sometimes happen. One day my card was charged twice for a month's rent. After contacting the support service, my money was returned and, as a gift, I was given a coupon for further bookings in the amount of four thousand rubles, valid for a year. For active travelers this is a very useful and pleasant bonus.
So if something goes wrong during the booking process, don't worry! The support service will definitely solve your problem.
11. It’s better to register your account on Airbnb at email you actively use. You won’t receive any unnecessary mailings, but you won’t miss any important emails from the service. For example, if you contact support, all responses will be sent by email, personal account you won't see them on the website.
Another nice functionality of the site is SMS sending. Your phone will receive replies from the hosts, even if you do not have access to the Internet. This is very convenient, so we recommend that you also include your real phone number.
12. Please note that some owners install minimum booking period, for example, three days. And also keep in mind that Airbnb provides an option to cancel a reservation, but each landlord chooses flexible, moderate or strict cancellation conditions.
13. This has not happened to us, but nevertheless, sometimes this happens - the owner himself can cancel reservation. The site provides for fines for hosts, but force majeure happens not only to guests, so you should treat such situations with understanding. As a rule, in the host’s profile there will be a note that he once canceled a paid reservation for someone.
14. Lastly, remember that renting on Airbnb is this is not the same as booking a room in a hotel or hostel. Some landlords do not respond immediately, the available dates may be incorrectly indicated in your profile, and in addition, you may be refused to rent if the owner does not like your profile, and this is his full right.
Therefore, it is better to look for accommodation on Airbnb in advance, have your profile filled out correctly, and also expect that during the “hot” seasons it can be very difficult to find an apartment. For example, during the carnival period in Rio, inexpensive housing on Airbnb was sold out in another two months.
25$
Friends, we hope this post was useful to you! We talked about all the nuances that we considered important and worthy of your attention. If you don't yet have an Airbnb account, we suggest you follow this link: www.airbnb.ru/c/ndatsko1?s=8 and register (copy and paste the link into the address bar). You'll immediately receive $25 that you can use on any booking. Well, we will also get $25. :)If you have experience using Airbnb or you prefer another way of finding accommodation when traveling, write in the comments, we are interested to know how our friends and acquaintances travel. Also, if you have any questions about renting housing, we will be happy to answer them, write!
I'll tell you how to find a good apartment and rent it without problems. Here are five tips to help you avoid screwing up your rent.
Sergey Korol
traveler
Usually, newcomers to Air BBC choose a city and date, and then admire the beautiful photos of apartments from the search. They imagine how they will lie on a luxurious bed and how they will have breakfast on the balcony overlooking the park. As a result, they choose housing with the cutest photos. Is it dangerous.
Perhaps, instead of a pleasant sleep in bed, you will have to get up early in the morning to catch the train to the center. And to have breakfast on the balcony, you will need to walk for an hour to buy groceries at the nearest supermarket.
We went to Helsinki for the festival and were impressed by the cute apartment with a sauna and grill on the balcony. It turned out that she was formally in another city, in Espoo. It's an hour's drive from Helsinki
To make your vacation enjoyable, look not only at the photographs, but also at the location of the apartments. Find out where the nearest stops are public transport and how often does he go? See what shops and cafes are nearby. If you're driving, find out where to park overnight.
For example, I want to rent an apartment in the city center, in the Punavuori area:
I find this place in Google Maps, and then I “walk” along the neighboring streets in street view mode.
I’m looking for parking, looking at the signs, as if I’m driving a virtual car and thinking about where to park it.
Oh, you can park your car here from 9 am to 7 pm - this is written on the yellow sign on the wall of the building, above the Canon. But you won’t be able to park overnight - in the morning there will be a fine waiting under the windshield wiper
Sometimes they deliberately rent an apartment not in the center in order to save on rent. Before you do this, calculate how much an hour of your vacation costs. This way you will see that an expensive apartment in the center will be more profitable.
Cost of renting an apartment in Paris
Rent an apartment for 3200 RUR per day
More expensive and closer
Rent an apartment in the center for 4800 RUR per day
Spend 2 hours every day getting to the center and back - 800 RUR of your time and another 20 € for two for bus tickets (≈1400 RUR)
More expensive and closer
You walk around the city on foot and rarely spend money on transport. The apartment costs as much as you pay for rent
Total - 5400 R
More expensive and closer
Both the renter and the owner can cancel a reservation at Air BBC.
If you rent an apartment and then change your mind, the service may fine you. This is determined by the types of cancellations. There are six of them: from soft to hard.
With soft cancellation, you can cancel your rental even five minutes before check-in - you will receive a full refund. With hard cancellation, you will get a 50% refund of your stay if you cancel your reservation a month in advance.
Cancellation rules are listed in the "Prices" section
Sometimes it happens that the owner of the apartment cancels the reservation. Often, owners rent out their apartments while traveling, and plans may change. This is a fairly rare case; it happened to me once.
If the host cancels your reservation, you will receive an email letting you know. I advise you to look through your mailbox the night before your trip. By the way, if the owner cancels the reservation, Air BBC will give you a small consolation amount to your internal account.
Make lists directly on the site
Usually there are dozens and hundreds of apartment options at Air BBC. In order not to get confused in them and not to lose interesting ones, I advise you to keep a list.
The list is created directly on the website. Name it after the city you're going to.
Then add apartments to the list directly from the search - click on ❤:
So in half an hour you will have a dozen options to choose from. You can discuss them with family or friends. These apartments will no longer be lost in the search.
Check details in advance
Usually apartment owners send guests detailed instructions: how to get from the airport, how to find an apartment. Guests close the Air BBC tab, thinking that everything is ok.
What to pay attention to
The owner writes that the easiest way to get from Berlin Tegel Airport is by taxi for 20 € (1534 RUR). But you do not fly to Tegel, but to Schönefeld. Find out how to get there by public transport from Schönefeld and how much it will cost.
The owner asks to pick up the keys from the neighbor. She lives opposite, in apartment 20B. Ask your neighbor for her phone number and ask her to give her your number. Warn that you will be there between 12 and 14 o'clock - let him be at home at this time.
The owner offers to meet you from the train and take you home by car. He asks for only 15 € (1150 RUR). Google transport: it turns out that you can get from the station to your house by tram for 4 € (306 RUR). Politely decline.
The owner complains that there is now an excavator in his parking space and it will not be possible to leave the car at the house. Find out where the nearest free parking is. If there isn’t one, ask him to negotiate with your neighbors so that you park in someone else’s place.
Usually before a trip I look at the route from the stop to the house on Street View. This way I find housing quickly and without errors.
This is our temporary home in Berlin. If you walk around Street View, you can see a huge park full of weed dealers
I also make sure to write down the owner’s phone number and take screenshots of Google Maps. I can use the screenshots to get to the place; if I get lost, in extreme cases, I’ll call you by phone.
You might think I'm paranoid. However, during all this time I have had almost no unpleasant moments with checking into Air BBC.
Include the skeptic
Usually people think the apartment is nice in advance. Beautiful pictures, view outside the window. By default, I consider any housing suspicious.
When I look at an apartment, I always try to find a flaw in it. Why didn't you take a photo of the bathroom? Where will all the things go from the table and closet? Why does the baby's crib get wet in the rain on the balcony?
So I found a nice apartment in Riga:
But if you scroll down to the photo of the house itself, it becomes a little scary. Hut on chicken legs for 2600 RUR per day!
If you have any doubts about the apartment, it is better to clarify them with the owner in advance. If you can’t clarify, don’t shoot.
I avoid apartments that have too many household items. Typically, such apartments are found among those who are leaving for several weeks. You will be greeted by cabinets filled with things and a bathroom shelf where there is nowhere to even put toothpaste. It’s a strange feeling: you seem to have paid a lot of money, but it’s like you’re living as a guest.
This apartment in Rome is obviously residential. Everywhere there are paintings, books and things of the owners
Don't forget about cleaning. Typically, Air BBC shows the cost of a night's stay in the search. However, in addition to this amount, an additional cleaning fee will be charged. The money for cleaning goes to the owner of the apartment, so sometimes he cheats: he reduces the cost of rent, but charges a lot for cleaning. Look at this amount when choosing an apartment. The cost of cleaning should not exceed one night in the apartment.
For three nights in a Tokyo apartment, you expect to pay 9,600 RUR, but you will pay more than 12 thousand. They will additionally charge 2200 RUR for cleaning and another 1500 RUR for the Air BBC commission.
How to contact outside of Air BBC. The service stops all attempts to exchange contacts with the owners of apartments that you have not rented. You won’t be able to leave your phone number or a link to your social network account - Air BBC will hide this for the recipient of the message.
To contact the owner, some distort the words: Fαсၔbo0к or Inƽαrαm. Or they write numbers in letters: plus seven nine two five...
Please do not try to bypass Air BBC to rent an apartment. The owner will complain, you will be blocked, or something else will happen:
In this article, you will learn about the Airbnb website, which allows you to rent accommodation in other countries! As a bonus we'll give you 2100 rubles to live in any country in the world. The coupon is valid for a year.
What is Airbnb
Let's start with the basics. Airbnb is a special site where you can negotiate with the owner of a home to rent it. This is ideal both for tourists traveling in a crowd (it’s cheaper to rent an apartment and fit everyone in than to pay for a bed in a hotel), and for those who are tired of classic sleekness. Do you want to feel the flavor of everyday life in a new city? Then you definitely have a direct route to this site.
Get 2100 rubles on AirBnb
How Airbnb works
You enter the city of residence and the number of people into the search. After which you are given a list of suitable places indicating the cost. Then you can filter the results in various ways.
After you have chosen several suitable options for yourself, it is time to write a request to the owner of the apartment. In this letter you should introduce yourself, indicate your desired dates of placement and ask questions that haunt you. It is also reasonable to provide links to your profiles on social networks so that the owner of the apartment forms an adequate opinion about you as a person.
The situation is almost the same as with . Based on one letter, a person should decide to let you into the apartment and leave you unattended for several days. You must relieve his possible anxiety.
Once you have received answers to all your questions, click the “Book” button. In the next 24 hours, the owner of the premises will have to decide whether to let you in or not. If his answer is positive, the required amount will be debited from your card. After payment, the contact details of the apartment owner and the exact address will become available.
Safety
First, let's talk about safety. Discuss all important booking details and all financial issues only through the website. This way there will be an opportunity to appeal to this in case of conflict situations. Do not go to third-party negotiation sites.
If you are not sure about your plans, then choose those offers that provide flexible conditions for canceling your reservation. Discuss all financial issues before payment. You should have an idea of how much money will be spent on the deposit and how much on payment.
In case of trouble, try to notify the company about it. To do this, you can use the help center on the website. There is support in Russian.
Good to know
The site contains verified photographs of places that can be rented. These photos were taken by a representative of the service and have the Airbnb logo in the top corner. This sign indicates that this illustration can be trusted.
If there are not many of you, and apartment prices are steep, try renting a room. Of course, living with the owners of the apartment may not be so fun. On the other hand, they will tell you what to see, what transport to use and where to buy food.
Pay attention to the “Response Frequency” indicator in the potential host’s profile. This figure indicates how often this person responds to requests. You should not write to those who have this indicator low. They may not have visited the site for a long time.
If for some reason you want to rent an apartment right now, then look for options with the “Instant booking” option. They can be booked without the owner's consent.
Read reviews and take them objectively. The very fact of a positive/negative review does not mean anything. What matters is what is written in the comment. Is the problem really objective and will it bother you?
If you check the box next to “ Social media", you can see where your friends stayed.
Pros of Airbnb
- A large number of proposals (from panel high-rise buildings to old lighthouses);
- Convenient to travel with a group or family. It's also cheaper;
- Colorful. You can feel like a real resident of this city;
- Cashless payments. All financial transactions pass through the website and are recorded there. As a bonus, you don’t have to carry extra cash with you.
- Printing out your Airbnb reservation works for most consulates. So this will make the visa process easier for you.
Cons of Airbnb
- The owner of the apartment is better protected by the rules of the system than the traveler. He can easily cancel your reservation a few days before arrival and you will urgently have to look for a backup option;
- A day before arrival, a deposit amount is blocked on your card, which will be returned to you after leaving the apartment. But only if the owner does not report any violations on your part. At the same time, how you can build your justificatory rhetoric and protect yourself from unfounded claims is not very clear;
- The entire amount is blocked on the card at the time of booking. If you are planning your trip much in advance, then be prepared to freeze some of your funds;
- Cancellation conditions for the traveler. Here everything is stricter than for the owner and depends on the type of transaction. There are also those in which cancellation of a reservation less than a week in advance entails a complete loss of the paid funds. Read the booking conditions carefully;
