Would you Airbnb?

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I’m not going to lie, I had nervous butterflies in my stomach when we were heading to our first Airbnb. Were the owners going to be there? Was the place going to be clean? Did the house really even exist? Ok, maybe I have watched too many of those “Today Special Reports” of scammers. But I relaxed somewhat in the knowledge that we had done a ton of research on each of the places we were staying and I really needed to just hope for the best. Thankfully we were pleasantly surprised and had an amazing stay at each of the houses and apartments we stayed in. Airbnbs are a great option of accommodations when the place you are vacationing does not have hotels or resorts that meet your needs.  Currently, there are not many options for families to stay at hotels in Iceland. Most are geared to the single or double traveler. With the only option being two hotel rooms every night for two weeks, plus the fact that we wanted to travel around the entire country and there were no hotels around almost half of the ring road, we decided to take the leap and try Airbnb. We are so glad that we did!! Beautiful, well kept, clean homes. You felt a little bit less like a traveler and more like a native. Exchanges of keys went very smoothly. Homes were inviting and welcoming. One of the houses we stayed in was a farmhouse near the ocean surrounded by moss covered hills and volcanic dirt. The farmhouse had been in the family for four generations. Sitting on the kitchen counter when we walked in was a traditional Icelandic breakfast cake.  It tasted like comfort, with hints of ginger and sweet dried cranberries. During our time in both Iceland and Ireland we stayed in a total of 7 Airbnbs. They were all so very different from each other. Modern, minimalistic apartments, to cabins in the middle of nowhere, to a farmhouse, to a townhome in the middle of a bustling city. All made us feel comfortable and at home. I would definitely stay in Airbnbs again. They offered us a welcoming home at a very reasonable price.

Here are my most important things to know when trying to find an Airbnb:

1.  READ, READ, READ REVIEWS!! And when you think you have read them all, read more. We only stayed in places that posted MANY reviews. I read everything carefully and paid attention to the positives and negatives of the home.

2. Superhost – We looked for homes that met the Superhost criteria and had the superhost badge. To become a Superhost, you need to have an account in good standing, and over the past year you must have hosted at least 10 stays, maintained a 90% response rate or higher, received a 5-star review at least 80% of the time you’ve been reviewed, as long as at least half of the guests who stayed with you left a review, completed each of your confirmed reservations without canceling.

3. Prices –I always looked for a place in our budget but I also made sure that the price wasn’t too good to be true. Did the price seem similar to other places in the area that met the same criteria? Also, do they charge you full price at booking?

4. Message the owner – I liked that before I even booked a place, I could email the owner with any questions. I would email the owners asking any questions I had about the house or even questions about the area that the house was in. Many responded very quickly. Some didn’t respond at all, so I knew I didn’t want to go with those.

5. Location, Location – Double check the location of the home. Check the map on Airbnb and then double check if that is the location that you will want or need.

6. Read House rules and amenities carefully – Are you ok with their house rules? Check in time and Check out time? Do they have all the amenities you need? Do you need a stocked kitchen? Does the house come with sheets and towels? Do you need to supply your own?

7. Check cancellation policy – make sure the cancellation policy works for you.

Are you ready to book an Airbnb?

Where would you like to stay in an Airbnb?