{"id":141884,"date":"2019-06-14T02:00:13","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T09:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=141884"},"modified":"2019-06-17T15:46:21","modified_gmt":"2019-06-17T22:46:21","slug":"airbnb-dos-and-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/airbnb-dos-and-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"Airbnb Do&#8217;s and Don&#8217;ts, According to Travel Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Airbnb takes the hassle out of traveling because it allows you to skip the pricey hotel room and stay in a place that best fits your tastes, needs, and budget. However, there are some helpful points to keep in mind both as a guest and a host to ensure a pleasant <a href=\"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/tiny-homes-airbnb-minimalist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Airbnb<\/a> experience.<\/p>\n<p>We asked three travel experts to share their best Airbnb etiquette tips you should consider before booking or hosting an Airbnb below.<\/p>\n<h3>Guests<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Always check reviews<br \/>\n<\/strong>\u201cAs a guest, do check reviews and contact the owner when there is an issue (major or minor),\u201d says travel writer <a href=\"https:\/\/elenamurzello.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elena Murzello<\/a>. You\u2019ll also want to do your research about the amenities nearby like transportation, stores, and restaurants.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Safety first<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cIf [you&#8217;re] traveling solo and there was a review about a sketchy neighborhood, don&#8217;t book a place just because it is cheap or within budget,\u201d Murzello explains. Safety should always come first, she adds. Or once you arrive at your Airbnb and you find that you&#8217;re uncomfortable,\u00a0Philipps advises,\u201cDon\u2019t stay if you have an uneasy feeling.&#8221; Even if you ultimately lose your money, she suggests that it is always better to trust your gut and make peace of mind and safety a priority.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s OK to ask for discounts<br \/>\n<\/strong>\u201cDo feel comfortable asking for a discount if you are booking last minute or staying for an extended period of time (generally a week or more),\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelchannel.com\/profiles\/talent\/kinga-philipps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kinga Philipps<\/a> of Travel Channel\u2019s <em>Off the Map<\/em>. &#8220;Remember that it\u2019s better for a property owner to have their place rented than to have it sitting empty, so they might be willing to negotiate a lower rate.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be on time<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cDo show your host respect by not checking in early or too late,\u201d says Tammy Staley, a travel consultant for <a href=\"https:\/\/milestonetravels.midlifemilestones.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Milestone Travels<\/a>. If you must do either, she suggests contacting your host as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Treat rentals like your own home<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cAs a guest, always try to treat the place like it&#8217;s your own home,\u201d says Murzello. If there are rules, such as no smoking or collecting garbage, make sure you follow those rules. \u201cAs a guest, don&#8217;t slam front doors or be loud in common areas of the building,\u201d Murzello says. Always be mindful of your neighbors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don&#8217;t be afraid to speak up<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cDo let your host know if something is not as it was described,\u201d Staley advises. &#8220;It is only fair to give them a chance to fix any issues before you give them a bad review.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don&#8217;t expect hotel-like accommodations<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8220;Read the description thoroughly and make sure you go through the pictures. That information is there so you have an informed idea of where you will be staying,&#8221; says Staley.<\/p>\n<h3>Hosts<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Have the right supplies<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cAs a host, make sure you have adequate supplies,\u201d Murzello advises. Stock up on basic kitchen necessities, have a decent coffee machine, and [leave] an adequate amount of towels for the guests.&#8221; Small items like maps and transit cards are also a nice touch.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Splurge on WiFi<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cAs a host, splurge for functioning WiFi so your guests can easily navigate the city or do work,\u201d says Murzello.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hire a housekeeper<br \/>\n<\/strong>\u201cHire a housekeeper if you don&#8217;t have time to clean up after each guest,\u201d Murzello advises. This includes taking out hair from a clogged drain, washing sheets and towels, or vacuuming common areas, she adds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don&#8217;t overhype your place<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cAs a host, don&#8217;t oversell your place,\u201d Murzello says. Be truthful in the description of your home, which includes location and atmosphere (tell guests of there is construction or other distractions).<\/p>\n<p>xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n<p>Not sure what to bring along on your travels? <a href=\"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/what-bloggers-cant-travel-without\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">These six bloggers share the one item they never travel without<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"Airbnb takes the hassle out of traveling because it allows you to skip the pricey ...","author":5485526,"featured_media":141908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[260],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14105849\/airbnb.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14105849\/airbnb-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"June 14, 2019","category_name":"Life","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113832\/entertainment.svg","author_name":"","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#d83190","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141884"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5485526"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}