Finding Reason

What is AirBnb?

Airbnb is a worldwide online platform that seeks to connect people who host lodgings with those who are searching to rent them. I first used the service while road tripping in the United States, to avoid the high costs of hotels. I instantly became reliant on the site to provide me with safe, reliable and cheap accommodation. I have never had a bad experience with AirBnb, and I came to learn that using the site to find accommodation can not only save you money, but most importantly, it will enrichen your travels. 
Getting online

       Signing Up:

Signing up to Airbnb is quite simple. From the home screen, click sign up. It is easier to sign up and verify your ID with a Google or Facebook account than it is with an email. I prefer not to affiliate my Facebook page with apps, unless it is a means of ID verification. 

 

       Creating your profile:

After you've actived your account, you should proceed to personalise it a bit. Add a profile photo if AirBnb didn't do it automatically, and give yourself a little description. Hosts are far more likely to rent to people who have a legitimate profile. To assist with promoting legitimacy, AirBnb will promt you to verfiy your ID through several easy steps. Although goofy, the example below can point you in the right direction. You can always edit your profile by clicking your name in the site header, and then clicking 'edit profile', as you can see below. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Navigating 

Now that you've got your account and profile sorted, you're ready to start browsing the site. Using the Airbnb interface can be a little tricky at first, but the more you play around with it, the easier it'll become. When you're logged in, go to the homepage and enter a destination. After pressing 'search', you'll be brought forward to the interactive map, centered on the location you searched for. As you can see below, the most fundamental search filters on the interactive map are the 'price range' bar, and 'room type'. You can spread out the listing locations on the map by zooming in. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is easy to understand how the 'room type' filter works. If you want to rent out a whole house or apartment, you should check the 'entire home' box. As shown, you can also filter out listings by private room, shared room, or all three. The filter directly affects which listings get displayed on your interactive map. You can find out more about specific listings by clicking the listing picture on, or left of the map. Upon opening an individual listing, you'll be brought to it's profile. From the listing profile, you can message the host, view their profile and ratings/reviews, or make a booking. Listings with a lighning symbol next to the price can be booked instantly.  Hosts with a medallion icon are 'superhosts', and constantly receive suberb feedback.

 

booking

So, you've found a listing? Before you commit to either 'booking', or 'requesting to book', there are a few things that you should be attentive to:

 

       Reviews and Ratings

It is an easy process to recognise hosts who are reliable  from those who are not. Scroll down a listing page and have a read of the reviews that previous travellers have left about the listing. Make sure that the reviews you read on a listing are left by people who have verified ID's, and who too have positive reviews left by hosts on their profile. 
 

       Currency
If you don't pay for the accommodation in the local currency, AirBnb will charge a modest conversion fee, which you can see listed on your account statement.

      Amenities 

Check the amenities section on the listing page to make sure the lodging is really what you're looking for. For example, if you're renting a car, you'll need to check the amenities list for the 'free onsite parking'. Some other important amenities can include wifi, kitchen, wheelchair accessibile, etc...

 

approaching hosts

When you request to book a listing, you should send a message along with the request, to outline who you are and why you like the listing. Airbnb makes it easy for you to do this, as part of the booking process. Make sure that your ID is all verfied (as by the sign-up process). I include a brief summary of my plans for while I'm in the area, because I often get great tips back from the host. Despite the tonal error in textual communication, you should try and seem genuine and friendly in the message. An example of the type of message I'd send to a host would be something like this: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building a reputation

Having good reviews on your Airbnb profile is essential. If prior hosts have given you superb reviews, you're far more likely to have a new host let you stay in their place. To keep your reputation positive, I've summarised my 'three C's': 

 

       Clean

I think the most important factor in buiding a good reputation is leaving the lodging clean. If you bring sand into the place, sweep it up. Don't leave dishes out. Don't leave lights or the TV on. Make sure all the furniture is how you found it. Generally, just leave the lodging how you found it, and you'll be fine. 'Leaving the place clean' is, in my experience, the most common thing a host will review about. It can make the differene between a five star, or a one star review. 

 

       Conditions

Usually, a listing profile will outline any rules or conditions of renting. Being ignorant of, and breaking those conditions is an easy way to lose points on your review. The most common you'll see is "no partying or loud music past", etc.. 

 

       Communication 

If a host messages you, you should always reply, even if it is just to acknowledge that you got the message. Hosts commonly mention your commuicative skills in reviews, and it is such an easy way to get positively recognised. It is also important to try and write without grammatical or spelling errors. In saying that though, it is a travel platform, so I don't think formal writing is as important as consistent communication. 

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