To AirBNB Or Not To AirBNB

To BNB Or Not To BNB
by Rob Cottignies

I have promoted staying in hostels over hotels, though hostels were certainly not the winners in each case.

Hostels aren’t for everyone, with shared bathrooms and sleeping quarters, among other reasons. People who are admittedly less-adventurous would like their own space on their own terms.

That's where AirBNB comes in.

AirBNB started in 2008 as a middle alternative between hostels and hotels. The locations are great, the cost is mid-range, and though sometimes you'll have to share a bathroom, you'll almost always get your own sleeping space.

How AirBNB works

Say you'd like to stay in Toronto near the Rogers Centre where the Blue Jays play because you enjoy baseball for some ungodly reason. AirBNB works like a hotel website in that you type in Toronto and your travel dates to get a map of available places. You can zoom in near the Rogers Centre to see properties' prices, pictures, and descriptions by the hosts.

Each home on AirBNB is run by a host or two instead of a corporation, though I'm sure the latter exists on some level. You can read reviews about the host(s) and property written by other travelers and make your decision from there.

If it sounds good, request the booking. Write the host(s) a short note on who you are and why you're traveling to that area. (Some hosts will not accept guests who have not used AirBNB before, so look for that in their description.) After consideration, they will probably accept your request if you don't seem like too much of a maniac. From then, you can contact your host(s) to confirm details and ask any questions you might have, such as good breakfast places in the area or if the bathroom comes with amenities. Most hosts are locals and (in my experience) happy to help with your trip.

As stated above, some hosts will not accept certain guests for various reasons. I recently had a female host who would not accept single male travelers unless her cousin was also there because of what she described as "a horrible incident".

AirBNB came under attack recently because some hosts denied candidates based on their skin color, sexual orientation, or other discriminatory reasons. While I disagree with the bias, I think it's the right of the host to deny anyone they'd wish. It's their home, whether they live there or not. Would you want somebody who made you uncomfortable living in your home for several days?

My experiences

I've been lucky enough to only have positive experiences with AirBNB, except for a cancellation the night before a stay. (Yes, that can happen, finding a new place to stay was easy with the app.)

I have used the service as a solo traveler and with friends, both in American locations and abroad. I've had an entire apartment, shared living space with the host, and even one that was like a hostel because of bunk beds and a common bathroom. But everything was written in the places' descriptions so I knew what was waiting for me.

The check-in processes have been easy and the only tricky part has been finding some of the properties because they're not labeled. (They are private houses and apartments, after all.) I've had access to a kitchen during each stay, which was nice for the cook-and-eat-at-home option, like at a hostel.

As can be expected, some hosts are more welcoming than others. I've had experiences from a personal greeting to getting a key from a lockbox and never meeting the host. Many hosts leave a list of local recommendations in various categories (sights, places to eat, convenience stores, etc.) but everyone has at least left a map so I could find things more easily.

Some hosts clearly only do AirBNB for the money but many are also travelers who set up their properties like ones they'd want to stay at in an unfamiliar place.

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Try AirBNB during your next trip, whether it's a few days in a major city or a week in farmland. You'll be able to choose exactly the type of place you'd like to stay at and probably get good, local advice you'd never get at a hotel. Hostels do offer similar advice but with AirBNB, you won't have to worry about people snoring in a 12-person bedroom.

Laying somewhere between hostels and hotels, AirBNB is a great alternative to get the best of both at a reasonable price. It's like "glamping", only it's not the most obnoxious thing I've ever heard of.

For the truly adventurous, try Couchsurfing!

Disclaimer: I specifically discussed AirBNB in this article because I've not yet utilized similar services, such as HomeAway.com. But I've heard good things!