Airbnb - Can you really Belong Anywhere?

I’ve noticed over the past few weeks in Australia that Airbnb have really ramped up their advertising. Many people are now staying in houses rather than hotels when traveling for both the experience and the sake of their budget.

So is Airbnb really a good option?

History of Airbnb

Now entering its 7th year of operation Airbnb was founded in San Francisco, the birthplace of many great entrepreneurial innovations. At the time the idea of commercializing the mostly niche practice of strangers ‘house-swapping’ for travel abroad was an interesting idea, and as it turns out a very profitable one.

If you’re new to Airbnb the basic concept is people around the world offer up their homes as short-term accommodation for travelers and tourists to stay in and ‘live like a local.’ This accommodation is provided at a fee set by the home owner, is often more affordable than staying in a hotel and comes with the additional benefits of having the facilities of a fully functioning residence – kitchen, washer/dryer, living area etc.

Today there are millions of places available on the Airbnb site, many of which are enticing, comfortable and affordable. Travelers of all types can find suitable accommodation, whether it’s a large luxury cottage in Ireland or a single bedroom in Spain.

My Airbnb experience

Whilst traveling in 2014 I stayed at Airbnb apartments twice, both of which were in Paris. After traveling for 5 months continuously staying in shared hostel rooms I was ready to enjoy sometime alone time. Notoriously expensive, I was nervous before arriving in Paris that I wasn’t going to be able to find affordable accommodation in hostels let alone a private hotel room, especially as my goal was to stay in the city for a month.

Never having used Airbnb I began talking about my plans and concerns with other travelers and was thrilled to hear nothing but success stories. Others I spoke with had thoroughly enjoyed their Airbnb experiences, even those that stayed in a single bedroom of an already occupied house. So with boosted confidence, I began my Paris accommodation search.

Living on a tight €35 per day including accommodation, my budget was always going to be stretched to stay in Paris for a month. Most hostels I found offered 10 – 12 bed dorm rooms for approximately €30 per night which I thought was expensive for a bed in a less than desirable location. Thankfully Airbnb was an amazing solution.

During my search I was surprised to find a large number of apartments available in great areas of Paris such as Montmartre or the Latin Quarter at similar prices to a hostel dorm room. After signing up to Airbnb with my Facebook account I began to contact owners enquiring about availability and price. I was pleased to discover that as I was staying initially for 2 weeks, a couple of owners were happy to negotiate on price.

After a couple of days and 5 or so enquiries I found an entire apartment in Montmartre on Rue Caulaincourt for €28 per night. Not only was this less expensive than the 12 bed hostel alternative, it was in a great location and included a bathroom, kitchenette and washer/dryer.

Communication between myself and the apartment owner was mainly through email and luckily for me his English was quite good as my French is somewhat lacking. He let me know the availability was due to him holidaying in Southern France for a few weeks and all of his belongings were still in the apartment. We arranged for him to leave the key hidden and I would collect it upon my arrival.

After living in shared dorms for months it’s nice to kick back and relax in a private Airbnb apartment.

Unfortunately the key collection didn’t go quite as smoothly as planned. Upon my arrival at the apartment I couldn’t find the key in its hiding place and discovered that as it was a public holiday in Paris the building manager who’d been made aware of my arrival had himself also gone on holiday. With a phone number to contact the apartment owner but no wi-fi to make my Viber call, I was extremely fortunate to meet another building occupant who was happy to phone the owner on my behalf. After a delay of an hour or so the key was delivered to me and I had comfortable and affordable accommodation for 2 weeks.

Yes it was a little odd living amongst a strangers clothing and personal items, but living as a Parisian in a tiny apartment gave me a fascinating insight into local life.

On my return to Paris a couple of weeks later I again chose to stay in an Airbnb apartment. Again I negotiated with the owner on price and this time discovered the apartment was solely used for tourist purposes so only contained hotel style basics such as bedding, towels and a couple of plates and glasses. Once again the apartment was small but located a fantastic neighbourhood with excellent communication from the owner and fit within my limited budget.

So from my experience I can only say good things about Airbnb. I make sure to read apartment reviews before contacting the owner and would likely not stay in an apartment that has not yet received reviews. With the site becoming larger everyday I fully encourage everyone to give Airbnb a try and decide for yourself if it lives up to the hype.