Airbnb (<– $25 off your first stay!) is, in my humble opinion, by far the greatest travel invention aside from maybe the airplane. Rather than stay in a stuffy hotel, you can stay in unique spaces and connect with people who actually live where you’re traveling. You get the inside scoop, a less expensive abode, and they get to make a little profit. It’s the sharing economy at its finest.
Our first Airbnb experience was in Cape May, NJ at a little guest house owned by Canyon. Yep, Canyon. He makes soap and owns a store. (If you go, check it out!) The whole process was seamless — booking, convos back and forth, check-in and -out, etc.
Next was a small 1-bedroom apartment on the first floor a beautiful 1870s Charlottesville home, walking distance to the pedestrian mall. Steve and I were in town for the half marathon and the owner kindly left us Bodo’s Bagels, Cville’s finest. (Get ’em delivered with OrderUp!) Again, totally easy process and a great place to stay.
Our most recent Airbnb rental was a few weeks ago in Front Royal, VA. We wanted a cabin getaway and booked Zach’s Winterview retreat. It was exactly as described (including the long, steep driveway that was impossible to navigate with snow). After a pretty epic icing and a 180-degree spin while driving down the mountain, Steve and I found ourselves stuck at Winterview. Zach was really easy to reach and had no problem with us staying an extra day while things thawed.
My two favorite things about using Airbnb are the people who you interact with and the lower pricing. Yes, there have been Airbnb horror stories; I won’t pretend that they don’t exist. Fortunately, we’ve been pretty lucky. We only stay in places with a lot of reviews and with moderate cancellation policies in case we feel wary.
We just booked a night in Denver and two in Boulder via Airbnb and are excited to get insiders’ info on their towns while having an inexpensive and cozy place to crash.
Do you Airbnb? If you host via Airbnb, I’d love to hear your experience, too!
RLB Ink. 