I am a fan of staying in Airbnbs. I really am. We have traveled all over the world using Airbnbs (by the way, Airbnb is not paying me to write this review although I do have affiliate links in here). I am writing this because I believe that Airbnb can help a lot more families go on a family vacation because it makes family accommodation more affordable and comfortable.
For me, Airbnbs are not only more affordable than hotels, but you can find them in really difficult-to-obtain locations. Unlike hotels and motels, each Airbnb is unique- a reflection of the home owner’s personality. Airbnbs may also be able to provide amenities specific to your unique situation, such as a private swimming pool, a kitchen for cooking, or toys for your kid to play with. Now that all travel we do involves bringing our kid with us, I cannot see myself ever going back to an ordinary hotel or motel.
A lot of family and friends have yet to try an Airbnb and after staying in over 30 Airbnbs over the last six years, I now feel experienced enough to share my tips of how to choose a good Airbnb for family vacations.
What is an Airbnb?
An Airbnb stands for ‘air-bed and breakfast’. Its name was based on the founders success in renting out their airbeds in their living room area for travelers who couldn’t afford an expensive San Francisco apartment.
Fast forward to the present, Airbnb is now a thriving online marketplace for owners (“hosts”) to rent out their unused houses, rooms, campervans or living spaces to anyone around the world (“guests”).
As of 2019, it has about 800,000 properties in 90 different countries listed on its website. There are 6 million people a year who book their accommodation using an Airbnb.
What Are Some of the Pros/Advantages of Using Airbnb For Family Vacations?
- Cheaper.
Unlike hotels, Airbnbs are mostly owned by individuals like you and me.
Most hosts have a day job and are looking to make extra income from their unused houses and living spaces. Unlike corporations, there is no middleman nor overhead costs like marketing, staff salaries etc.
People who are really looking for a budget stay can even rent campervans and trailers in beautiful, remote locations.
If you need a place with several beds, an Airbnb will most likely cost you a lot less than a traditional hotel room.
For us, we have often found entire homes with two or three bedrooms for the equivalent cost of a single room in a hotel!
In one of our earlier road trips, we needed two-bedroom options because my mother-in-law was coming on the road trip with us. I compared the price of booking two hotel rooms against the price of two-bedroom homes in Airbnb and found that I could get a two-bedroom home with a KITCHEN and WASHER for the cost of a single hotel room.
Why is it so cheap? Some of the owners of larger homes would prefer that their home be rented out at a cheap price, rather than let it sit empty. They price their big houses to match the prices of smaller homes to compete for guests.
- Better location.
Thanks to Airbnbs, we have been blessed to stay in some really popular and expensive locations.
For example, we managed to find an Airbnb in the middle of Manhattan, New York City! As you can imagine, hotels located in that area are crazy expensive, especially if you are only minutes away from Times Square!
- Choice.
Thanks to the many different hosts who list their houses for rent on Airbnb, you have a great amount of choice when it comes to choosing your holiday accommodation.
Do you want a place that can fit a big family? Or perhaps you need access to a washer and dryer? Or maybe you want to cook during your stay? You just need to apply filters to your search and voila! There are even options to add places with swimming pools, a hot tub and gym to your search.
If money is no object, you can even choose to stay in exotic locations such as private islands, castles or even a treehouse above a rainforest!
- Meet and live like locals.
One of the early reasons why we started using Airbnbs is because we wanted to meet the locals and experience their way of life. We didn’t want to stay in a typical tourist location but we wanted to live among the locals. This not only gave us insight into the local culture but our hosts often had local recommendations of what to see, do and eat. We had such positive experiences with our local hosts that we fell in love with Airbnb after that.
On top of this, when we tell hosts that we are coming with a toddler, they often go out of their way to provide books and toys for our kid to play with. Our toddler loves going on road trips now because she loves discovering new toys to play with! For her, going to a new Airbnb is like visiting a new play house.
- Family-friendly amenities.
A family vacation will always be better in a house than in a hotel room.
When you have young kids, you soon realize that a typical hotel room is insufficient to meet your kid’s needs.
One time, we stayed in a hotel for business travel and it turned out to be a horrible experience for everyone.
A hotel room is too cramp for a kid to run around in and you probably don’t want to let him or her loose screaming down the hotel hallway and bothering other guests. When we were unable to go sightseeing and were forced to remain in the hotel, there was no way that we could keep our kid in the hotel room- we had to find other places to hang out. I was forced to bring my toddler to the ground lobby of the hotel and she roamed around the seating/waiting area, touching stuff she shouldn’t be, and dropping her crayons everywhere.
If you have a baby, those late night fussing and crying episodes might not be well-received either, especially if the hotel room walls are not thick enough to mask the loud crying.
On top of this, we adults really couldn’t relax at all. Our kid had an early bedtime and we had to sit in the dark to allow our kid to fall asleep. We couldn’t turn on the TV or do much except sleep. If we wanted to watch TV, we could only choose channels that would be appropriate for her as we were stuck in the same hotel room.
Contrast this with an Airbnb. Because we have the choice of booking an entire house, there are plenty of living spaces for our kid to play in. In addition, I also always make sure that I choose one that comes with a kitchen, a washer and dryer. In this way, I can cook meals and do our laundry. Even if we choose to eat out, we don’t have to throw away leftovers as I can reheat them later in the microwave.
When you stay in a hotel or motel, you have to pay to use their washer or pay for laundry room service. If your Airbnb comes with a washer and dryer, there is no extra charge, and you can use it whenever you want. This is amazingly helpful when you have a kid who creates a ton of laundry.
- Free add-ons.
How many of you like free add-ons? Good Airbnb owners go out of their way to provide welcome snacks for their guests. We have been pleasantly surprised to find pretzels, muesli bars, nuts, chocolate, eggs, milk, sodas, bottled water, coffee, tea, instant noodles, popcorn, fruit and cookies waiting for us upon our arrival. One Airbnb owner even baked fresh banana bread.
Not only do good Airbnb owners provide welcome snacks, but some will provide cooking spices and simple breakfast foods. We have even been in an Airbnb where soup and frozen vegetables were provided.
After a long day of travel, we cannot tell you how grateful we are that we can sit down for a snack before unpacking.
Of course, some hotels and motels come with free breakfast. However, many of these breakfasts have time limitations. Most of them start at 7am and finish by 10 or 11am. You can’t sleep in if you want to make those breakfasts!
Other free add-ons that we have found in an Airbnb include Netflix, Hulu and Roku subscriptions on TV, WiFi, DVDs, board games, books and magazines, bicycles, an exercise machine and even kayaks for guests to use!
- Parking.
One common problem that I find with hotels is that there are no free parking options. You may get discounted parking as a hotel guest but it still all adds up if you are staying there for more than a few days.
When I hunt for an Airbnb for a road trip, I always check that there is free parking provided. Sometimes, there is only street parking but we are fine with that. Not having to pay for parking also makes family vacations much more affordable.
- Exciting accommodation adventure.
Another reason why we always choose an Airbnb for family vacations is that moving into a new Airbnb is an adventure on its own.
Unlike generic hotel and motel rooms, moving into a new Airbnb is always a fun experience. Our toddler loves going into all the rooms and looking around and discovering new things to play with. I love observing how others live, the books they read and their choice of decorating style.
An added educational bonus is that I believe that our toddler will grow up to be very comfortable in new living environments because she is being exposed to them in each new Airbnb.
What Are Some of the Negatives/Disadvantages of Using Airbnb For Family Vacations?
- Safety.
Now this is an important biggie, especially when you are travelling with family.
Unlike hotels and motels, home owners don’t have to comply with the same amount of safety regulations as businesses. This means that Airbnb properties are often not subject to the same amount of safety scrutiny as hotels and motels.
Nevertheless, Airbnb hosts are required to list whether their properties have fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors. Of course, it is up to the Airbnb owners themselves to ensure that these are checked and maintained regularly.
Another safety concern that is common for Airbnb guests are privacy concerns. As technology advances, hidden cameras are becoming increasingly cheap and easy to obtain. This concern is not unique to Airbnb though, as hidden cameras can be placed anywhere, including hotel and motel rooms.
Our response to the above is to make our own safety precautions. We ensure that we only stay in Airbnbs that have good ratings (explained further below in this article). A place that is not well-maintained is less likely to have good ratings. You can also make sure that the Airbnb that you select does indeed state have fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. On top of this, you can also purchase travel insurance.
We also intend to invest in a hidden camera detector which we can use if we ever feel unsafe.
- Misrepresentation.
Another problem that exists for Airbnb is when a place does not live up to your expectations. Airbnb hosts are in charge of advertising and writing descriptions for their rentals. This means that photos can be doctored, or descriptions misleading.
One way to combat this problem is to only choose to stay in Airbnbs that have many glowing reviews and high ratings.
I myself have made the mistake of booking an Airbnb that did not have many high ratings and we understood why after we arrived. The placed turned out to be very old and felt more like a trailer park than a proper house.
However, this ‘problem’ has also turned out to be a benefit to us on many occasions. Since many Airbnb owners are not professional photographers, they often don’t know how to take the best photos to present their places in the best way. We have often arrived at a place to be pleasantly surprised to find how much lovelier a place it turned out to be.
- Uncertainty.
One positive trait of hotels are that they have particular standards of quality, service and style that they adhere to. (However, in my opinion, this also makes them generic and boring). But it’s undeniable that if you don’t want the stress (and excitement) of adjusting to a new Airbnb, then a hotel may be better for you.
In an Airbnb, you have to stay flexible and sometimes, quickly adapt to the living environment.
- Cancellation policy.
Hotel cancellation policies vary but most of them will provide you with a full refund if you cancel between 24 to 74 hours prior to check-in. Airbnb cancellation policies also vary but some of them can end up being stricter than hotel cancellation policies.
Some luxury, popular Airbnb rentals only provide a 50% refund for cancellation 60 days prior to check-in.
However, for most Airbnb rentals, the cancellation policies range between 24 hours to 14 days prior to check-in (minus service fees).
It is important to note that since Airbnb considers your booking payment as a lump sum, a 50% refund applies to your entire payment, not just the first night’s stay.
This means that if you are not sure about your family vacation travel plans and you may have to change your dates or cancel, you potentially stand to lose a lot more money when booking through Airbnb.
If you have uncertainty about your travel plans, then Airbnb may not be a good fit.
- Leave the place tidy.
Most Airbnb hosts won’t require you to clean up after yourself but if you want to maintain a good profile on Airbnb (yup, the hosts can review you too!), then I strongly suggest that you leave the place decent and tidy.
This doesn’t mean that you have to vacuum, but you should try to wash your own dishes and put everything back in place. We have received perfect reviews so far and my motto is to leave the place the way that we found it (or as close to it as possible). For example, it doesn’t take a lot of time to wipe up your own messes and put the cushions that you left on the floor back on the couch.
Some people forget that an Airbnb is not a hotel, it is often someone’s home. Just like it would be rude to leave your host’s home in a mess, I go out of my way to ensure that the place looks decent before we leave.
If you are one of those party-types that leaves a place looking like there was a food fight in it, then an Airbnb is probably not suitable for you.
Another important tip is to communicate, communicate, communicate. Hosts often like to know your expected arrival time so that they can get the place cleaned up before your arrival. I also send them a quick text after we have checked-out so that they can start cleaning up for the next guest. If you are unsure about anything, ask. Most hosts go out their way to be helpful.
- Greedy corporates/businesses abusing the system.
One problem that Airbnb and housing authorities are dealing with is the abuse of the Airbnb system. Some greedy commercial or corporate property owners are starting to realize that they can make more money by renting out their rental properties on Airbnb short-term rather than on traditional long-term rental leases. Because of this, they refuse to rent out their properties to non-Airbnb long-term renters.
This creates a housing shortage in some overpopulated cities and affects local residents.
So Airbnb is not a perfect system. It has some problems but in our experience, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.
Are you ready to try it? Let us help you figure out how to use it.
How Does It Work?
You go online to Airbnb and create a profile. You need to provide a photo, verified ID and credit card details.
I would suggest that you choose a decent picture of yourself and create a profile description of yourself that indicates that you would be an ideal guest to have. Don’t lie, but don’t choose a picture of yourself that depicts you on your worst day. Just imagine, if you were looking to rent out your home to a stranger, would you rent it to the person in the picture?
After you have created a profile, you can start booking!
Airbnb charges both you and the host a fee. For guests, this can range between 6% to 12% of the rental cost. Don’t worry, despite these fees, you will find that most Airbnbs are still cheaper than a traditional hotel.
Our Secret Strategies on How To Get A Great Airbnb
- Book as early as you can.
Try to book your Airbnb as early as you can. The good ones with great prices and good ratings are often taken in advance.
By booking early, you will have a lot more choices.
- Add max budget and filters.
After you have confirmed key factors such as location and dates, you should set a maximum budget on your Airbnb search.
You can also add other necessary details into your search such as whether you need the entire place to yourself and how many bedrooms you need. For family vacations, we always book the entire place so that we can have privacy for our kid to run around and be noisy.
You can also add other filters into your search such as whether you need a kitchen, WiFi etc.
- Choose properties with a large number of high ratings.
This tip is extremely important and something that you ignore at great risk.
Only consider booking Airbnb rentals that have a large number of high AND recent ratings. Airbnb are rated on a 5-star scale. The more, the better.
The problem with new rentals with no ratings is that they are untested. Sometimes, this also means that the Airbnb owner hasn’t had any experience with Airbnb guests and this in itself can present problems.
I have experienced insufficiently clear check-in instructions and even been in an Airbnb that stated that it had a kitchen but there were no pots and pans provided for actual cooking. We worked through all these problems fine but the problems would not have occurred if the host was an experienced one.
- Look at pics & read descriptions.
You will probably spend some time looking at the pictures and reading the descriptions of the Airbnb rental. Don’t forget to also look at the amenities listing.
Make sure that the place is suitable for kids. It’s unlikely that it will be completely child-proof but look out for things like whether there will be animals on the property, whether they have a garden to play in etc.
We don’t bring a travel bed for our kid so I always make sure that there will be extra beds provided, a Pack ‘n Play, or a couch that could be transformed into a bed.
- Read as many or even all the reviews.
Airbnb guests often leave public reviews. You should always take the time to read the reviews. Not only do these reviews give you an idea of potential problems, but it also helps you to understand the place a lot more. Some guests even leave tips for future guests.
Take any complaint in the review seriously. Assume that every complaint is legitimate and decide if you can live with it.
This is also one of the reasons why you should choose an Airbnb rental that has had a lot of people stay in it already. These people will provide you with insight into the place through their reviews.
I have discovered that great reviews and ratings do generally correlate with the quality of the Airbnb rental.
- Check cancellation policy.
An important point to consider is their cancellation policy. As mentioned above, the cancellation policies can vary and the money you lose can be substantial if you end up cancelling your vacation plans. For us, I always try to look for a more flexible cancellation policy.
- Look at hosts’ picture and read host profile.
Hopefully by the time you get to this stage, you already have made a decision on which Airbnb rental you want. However, sometimes you may have a few winners and can’t decide between them. At this point, I like to look at the hosts’ picture and profile to see who may be a better fit for us. Although you may not end up meeting your host (especially if your Airbnb rental has a self check-in system), it’s always nice to know that you are staying with someone that you feel that you can get along with.
Some hosts even have more than one listing on Airbnb. In this case, you can also look up their other listings to see if their good ratings have been consistent.
- Introduce yourself.
Once I have decided which Airbnb rental to book, I will make my booking or email the host to ask any other important questions that I may have, such as whether they will have extra bedding for our toddler etc. Most of them will respond promptly with assistance.
- Print out Airbnb rental information.
Once I have made our booking, Airbnb will send me information about my booking. I always save and print out a copy of the information. I make sure that I have the host’s cellphone number, the property’s address, check-in information, the check-in and check-out time, and other important details such as what kind of bed they will be providing for our kid.
And that’s it!
If you have ever felt nervous about using an Airbnb, we hope that this article has helped you to understand it a bit better and provide you with some useful tips as to how to go on a family vacation using Airbnb like we have done!
