So far in my travel journeys, I have spent a total of 109 nights at Airbnbs. It seems a little ridiculous. They should honestly hire me because of how much I promote it. Truly, even the “bad” experiences I’ve had, the company has righted.

Make an Airbnb Account  – Use this link to get $40 off your first booking!!

A lot of my girlfriends that I would travel with would sometimes be hesitant about booking an airbnb. “Oh. Well don’t tell my parent’s that’s where we are staying” or “How do you know we won’t be on crime tv or homicide hunters”. I have some dramatic friends. BUT, I get it. You are staying at a random person’s house. It could be essentially as bad as Tinder or Bumble dates. *Eye roll*

Airbnb in Vancouver for Christmas

My advice: Understand what you are booking. Do you want to interact with the host or does that make you uncomfortable? There are options. I tend to filter my search between two:

• Private Room: Usually cheaper, but often share common spaces with other guests or the host. Bathrooms, Kitchen, Living room…
• Entire Place: This is a GREAT option if you max out the capacity of the space and split the cost between friends. This ensures that you have the entire place to yourself and do not interact with the host except for a possible exchange of keys.

When I moved out to Seattle with no furniture I lived in an Airbnb for 3 months that was fully furnished with a fully stocked kitchen and bathroom. I was able to take my time in searching for a place while starting a new job.

If you’re the social type, you can really have a great time and meet some interesting people. Think of it as a hostel if you choose SHARED room. You may share space with somebody else – and it COULD be really cool.

I find Airbnb to be less expensive than hotels in most cases and in the neighborhoods that give you the true local experience. Most hosts include their favorite spots in the area.

In a month I’ll be in Maui staying at an ocean front condo with a pool and hot tub for $125 a night… I mean, come on.

I stayed in Las Vegas last minute for $35 with my own bathroom and room.

Found this gem on Airbnb. Located on a rescue farm in a cute town in Oregon.

Bad Experience: WHAT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. *Drum roll*

My only bad experience so far was when I had my airbnb booked for my Boston trip for an extended weekend and 2 weeks before my trip the host cancelled. Tragic – almost. Airbnb reimbursed me AND gave me additional credit towards a new booking. I ended up in a GREAT location (apparently in the same area where Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen lived at one point – according to my Uber driver) (Not super credible, but I bought it).

Take home message: I will continue to use Airbnb over pretty much any other hotel site. I have never felt unsafe and personally had to upload credible identity documents to be able to book a place.

If you’re still hesitant, try it locally first before going on a trip. And again! Use this link >> HERE << to get $40 off your first booking.