The No-Regrets Guide to Booking Airbnbs the Right Way
You want a stay you’ll actually love. Here’s how to find it.
Too many people book on hope. They hope the photos are honest, hope the neighborhood is fine, hope the host is responsive, and then they find out on arrival. I don’t. I’ve booked hundreds of Airbnbs, I live in them full time, and I own one I rent out myself, so I’ve seen this from both sides. This is the ten-step system I use instead.
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The difference isn’t luck. It’s how you book.
One morning in Saranda, Albania, I sat on a balcony over the Ionian Sea with my coffee. The kitchen was fully stocked, the towels were the softest I’d ever felt in a rental, and the place was equally good for the beach and for wandering into town. That is the whole reason we travel the way we do.
The internet is full of Airbnb horror stories, and after enough of them a lot of us default to the hotel and tell ourselves it’s simpler. But every time that happens, a Saranda passes you by.
So what separates the people having those mornings from the people swearing off Airbnbs forever? It comes down to how they book.
I don’t hope. I verify.
Inside, you’ll learn how to
Ten steps, in the order I actually use them. Most of them take a few minutes.
Start somewhere other than the listings
The first move happens before you open a booking site at all. It’s why a gorgeous apartment never talks me into the wrong part of town.
Read the reviews the way I do
There’s a difference between one person’s preference and a real pattern. And there’s a search box in there that most people never touch.
Read the photos differently
The bathroom, the bedroom, the kitchen and the closets each give something away. One of them is the reason I always look into the mirrors.
Work out what kind of host you have
Two numbers on the profile and one habit in the replies tell you how this would go if anything went wrong. Most of what people judge hosts on doesn’t matter.
The only price that matters
Every platform splits the fees differently, so the nightly rate you’re comparing is close to meaningless. There’s a better number, and it isn’t the one in the search results.
If something does go wrong
There are only a few moves worth knowing. One of them has to happen in a particular order, or the platform can’t help you.
Plus: the address check almost nobody does
Why I book refundable, and the one last pass I make the day the exact address arrives.
“Booking stops being a decision you brace for and becomes one you enjoy.”
Lisa Reidmiller · founder, Ready Jet Roam · hundreds of stays, close to 100 countries, and a host herself
What readers say about the advice
“You already feel like a friend.”
Stace
“You help make people’s travel dreams come true and hopefully prepare them for some of the things to watch out for and plan.”
Maz
“I do love your travel tips and I wish I was following you when my daughter and I went to Europe a couple of years ago.”
Deb, Queensland
Go find your Saranda.
Open the map. Read the reviews. Look into the mirrors. Ask your questions, check the total, book refundable, and confirm the address. Then go.
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- The full ten-step system, start to finish
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