Find Your Perfect Airbnb

Short-term rental properties are a great alternative to hotels, especially since services like Airbnb allow you to search through a wide array of budget-friendly and unique places. But with so many options, how do you pick just one?

Before you begin your search, it’s important to figure out how much money you have to spend. Fortunately, your lodging budget is calculated for you when you create a trip with Travelbank.

Narrow in on Your Ideal Location

After you’ve inputted your destination and travel dates, you’ll want to identify your ideal lodging location. This is going to be dependent on your personal needs and preferences.

Consider your proximity to public transportation, food or your workplace, whether that is a convention center or the office. To maximize your stay, you may also want to place yourself close to a city park or popular sites.

With your needs in mind, ask local friends or coworkers where they’d recommend staying. You could also use Airbnb city guides or conduct a quick Google search for neighborhood guides. If access to your workplace takes precedence for you, look at a metro map or find the location of your meetings.

Comb Through the Rentals Reviews

Once you’ve narrowed in on a few ideal neighborhoods, start combing through the rental reviews. Don’t waste time reading a listing with bad reviews. If there are no reviews, check the owner’s profile to see if they offer other properties with positive reviews. Personally, I won’t book a rental without reviews unless I can contact the owner directly and clear up any questions I have.

Reviews are a great way to set expectations and decide whether a rental place is worth inquiring about. And it shouldn’t take much time since you’ve already defined your ideal location.

Understand the Amenities

There are perks to staying in a rental, like access to a kitchen, washer and dryer. To ensure a rental with positive reviews is the perfect place for you, read through the listing to understand the amenities.

Are you getting the whole place to yourself or renting a private room? A listing my say it sleeps three guests, but check to see where those guests are expected to sleep. Is it a real bed or a sleeper sofa? If you find a rental you like that comfortably sleeps more than one guest, consider splitting the space with a coworker or bring your spouse or a friend along to cut down on the cost.

You may also want to consider looking for specific amenities based on your destination. For example, look for central air conditioning when booking a historic home in a hot destination like New Orleans or Charleston.

Get to Know the Terms and Conditions

Before booking your rental, make sure to read the whole listing so you understand what is expected. This can vary from owner to owner. If you have any outstanding questions, reach out and send a message to the owner through Airbnb’s messaging system.