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When going out of town, I love staying at AirBnBs. If you’re not familiar with it, AirBnB is a website/smart phone app that allows people to put their homes up as a vacation rental property. Property types can be all sorts of types of places, from a tent in someone’s back yard (not kidding) to a special palace in the Hamptons.

If you’re looking for cheap travel, affordable places to stay, and great deals on accommodations, booking an AirBnB is definitely the way to go!

In looking at AirBnB, there’s something for everyone, but you do have to know what you’re looking for. You see, I’ve stayed in some crappy places before and I’ve stayed in some absolute gems – you just how to know how to spot a good place when you see it.

This blog post is going to do just that. Here you’ll see examples of a few of my favorite places and learn my tips and tricks to picking the perfect place for your trip!

Availability

First and foremost, the search tool is your friend. The very first limiting factor you should incorporate is your dates of travel. The worst thing ever is finding the perfect place and then realizing they’re already booked for when you’d like to be there. Bummer!

Number of Beds

Not only should you make sure everyone has a bed, but also if the size of the bed is important to you. For instance, my husband is a big guy, so king size beds are pretty the standard for us when we travel. The site actually has the sizes of the beds provided in each listing, so pay attention to that part if it’s important to you! A “bed” does not automatically mean a double or queen – it could mean a bunk bed, twin size, or air mattress – so look for that bed description section.

Location

AirBnB doesn’t show you exact addresses of homes (for safety reasons), but they do show you a general neighborhood of where the home will be. But if you want to be close to a certain theme park, zoo, festival, etc., the listing should have that information available – and if not, just message the host and they’ll be glad to answer your questions!

Amenities

Wifi. Air Conditioning. Indoor plumbing. If these things are important to you, make sure to click the checkbox next to them in the search section. Last summer I was looking at places and found the cutest cabin only to realize that the cute little cabin didn’t have running water in it – our family would have had to go into the homeowners’ own home at a scheduled time in order to use the bathroom, take a shower, etc. No thanks!

If you’d like to be able to cook or do laundry at your rental property, make sure to look into those as well. Everything is listed. One note: if a place says they have a kitchen, it does not automatically mean they have a fully stocked kitchen – i.e., pots, pans, dishes, etc. So be sure to message the host and see what’s available so you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Reviews

Last but certainly not least, it’s important to read those reviews. The reviews will tell you how attentive the host is, how clean the place really is, and the overall likeability of it. Of course, take it with a grain of salt – some people have super high expectations and are overly critical and some people have no expectations and are happy with anything. Use your best judgement. But if more than one review says something, you can pretty much bet that’s how it’s going to be during your stay as well.

Are you ready to try AirBnB for yourself? Sign up with my link and you will get up to $55 off your first trip! Go here to check it out.

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