Big picture: why people love Airbnb and how it works

Staying in a hotel is no longer trendy. Travelers increasingly rent housing from local residents using Airbnb. What is this service and what are its pros and cons, we tell you today.

What can you do on Airbnb?Book rooms, apartments, houses or unique housing, like igloos and river boatsHostyour property and introduce guests to your favorite city spotsNegotiatefor tours and walkson foot, by bicycle, or on a yacht

Loft in the center of Los Angeles with a jacuzzi on the roof (from 7,390 rubles/night)

How to book accommodation for vacation? Register on the site using Facebook, Google or email and fill in your personal information. On the main page enter search parameters: city, travel dates, number of travelers. Choose a preferred option and go to its page for more details. Booking conditions, photos, additional costs — all of it matters. If you have questions, use the "contact host" feature. If everything is okay, you can book the accommodation. Payment requires a bank card or PayPal payment system. Money will only be deducted after the host confirms the booking. Yay! All that's left is to pack your suitcase.

Apartment with three bedrooms in the heart of Barcelona (from 26,546 rubles/night)

THIS IS INTERESTING!

The offices of the Airbnb internet service for renting homes and apartments have always stood out with their unusual design. But after the company opened its new headquarters in Portland, Oregon, we were finally convinced that Airbnb loves and knows how to surprise. There are no individual desks here, but each employee chooses where and how they want to work — alone or in an open space, at a table or by a window with an amazing city panorama. Take a look at how the Airbnb headquarters in the USA looks.

Can you save money when booking?

It's most beneficial to register if someone from your circle sent you an invitation link. By clicking the affiliate link, you'll receive a $20 bonus that you can spend on your first trip. A small thing, but nice to have!

Pay attention to the booking calendar. Sometimes hosts set different prices for weekdays, weekends and national holidays. It might be more profitable to shift your arrival by one or two days.

Check the total cost of rent for the entire trip period. The price shown in the photo is the initial rate per day. First, Airbnb takes a small commission for its services. Second, the host may add a cleaning fee.

Here you can stay for less than 2,000 rubles per night:

• A room in a medieval house 85 km from Prague (from 1,038 rubles/night)
• A whole floor in a house near Piraeus, Greece (from 1,097 rubles/night)
• A studio apartment in Skopje, Croatia (from 1,689 rubles/night)
• A small flat in Prague (from 1,564 rubles/night)
• A room in a historic house in Istanbul (from 1,940 rubles/night)
• A spacious room in Bratislava (from 1,450 rubles/night)

How to avoid mistakes in choosing accommodation?

1. Find suitable options on the map: to do this, check the "map binding" box and zoom in on the desired areas. If you plan to walk around the city center and main attractions, it's better to choose accommodation in the city center. Yes, it may cost a bit more. But imagine how much money you would spend on public transport if you lived in a flat in the suburbs.

2. Read the accommodation description carefully. How many rooms and beds, what facilities are available: kitchen, bathroom, internet, heating — the latter is especially important in winter in Europe. Don't know the language? Use the built-in translator.

3. Look at the apartment or house photos again. Sometimes they are blurry or too large, making it hard to understand the layout and size. Choose options where good photos are taken and there are many of them. A new section called Airbnb Plus has also appeared on the site, where places that have been verified by the service for comfort and convenience are collected.

Duplex with a patio in Lisbon (from 4,437 rubles/night)

4. Read reviews from previous tourists. You almost always learn more about the property from them than from its description — especially about flaws. If there are no reviews for the apartment, it may be newly rented out. If the host has been registered for a long time but there are no reviews, close the page — most likely, the host does not respond or the apartment doesn’t exist.

5. If something goes wrong: the host canceled your booking after payment, didn’t provide access to the booked accommodation, the apartment in reality doesn't match its description or is unsafe — contact the Airbnb Help Center for compensation. The service will refund the money or make every effort to find you new accommodation.

Loft on the roof in Mexico City (from 4,471 ruble/night)

Want something unusual? Bamboo hut among rice fields in Ubud. Romance (from 4,037 rubles/night) Trailer located on the Sierra de las Nieves mountain range in southern Spain (from 9,091 rubles/night) Snow igloo in Lapland. Northern lights included (from 9,455 rubles/night) Wiltshire Castle in Ireland. Just 73,000 rubles for the night. But what a night that will be! An old mill converted into apartments. In a quiet village in Kent (from 14,382 rubles/night) Not a house in the Netherlands but a Rubik’s cube of some kind. But fun (from 9,780 rubles/night)

What are Airbnb's benefits?

You can find cheaper accommodation than hotel rooms. Or the same price but significantly more comfortable — with a kitchen, washing machine and refrigerator.

There's a chance to live in a great interior, which you can’t afford at home. Not everyone has 4-meter-high ceilings or a terrace with an ocean view.

It’s easy to feel at home abroad: preparing your favorite breakfast, shopping for groceries in local stores, greeting neighbors.

Atmospheric guesthouse in Venice (from 9,812 rubles/night)

Are there any drawbacks?

The accommodation on-site might be worse than it appeared in the photos, some equipment may be broken or not working. But you're not protected from this in a hotel either.

And yes, nobody will change the bed linen and clean daily. But let's be honest, do you do that at home?

Small apartment with two bedrooms in Suzhou (from 4,563 rubles/night)

THIS IS INTERESTING!

Russian designer Polina Anikeeva received an unusual project: she had to redesign a flat in the shortest time possible (3–7 days) and with minimal budget for Airbnb rental.

The designer limited herself to cosmetic repairs and choosing interesting decor. The existing interior of the flat was used as a base — vintage and antique furniture. It turned out original!

Another 6 interiors you'll like

• Art-deco loft in Cape Town. For such windows and views, you could give up a lot (from 17,380 rubles/night)
• Cozy attic with a sunny terrace in Milan (from 12,364 rubles/night)
• Minimalist studio with a pool. Not just with a view — but to the Acropolis (from 8,000 rubles/night)
• 18th-century hunting lodge in the heart of Lisbon (from 14,546 rubles/night)
• Restored apartment in a French medieval village. Here history comes alive (from 16,000 rubles/night)
• Scandinavian modern in a large house in Malibu (from 18,321 ruble/night)