Imagine your perfect vacation. It's somewhere you have wanted to visit for years, and you've finally saved up enough money to travel there. It'll cost you thousands of dollars that you're hesitantly ready to part with. You're sure everything is going to turn out perfectly, but when you get there, you realize that's not the case.
Maybe your hotel is under construction, or you have loud neighbors that you have no idea how to interact with, or maybe it's just plain dirty.
On top of that, you have to blow even more money on transportation. You have no idea what it's like to actually live on a daily basis where you travel, and now you are stuck wasting time wondering what you should explore, and more importantly, how to do so.
Well, there's a way to get around all of those issues. I'm sure you've seen the commercials, or maybe you've seen Kendall Jenner advertise it on her Instagram, but there's a company called Airbnb that allows you to book vacation homes with host families in any of (currently) 191 countries, and it's extremely easy to use.
All you have to do is go to their website and create an account. You can log in through Facebook. Then you just type in your destination, the dates that you need to stay, and voila. A variety of options will appear on your screen of places where you will live with a host for your stay.
One of the biggest pluses of Airbnb is that staying with a host family is usually cheaper than staying in a hotel. In my experience, I paid less for two nights at my host's house than I would have for one night at a hotel. Plus, my hosts provided free passes to local attractions, some food, and they were able to show us around to the city's hot spots. It was fantastic.
The hosts are reviewed on their Airbnb profile so that you are able to see what others thought of their stay with them. If the only thing holding you back from staying with a host family is your trust issues, this is the perfect website to use.
Honestly, my fear of being murdered was holding me back, but when there are so many precautions being made on Airbnb's end, there was really no need to worry. The website is very down-to-earth and so are its users. It's filled with normal people wanting to help normal people. I can tell you it felt like I was visiting family when I visited my hosts.
Read the reviews, and take time deciding who you want to shack up with for your stay. If you want a family visit-type stay, you'll be able to figure it out through the reviews. If you want someone who will completely leave you alone, you will find that as well. The Airbnb marketplace has something for everyone.
So really, take a look at some of the 1.5 million listings on Airbnb when you're planning your next trip. It's cheap on your wallet, but rich in experience. With Airbnb, you don't just visit the place of your dreams, you live there.
*Disclaimer: I was not paid by Airbnb to write this article, I was honestly just that impressed with my whole experience.
