Whats up fellow travelers?
Did you just book your first Airbnb?
Or maybe you're a veteran of the website?
I've used Airbnb for almost five years and today we're going to talk about my top tips to improve your experience after you've made your reservation.
Alright before even arriving I would wait til 24 hours prior and then I would reach out to the host for the first time.
Communicating with your host is very important beforehand and I can't stress this enough.
The first question I would ask is the address.
Confirm it. Make sure what's written on airbnb actually is.
Believe me. I've seen confusion with this in the past.
And the next logical question is about transportation.
If you're coming to an airport.
What's the best way to reach your place?
Should I take a taxi?
How much would it cost?
This will give you a ball park figure in case a taxi driver is trying to rip you off.
Or if you're looking the public transportation route. Ask your host are you situated near a bus stop?
Near a subway station? Is it safe to take public transportation to wherever you are?
If your host doesn't bring it up to you in the first e-mail. I would want to know more about the check- in process.
Will he or she be the one that lets you into the apartment?
If so is there a buzzer you have to hit?
Or will the door man let you in?
If it's not your host. Who is going to be checking you in?
If it's a friend or family member could you have their e-mail or phone number in case something goes wrong?
And in many cases nowadays I've seen hosts just leave keys for you.
Make sure you know exactly where the key is.
If it's in a mailbox. What's the mailbox number.
If it's left behind a plant. What kind of plant is it?
And if they do leave a key, make sure you ask if the wi-fi password is already in the apartment.
I've seen this a number of times where you get there, you get into the apartment, you can't find the wi-fi password. And you can't contact anybody.
Alright my next tip. I'm surprised how many people neglect to do this.
Read the house rules on their airbnb profile.
Because a lot of times hosts have certain expectations of you as a guest, for example no louid noise after 11 o'clock.
Or if you could water a plant.
Or maybe if you could feed their pet pirannhas.
I don't know they might have some strange requests, just make sure you read about them before getting into the apartment.
You arrive in the apartment. What's the first thing you should do?
I like to test out the wi-fi right in front of the host.
The password could get me written kind of wonky.
Wonky is that a word.
And if there's any issue with the wi-fi. I want to know right away so we can resolve it.
This next tips important if you like to cook.
Just ask your host about how to use the oven and the stove top.
It's not the same in every country.
For example. In Argentina I always had to light a match inside of the oven to get it to work.
And that's something you never see in the United States.
This next one might not sound to obvious.
But sometimes you need to know how to turn the hot water on.
For example I was in Cusco, Peru and in order to take a hot shower. I had to hit one valve in kitchen. Then in the bathroom turn on another switch.
And then when I was in the shower make sure I didn't touch a wire that was nearby or I could possibly get electrocuted.
True story.
Alright, this next one I forget to do all the time.
It's ask about the keys.
It's good to go with your hosts to the door and just try to open and lock it yourself.
Because if you forget to do this. And you get back late at night. There's not a lot of light out. You might struggle to get into your apartment.
I've had it where it's taken me 5, 10, 15 minutes to figure out a key if I forgot to ask.
So this is a tip you definitely don't want to forget.
Does something smell really bad in the kitchen.
You better know where to throw the garbage out
Make sure to ask your host during check-in is there a certain time of day or certain place you need to put your garbage.
Next up heating or air conditioning.
Just make sure you know how to use them before the host leaves.
Sometimes it's really simple.
Other times it can be a little bit trickier.
Or maybe the host doesn't want you running the air conditioner below a certain level.
Make sure you know this.
This next tip I call the "car rental."
And that means look around the apartment.
Just make sure nothing is out of the ordinary.
I had a host recently accuse me of scratching up a wall.
And i'm positive the scratches were there before we arrived.
Had I have noticed this I would have had a better case.
Alright , last but not least.
Your host is likely somebody that knows the community pretty well.
Ask any relevant questions.
Is there a grocery store nearby?
Are their any nice restaurants or bars you should check out.
Is there a poke gym?
Whatever works for you.
So you've had the best week ever and you're ready to check out.
During your stay if anything goes wrong reach out to your host immediately.
If you break a dish, if something is out of the ordinary. Just be open and honest with your host.
Most of them are great people. And they're not going to hold it against you.
The next thing I would bring up is how to check-out.
Do you need to leave the key somewhere?
With the door man? Does the host want to come over and do some sort of inspection?
Make sure you're clear about what time you're going to be leaving.
Finally before you leave the apartment. Just make sure you take out the garbage, wash the dishes. And make sure the place is in decent shape.
There's nothing worse for a host than coming back to an apartment that's completely trashed.
And it's also going to affect your reference. And make the experience better for everybody.
Alright now it's your turn.
Tell me what you thought about my tips in the comments section below. Or maybe you have something to add to the discussion?
And also look in the description as I'm going to link to my first airbnb video about how to find the perfect place to stay.
Share this video if you found it useful and certainly hit the subscribe button below we've got travel vlogs
travel tips videos coming out weekly aimed at helping you travel smarter.
Thanks for watching.