Airbnb has been a game-changer for us. The cost of Airbnb is a win straight up!

Here you can book accommodation at the click of a button and stay somewhere comfortable, well located and often including all the amenities you’re used to at home.

In our experience, prices are often cheaper than a hotel or hostel too. There are so many reasons why you should use Airbnb when you travel.

Here are 11 reasons why you should use Airbnb when you travel

1. A Local Experience

Booking a room or even an entire place on Airbnb gives you the opportunity to stay in the centre or a local neighbourhood. This allows you to gain a better insight into a new culture. We love to stay with female hosts when we travel. It’s the perfect way to see your destination from a real locals’ perspective and see how they really live.

You will have access to local restaurants and cafes, perhaps some beautiful parks to relax and often the host will tell you or leave you details of their favourite places to have a coffee or get a bite to eat.

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Booking.com is an easy-to-use search engine. It offers the best selection of accommodation available all over the world. We find they offer the lowest prices and no fees. Our Tip: Search by price, and filter by best reviews.

2. The cost of Airbnb is much more affordable than you may believe

Airbnb rentals are for everybody. Whether you’re looking for a place to book for one night, one week or somewhere to stay long-term, there are countless options. The places to stay can range from a tent, a private room in a home, an entire apartment or house to yourself or a luxury villa with staff included in the rate.

The website has filters that make it easy to find the right place for you without having to scroll through irrelevant results. You can filter the results by price range, what kind of accommodation you require (entire place to yourself or happy enough with a private room) and if the place has a kitchen you can use, wifi internet or laundry facilities.

The low cost of Airbnb is a huge reason why you should use Airbnb to travel.

3. Privacy

Let’s be completely honest here. We’ve been travelling the world for over fifteen years and we’ve stayed in our fair share of hostels over this time. Hostels are great for meeting people, sourcing local information and finding others to share an experience, but they can also be party central.

We don’t want to party all night and listen to the rooftop bar pounding till the early hours of the morning anymore. What I’m trying to say is that we appreciate our privacy these days and having somewhere quiet to return after a busy day of exploring is important to us.

RELATED POST – Our Best Travel Tips from Over 15 Years of Travel

4. So much choice

All Airbnb listings are different. It feels like there are no set rules as to what space can be listed on this platform. We believe this is what makes it so unique.

Want to stay in an old castle, a Mongolian yurt, a treehouse, a beach bungalow, a boathouse or a chic city apartment on the top floor of a high-rise in New York City? You can bet on it that you’ll find a cool and unique space to stay on Airbnb.

For the cost of Airbnb properties allowing you to stay in so many cool places, this is a big pro for why you should use Airbnb to travel.

5. It feels like home

Many Airbnb rentals we have stayed in around the world have left us with that ‘home away from home’ feeling. As a long-term traveller, sometimes it’s the small things that count.

Things such as the smell of fresh laundry hanging in the living room or the ability to make a hot cup of tea and chill on a comfy couch and watch Netflix for an afternoon. Many Airbnb hosts take great care to add those homey touches to their rentals, so you can feel at home in that space.

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6. Your own kitchen to cater for yourself

This is our favourite thing about booking a place on Airbnb! We’re always on the road travelling, therefore we’re not always in control of our diets. Whenever we have the chance to book a place with a kitchen, we’ll take it.

We love to visit local markets in new countries and then return to our Airbnb to cook a nice meal or prepare fresh salads. The cost of Airbnb compared to say a hotel room pays for itself when you have all the amenities of a kitchen right there. Just like this apartment, we rented it for a week when we visited Seychelles on a budget.

If you’re travelling with a family, having access to a kitchen is crucial, not to mention you’ll save a heap of cash on eating out.

7. It’s perfect for small groups

Travelling with friends, family, as a couple or even with your colleagues? You can rent an entire apartment, house or villa on Airbnb. It sure beats booking multiple hotel rooms individually and you’ll still have privacy when you need it.

In addition to this, you’ll split the cost of the rental between the group, saving you extra cash to eat out or spend as you please.

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8. Airbnb has got you covered

It’s understandable why some people are uncomfortable booking an Airbnb rental from someone they don’t know. In the beginning, we were a little apprehensive too. For peace of mind, know that Airbnb has policies in place to offer protection when things don’t always go to plan.

• Secure Payment Platform: When you set up your profile, you will be required to add your preferred credit/debit card payment to your profile. When you do make a reservation, your bank details are not shared with the host, rather Airbnb takes care of the entire booking process using secure payment encryption. The host doesn’t receive payment for your stay until 24 hours after the date of your arrival.

• Reviews: The reviews on a property are what we largely base our decision to book an Airbnb. We also like to book with Superhosts, which means the host is very popular, knows what they’re doing and has consistently positive reviews. Past visitor reviews are the best way to get a good vibe for a listing and to learn more about the reputation of the host. The review process is also reliable because neither guest nor host can see each other’s review until both reviews have been posted. It shows any negative reviews on both host and guest profiles also, and the platform doesn’t allow you to remove these once posted.
• Verified IDs: A host is required to verify themselves by providing identification to Airbnb.
• Messaging: You can message a host with any questions about their listing prior to making a reservation. A good host will respond to you within 24 hours.
• 24/7 Customer Support: Airbnb has a 24/7 hotline. You can call them or online chat to them anytime if you’re experiencing a problem with your Airbnb stay.

Read more about security features on Airbnb here.

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9. The extra stuff you get

There are always exciting add-ons to discover when searching for a place on Airbnb. Once you’ve filtered down the cost of Airbnb for your destination, you can then start to search other filters. Some listings have a gym or even a pool/sauna included in the rental.

Many hosts offer a fantastic breakfast each morning which is included in the rate or have additional options to pay a small fee to join a home-cooked meal in the evening too.

From our experience, if you get the chance to book a space that has local food on offer, always take it.

Enjoying local home-cooked meals is often the best food you’ll taste in many countries.

10. Here’s your $48 discount code for Airbnb

We want you to use Airbnb when you travel, so we’re giving you a US$48 discount.

CLICK HERE to claim your discount code.

11. Earn money and become a host yourself

If you travel a lot and you’ve got an apartment/house or spare room at home, maybe you should become a host? Why not list your place on Airbnb and earn some extra income?

Don’t think it would work because you’re not around to check in/out guests? No problem, you can hire ‘a host’ to manage the place on your behalf. They’d receive a percentage of the income you earn for their service while you’re away.

Becoming a host is easy, simply click here and you can easily sign up.

Airbnb will guide you through the easy steps of listing your property. Once you’re done, you’ll be able to earn an income from Airbnb.

They’ll even give you an idea as to how much you can list your property/room for and how much you can expect to earn per night, per week, and per month.

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Have we convinced you as to why you should use Airbnb to travel in the future?

It’s clear that we really love the flexibility and freedom that Airbnb offers – we hope you will enjoy it too.

More Travel Tips

We have so many tips to help you travel more!

These 21 cheapest countries to visit will help you stretch your hard-earned dollars further.

Read our top 6 travel hacks to save money and the 20 best travel apps to make travel easier! 

For food lovers, don’t miss our top 10 best countries for foodies. And, if history is your thing, these 30 amazing historical places worldwide will fascinate you!

We have many tips to save money for travel and consider these 20 jobs that PAY YOU to travel the world to help you travel longer.

If you become a trusted housesitter, you can also get FREE accommodation worldwide. Read more about how this works.

Check out our ultimate packing list for travellers, and remember to pack travel insurance! We recommend these two travel insurance companies for excellent coverage.

Our 12 essential tips for safe travel in any country are worth a read. 

You’ll need to stay connected while travelling the world. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View eSIMs for individual countries, or consider a Global eSIM if you travel to multiple countries or regions. This eSIM connects you in 124 countries, offering data-only eSIM and data/call/text eSIM.

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If you want to travel with like-minded travellers, consider joining a group tour.

Check our Group Tours first for any upcoming trips you may be interested to join, or view these deals on worldwide group tours with Tourradar.

Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.