It’s a dream of mine to visit every country in the world. A few years ago, when I was trying to decide where to visit, Oceania – the only inhabited continent I had yet to visit – seemed like an obvious choice. So Michael and I made our way Down Under for two magical weeks […]
Traveling stories
Caring for vs. caring about
When it comes to furnishing spaces, many hosts believe that simpler is better. Fewer decorations, Ikea-style furniture, and the like. There are certainly advantages to this approach. Fewer things to dust, no sentimental items in danger of being broken or stolen. But not everyone shares this perspective. One of the bookings we made on our […]
How not to get a good review
I recently stayed in an Airbnb in New York City. It was a pretty decent place to stay – aside from the giant signs right outside telling me that it was illegal to rent on Airbnb in the city. But after I checked out, I got a message from the host that made me extremely […]
Common courtesy – tell guests if other people are going to be there
There are 3 kinds of listings on Airbnb. The first is a shared room, which honestly I’ve never met anyone who has used. The second is a private room in a shared space, and the third is a full private space. A full private unit is pretty self-explanatory. With a private room in a shared […]
Be careful how you describe your listings
Last month I stayed in a room that was described as such: “the room is quite large by the standards of the city.” Well that’s great, but in reality the room was barely big enough to fit a queen-sized bed in it. I had to shuffle sideways around all 3 sides of the bed that […]