5 Airbnb Tips I’ve Learned from 100+ Stays (That People Often Miss)
Over my years of travel, I’ve stayed in all kinds of places (hotels, hostels, short-term rentals), but I most often choose Airbnbs. Hostels are great for short trips, but as I prefer slow-travel, they’re not ideal for longer stays. And compared to hotels, Airbnbs usually offer more space and amenities like kitchens for lower prices. I also prefer Airbnbs for their more local feel. In some of my most memorable stays, my hosts welcomed me with warm conversations and local tips that made me feel at home right away.
But unlike hotels, Airbnbs have fewer regulations and less consistent standards, so finding a good one takes more research. For example, hotels are usually more relaxed about cleaning or small mishaps, but Airbnb rules can differ a lot by host. Some hosts just ask you to tidy up before checkout, while others have long lists of house rules and potential fines (see later tip).
After more than a hundred Airbnb stays – from rural RVs to city highrises, and from quick overnights to multi-month stays – I’ve learned many lessons, including hard ones that cost me money. So here, I share the tips that I now follow, many of which are details that people often miss, to make sure that I’m getting what I paid for and to protect myself as a traveler.
🧭 While You Search
🏡 Tip 1: Check the Amenities List
Don’t assume anything — even the “basics” can vary by country or host.
Hosts are obligated to provide amenities that they list explicitly, but not others (source). For example, in many Airbnbs in Latin America, they actually don't provide soap or shampoo unless they explicitly list that they do, when that's often standard in the US. And if you need a hair dryer or cooking utensils for your trip, definitely check before you book.
Additionally, you can also search in the reviews to check the quality and availability of amenities important to you, though reviews on them are not always available. Some common amenities and keywords that people care about:
Internet speed (use keywords internet, wifi): The majority of hosts, if they list wifi as an amenity, do not list the speed.
Laundry availability (use keywords laundry, washing machine, washer, dryer, drying machine): Hosts might list washer or dryer available but not whether it's in-unit or in the building, free or paid.
Natural light (use keywords window, light, sun): Photos might inflate the amount of sunlight in an apartment.
Convenience, like proximity to public transportation or grocery stores (use keywords metro, subway, bus, grocery, convenience, convenient)
Safety of the neighborhood and building (use keywords safe, secure, neighborhood, street, unsafe)
View from one of my favorite Airbnb stays — a small studio in Honolulu that had the window scenery the listing promised.
🔍 Tip 2: Read the Lowest Reviews
The bad reviews can help you understand whether the faults are legitimate, recent enough to impact you, and matter to you.
For example, I recently stayed in an Airbnb with a relatively low 4.20 rating from a handful of reviews. But, looking at the worst review, I saw that it was a complaint about cleanliness from several years ago, seemingly from a misunderstanding. It turned out to be one of my favorite recent stays — super clean, huge space, with all the listed amenities and a responsive host.
On the flip side, the only time I got scammed by an Airbnb listing was one that had a relatively high 4.89 rating and hundreds of reviews — and I saw that the small number of low ratings that this listing got were due to the same scam that I experienced.
📋 Tip 3: Read the Fine Print in House Rules
Hidden fees and penalties could be buried there — knowing them upfront saves stress (and money).
Hosts (oftentimes scammy ones) might bury a giant list of potentially unreasonable rules under that section, and if you're unaware and accidentally violate them, they could use that fine print to charge you. This is especially important if you're traveling to a country whose Airbnbs norms you're unfamiliar with, but I would check that section every time.
If you know these rules before you book, you can decide that you don’t want to deal with them and go for another listing instead. Or, if you decide to book anyways, knowing the rules will protect you later on.
A personal anecdote: That time I got scammed as I mentioned above, it was because the host had a 24-hour deadline for sending passports for identification in the fine print of additional house rules that they did not mention in our communications. (Asking for passports is common in some countries, like Peru where this case was). They then asked for the passports after their own deadline, realized they could not generate building access for us, then used that rule to retroactively deny us access and force us to cancel and eat the cost. Since that experience, I've been especially vigilant about any hidden rules.
I will be writing a post on this particular experience, with learnings and tips including how to get your money back, coming soon – subscribe below if you’d like to get notified when this post comes out!
👤 Tip 4: New Listing? Check the Host’s History
No reviews doesn’t always mean risky — check their other listings for patterns.
The quality of listings for one host tends to stay pretty consistent – i.e. if you check out the listings from one host, they tend to be rated similarly. So, it’s unlikely that a new Airbnb from one host would drastically differ in quality from their established listings.
This is anecdotal, but I believe new Airbnbs are usually cheaper than established ones, maybe because lower prices allow them to get the bookings they need to build credibility. So if you find a new Airbnb with no reviews that you like but are worried about its quality, this tip can help you get a sense of that and help you save money.
🧳 Once You’ve Checked In
📸 Tip 5: Inspect Early and Report Quickly
Do a quick walkthrough as soon as you arrive and take pictures of any unexpected damages — it’s your best protection if something’s off.
The pictures are proof that you did not cause the damages and give you leverage if the host tries to fine you for them. It’s even better to send the images immediately through Airbnb chat to your host. Communicating it through Airbnb preemptively keeps the record in the system if you need Airbnb support to sort things out.
Have these tips helped you?
Let me know in the comments below, and share any other tips you have when booking Airbnbs!
Interested in travel itineraries?
I had a great time in Peru after dealing with the Airbnb scam :) Check out my Lima travel guides for its Miraflores district and Historic Center!
