10 Airbnb Tips for Guests: Tools to Book Your Next Stay

As digital nomads who are always on the move, we’ve relied heavily on Airbnb — living in one or two different ones per month. Over the years, we’ve learned some tough lessons and gained plenty of experience booking the perfect Airbnb. From avoiding hidden fees to finding the best deals, we’ve compiled a list of the best Airbnb tips for guests. So whether you’re a first-time user or a seasoned Airbnb traveler, check them out for your next adventure.

1. Rely on the Filters

The Airbnb site is relatively easy to use and one of our favorite parts is the filters provided. You can filter by price range and type of place (either an entire place or a shared room), by the number of bedrooms and amenities, by the cancellation policy, and many others. 

We’re constantly checking for homes that allow dogs and have parking at last nearby. This keeps the options that don’t meet our criteria out of sight, since we know there’s nothing worse than falling in love with a place, only to later realize that it isn’t dog-friendly or way over budget.

2. Use the Map Feature

We have found some of our favorite Airbnbs because we’ve searched directly on the map and not through the list of properties provided. Browsing on the map will give you a better sense of where things are and the costs of a specific spot. You can zoom in a lot, and see all the places in one particular neighborhood, or you can zoom out and get a nice bird’s eye view of the area.

Also, if you’re flexible, you’ll be able to look for properties that are outside of where you initially thought you wanted to stay. This is how we found our gorgeous Airbnb in Mani, Greece. When we got disappointed with the offerings in our price range in Athens, we expanded our search and stumbled upon a perfect stone house, overlooking the oceans and a canyon. We would have never found it had we stuck with the Athens search.

3. Check the Final Price

Some of you might already know this, but the price listed as the price per night on Airbnb is not the final price. In addition, Airbnb charges a service fee and hosts generally also charge a cleaning fee. This second number is pretty arbitrary, so it can fluctuate significantly. This is all to say, don’t just rely on the price per night, but make sure to look at the final price when considering a property. 

Airbnb recently adjusted its system so you can see the final total while doing your search, not just the price per night. However, if you’re looking at properties directly on the map, you won’t be able to see the final one until you click on the property itself.

4. Look Closely at the Photos and Reviews

Two other great things about Airbnb are the photos and the reviews. The photos give you a sense of how much effort people put into their property. We’ll generally forgo those that don’t have a lot of images and will look quite closely at the bathroom, as we’ve found it to be a good indicator of what the rest of the place will look like.

Reviews are also incredibly helpful as many of them tend to be quite detailed. While we generally forget to review hotels, we never forget to review an Airbnb. There’s something about the fact that the host reviews you as well that encourages us to do it. The keyword search in the review section is also quite helpful. We generally use it for properties that have lots of reviews, to see what people might have said about parking or the shower, for example, without having to look through every single one.

We’re often skeptical of staying in places that have zero or almost no reviews. However, if a place looks nice, you can always click on the host’s name, all the way at the bottom, and see if they have any other listings that might have gotten reviewed. Odds are that if one was nice, the other might be too. Or you can also see what other hosts have said about that person if they’ve stayed in other Airbnbs before.

5. Confirm the Essentials in Advance

Even though the filters are handy, it doesn’t mean they are always entirely accurate. For instance, sometimes it will filter as a dog-friendly spot, though in reality they only allow small dogs, or charge an expensive daily fee for the dog. We’ve also had issues with places listed as “self check-in”, meaning that we should have been able to check in on our own without the hosts, but still ended up having to coordinate a time to meet up for the key. 

To avoid this, it’s best to confirm any essential items with the host in advance. This is one of the most important Airbnb tips for guests, as it will help prevent any issues or travel chaos down the line. Additionally, make sure you confirm the arrival and departure times in advance. This is especially important for the arrival times, since some properties have strict restrictions, stating that you cannot arrive past a certain time.

6. Read the Cancellation Policy

Since each property is owned by a different person, cancellation policies vary widely. Some are completely non-refundable once you press book, while others might allow you to cancel all the time or up to a certain date. In our experience, these policies are very strict. 

About a year ago, we had to cancel a house we had rented because we ended up getting Covid. Despite having a pretty good excuse, we still lost all of the money. Unlike hotels which sometimes might be forgiving, we have found Airbnb cancellation policies to be quite rigid. So, when it comes to money-saving Airbnb tips for guests, this is a must: make sure to read the policies, and if there’s any chance you might need to cancel, go with one that is refundable.

7. If you Have a Dog, Let the Host Know

Even if the property says it’s dog-friendly, we still make sure to email the host in advance letting them know that we’re traveling with our black lab mix, who is friendly and well-behaved, and that we bring along towels to keep everything clean. We’ve had issues in the past when hosts have been surprised about the size of our dog, and it’s been incredibly helpful having proof ensuring we did let them know in advance.

We also do bring along a blanket for the couch (there’s no way we can keep her off of them) and towels in case it rains. We also always bring this lint roller, specifically for pet hair. We got it a couple of years ago and it has been life-changing. And if you need any other tips on things to bring for your pup, make sure to check out our Airbnb packing list here.  

Lint Roller

8. Take Advantage of the Discounts

Unfortunately, Airbnb doesn’t have any type of points or free nights system. However, if you’re traveling long-term, you may be able to take advantage of some discounts. For instance, if you’re staying over a week or over a month, you might be eligible for a discount, generally around 10%.

It can be easy to miss these if you’re staying for 28 days, rather than the full 30, for instance. So, at times, we’ve found it cheaper to book the whole 30 days, even though we’ll be leaving a bit earlier, to make sure to play around with the dates to take full advantage of any discounts. If you look at the example below, you can see that by just staying one extra night (setting the departure date on May 29 rather than the 28), you’ll be saving almost $400. 

9. Contact Airbnb if you Have an Issue

We’ve rarely had any issues with hosts, but when we’ve had, the best way to handle them is by reaching out directly to Airbnb support. We had booked an apartment in Saint-Tropez, and despite reaching out to the host through the Airbnb app and WhatsApp, we never heard back from him. The place was listed as self check-in and we even had the passcode to get into the apartment, but he only had one review, and something about it didn’t feel right.

So, the night before our trip, we were able to call Airbnb (if you go to the help tab in the menu, you’ll see your different stays and an option that says “get help now”). Since the stay was non-refundable, we didn’t want to just cancel it and potentially lose our money. So, by being able to chat with a representative, they were able to verify our situation and cancel the stay without any fee. We then booked a preferable place and avoided any issues.

10. Ask your Host for Local Tips

Many hosts will have nice guides either on their property or under their profile in the Airbnb app. This will oftentimes have information about the place, as well as restaurant recommendations and other tips and tricks.

However, if you don’t see anything, don’t be afraid to ask the host. As locals, they’ll have some of the best recommendations, particularly when it comes to restaurants and off-the-beaten-path spots. This is how we’ve found some of our most memorable meals over the years.

Keep these Airbnb tips for guests in mind when you’re booking your next stay, and please let us know if you have an special tips that have helped you save money while booking the perfect next adventure. 

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