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If you aren’t already familiar with Airbnb, it is a website that allows you to rent rooms, entire apartments, villas, and even vacation housing rentals all around the world instead of staying in a hotel.

The average price of a hotel is around $137 a night. Whenever I’ve had to reserve a hotel room, the price is typically much higher than that after you’ve added all the fees and taxes.

For those of you looking to steer away from hotels for your travel, you can save hundreds on your accommodations, by booking with Airbnb for your next stay!

The best part about an Airbnb is that you can rent an entire apartment or even a house, which has a kitchen and will sleep more people, all for the same cost of a night at a hotel.

Since I like to bring our own food on vacation, getting an Airbnb is an outstanding value because we can cook our own meals. It’s almost like having a home away from home!

NOTE: I feel that there is one small drawback you should be aware of when using an Airbnb. You may be asked to strip the beds before you leave. If you will be pressed for time the day you are leaving this may not be viable so you’ll want to mention that to the host and may have to pay a small cleaning fee (it’s no big deal, I just want you to be aware of it).

So I’ll share all my best Airbnb tips for renting so that you can get the most savings on your stay.

Plus, I’ll share the best tips on how to save money on Airbnb so that you’ll have more fun money for your vacation.

And, with these Airbnb tips to saving money, you’ll know what to do the next time you stay with Airbnb to save money.

Here is how to save money on your next trip by using Airbnb:

vacation housing rentals

Negotiate The Price

If you are staying at a hotel, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone willing to negotiate the cost of your stay. You may be able to find great deals, but a great deal is about all you can do to lower your price.

With Airbnb vacation housing rentals, you can negotiate the price of your Airbnb! The host can use something called a Special Offer if you send them a message. Instead of clicking Request to Book, click Contact, this Host. Make sure to include your stay dates in your message.

BONUS FREE DOWNLOAD

Create A Plan For Your Money

These FREE Budgeting Spreadsheets will help you keep a pulse on your money (from the palm of your hand).

When contacting a host, remember to do so in a respectful manner and remember that these are people who are renting out their homes. They are not a hotel, and many of them aren’t renting out a second home. Some hosts rely on Airbnb rental income, so be polite and considerate when speaking to your host.

It’s these Airbnb tips for renting that can save you money and all you have to do is ask! Remember, it never hurts to ask (politely)! 🙂

vacation housing rentals

Book Far In Advance Or Last Minute

Heading to see family next year? If they live in a hot vacation town, you may want to go ahead and look for some vacation housing rentals now.

Hot places will book up fast, therefore, leaving you without a good place to stay. Plus, you should be able to find some deals as the inventory is huge. And if you’re staying for longer than a week, you might be able to ask for a discounted rate.

If you’re wanting to head out on a last-minute trip, most places will have discounts on the homes/rooms that haven’t booked up yet. Check for huge midweek discounts if you have flexibility in your schedule.

vacation housing rentals

Look Out For Listings On Different Sites

In addition to houses and vacation housing rentals, you may even be able to find places such as hostels and even timeshares on Airbnb.

Before you book, do a little research online to see if you can find these types of room off-site.

It will cost the host more to list this place on Airbnb than on their own website. Whenever a host has to use a third party website, they will often raise their rates to make up for the revenue taken out from the third-party site.

If you see a hotel or other business owned room on Airbnb, be sure to check out their specific website before booking for cheaper rates.

I found a private apartment on Airbnb and also on VRBO (a competing Vacation Rental website), it was $30 less to rent it on Airbnb, which made me feel better about my decision.

And that’s how to save money on Airbnb. Talk about $30 per night savings! Gotta love saving money!

vacation housing rentals

Look For New Hosts

New Airbnb hosts are not only new to the site, but they are hungry for those reviews too.

Reach out for a discount or an introductory price so you can check out their place.

Then make sure to leave honest, and if appropriate, glowing reviews. Then both the host and you have won!

vacation housing rentals

Get Pre-Approved

When booking vacation housing rentals with Airbnb, you must have approval from the host before you can book the room. The only exception to this is Instant Book Rooms. You will know whether or not it is an Instant Book Room by whether or not there is a lightning symbol by it.

When you go to book a room, you will see a button that says Request to Book. If the host does accept your request, you will be charged for this room as soon as they take the request.

Do not send a request unless you are entirely sure you are going to be staying there on those dates and in that room.

BONUS FREE DOWNLOAD

Create A Plan For Your Money

These FREE Budgeting Spreadsheets will help you keep a pulse on your money (from the palm of your hand).

Instead of requesting a booked room, you can contact the host directly and see about getting pre-approved for your stay.

If you message with a question, you are still required to put in the dates of your stay, so typically if you contact them just asking a question, you may find that you’ve been pre-approved anyway. This is a great way to guarantee your room, without playing the guessing game.

If you are a repeat guest, your host may even discount your stay or leave a gift for you. It’s just one more of my Airbnb tips to saving money!

vacation housing rentals

Take Pictures Before You Leave

Even though you know you left the place clean, some people have different “versions of clean”.

Once you have completed the mandatory cleaning such as stripping the beds, etc., make sure to take pictures of how you left the room/house.

You would not want to have to pay extra cleaning fees if you can prove how you left the place to the owner.

While I’ve never had this happen to me, it’s just a good practice to start. It’s just one of the smart Airbnb tips for renting to get into the habit of.

vacation housing rentals

Consider Booking Extra Nights

Whether you will be staying those nights or not, sometimes it can benefit you to book a few additional nights. There are a few circumstances in which this can save you money on your entire stay!

The longer you stay, you may find discounts for weekly or monthly stays. It may be cheaper to book the extra day just to get the discount in some cases.

Airbnb is one of the fantastic strategies I use for lodging on a budget.

Before we ever consider booking a hotel, we always check Airbnb first for the best deals!

After all, why would you pay $137 for a room, when you could have an entire apartment while you’re traveling?

I hope you’ve learned these best Airbnb tips for renting so that you can get the most savings on your stay.

Plus, with these best tips on how to save money on Airbnb, you’ll have more fun money for your vacation.

And, with these Airbnb tips to saving money, you’ll know what to do the next time you stay with Airbnb to save more money.

When you sign up for Airbnb through my referral link, you’ll get $40 $55 off your first stay! https://www.airbnb.com/c/katherinek4449

YOUR TURN: What other questions do you have for me about Airbnb vacation housing rentals? Comment below and I’ll answer right away!

vacation housing rentals
How To Save Money On Your Next Trip With Airbnb
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