On Travel: Booking The Right Place to Stay
October – my favorite month of the year. Growing up in the Midwest, I loved October bike rides and walks with the changing colors and the crisp wind with occasional rainfall. The sweater weather, candles, endless availability of pumpkin spice anything with warm toned clothes are a welcome romanticization of the season.
In Costa Rica, it is consistently green, but in my heart, it’s colorful October and I will cozy up with a blanket and autumn scented candle and book tonight to welcome the season just as well.
Over the next few months, we are taking the girls for another two quick trips stateside. We have haphazardly become well versed on the art of travel: booking reservations, packing, flying and sometimes driving. It’s something I still love, even with two littles in tow.
The place you stay at can make or break a trip – it is an added part of the experience. We’ve found that booking through Airbnb has a much more personal vibe, as if we are embedded into the daily lives of our stranger neighbors.
My favorite Airbnb was in Wanaka, New Zealand in 2018. We were situated on a hill, tucked away in a vineyard, overlooking some fields. The hostess left us fresh apples, home baked bread and coffee with an invitation to use their boardgames and cute little amenities needed for the two days stay. A truly cozy oasis.
Michael and I have stayed in over 20 airbnb’s together and countless hotels ranging from new years in Austria and Israel to a loft in Vietnam and waterfront in South Africa. Through it all – we continue to learn what it takes to find the good ones. The places that make a trip extra special.
Without further to do – here are four quick tips about how I select a place to stay while traveling.
1. Take extra time to set “filters” in the Airbnb or hotel search
There are so many options out there that in order to save time the first thing I do is set filters for what we want. I lower the average nightly cost way down, select number of rooms desired, select “entire place” and check for anything else we might want depending on the type of trip. In our days without kids, I would select fitness room or pool. Sad to say those days are gone for now. Once we narrow it down, I do an initial run through and start favoriting ones that spark a remote interest. From there, I review the favorites in greater details to make the best selection. Speaking of details…
2. Pay attention to the Photos
What details do they choose to include? What overall vibe does their furniture set up, architecture, or interior design provide? How is the sunlight? Carpet or hard floors? Bathtub or shower? How is the outdoor space? Any cool amenities? Free kayak or bikes for use *book it!* Does it seem they enjoy hosting, perhaps a passion behind the paycheck? The best airbnbs I have stayed were ones that went the extra mile to provide refreshments, cute (and sometimes cheesy) decal, a guestbook, and extra information about nearby restaurants and coffee shops. Some provide a cozy nook –or a warm and inviting chair that calls my name. Yes. I would like to sit in that chair. Yes – that looks relaxing to me.
3. Location, Location, Location!
Location can make an average place absolutely amazing. We often did not have a car rental and relied on public transportation or walking. When we choose a place based on location – we never regret it. It makes settling in much more fun. An immediate, walkable environment– especially in a place we’ve never been - is an easy win for a great start to the day.
I search the location on a google map and then do a search in the area to see how close it is to public transportation, shops, a downtown area, parks, and good coffee. The extra time in doing a little research goes a long way once we are there.
4. What do the reviews say?
I appreciate the honesty of people who share whether or not the place was better or worse than the description box can provide. I can learn more about the location with reviewers describing what they did in the surrounding areas, a walk they went on, a shop they really enjoyed, or the traffic and surrounding noise in the city.
I always pay attention to how the host responds to someone who writes a negative review. I have chosen not to stay at a place that I may have otherwise booked because the host responded in a defensive and bitter manner – even if the reviewer seemed out of place.