Foreign passports and documents

Renting apartments all over the world. What Airbnb is to us. How best to exchange keys

Airbnb- this is rental housing around the world from individuals, with a more detailed study of the Ayrbnb website, the service looks more like a social network like couchsurfing.com. To rent accommodation on Airbnb, you need to register on the Airbnb website, a completed application form, and even better if your profile has recommendations. Unlike couchsurfing, renting a home on Airbnb costs money.

The main feature of Airbnb is the ability to rent accommodation all over the world from private individuals like you. In addition, you yourself can successfully rent out your apartment through this service.

The choice of housing on Ayrbnb is surprising, there is everything! From the most basic housing, in the form of an old trailer, to expensive castles in Scotland, there are both simple apartments furnished with Ikea furniture and designer apartments in New York penthouses.

Who is Airbnb rental for?

Renting a house using the Airbnb service is suitable for everyone, but those who travel with a large company or married couples with children can get great benefits.

For the first group, Airbnb allows you to save on living in a comfortable environment. A group of travelers can rent a large house for the price of a hotel room and comfortably accommodate in it, because not every hotel will allow six people to live in a room, no matter how large it may be.

For married couples with children, renting an apartment on Ayrbnb is also very convenient, because by renting an apartment or house from local residents you get much more than a place to sleep. On Airbnb, you rent a real home with space for kids to play and for parents to relax, and having a kitchen in a rented home can reduce the cost of dining out.

Airbnb rental housing pros

  • Personal space when booking through Airbnb. When renting apartments through Airbnb, you are guaranteed to have your own personal space in the form of a garden, a veranda, a lawn in front of the house, etc. Almost every house on Airbnb has a kitchen, so you can always cook food at home, which is impossible in a hotel number. For the cost of a hotel room, you get a real home with everything you need.
  • Any place in the city. Since locals rent apartments on Airbnb, the choice of area of ​​residence is not limited exclusively to tourist recreation, you can rent an apartment or house in any area of ​​the city and live like a local. Visiting shops, cafes, markets that all local residents visit, this will allow you to better understand the surrounding reality. Yes, it's just nice to be where they don't look at you as a means of making money, which can often be seen in tourist places.
  • New friends with Airbnb. As I said earlier, the Airbnb service is similar to couchsurfing, here they also carefully study the profiles of guests and may refuse if you do not like it, but if you like it, then in the overwhelming majority of cases you will have new friends in the face of home owners who will try to take care about you, because reputation is more important to them than money.
  • Rent what you want on Airbnb. Airbnb allows you to live in the most amazing places on planet Earth and in a wide variety of houses, castles, yachts, trailers, lighthouses, etc., whatever your imagination is capable of can be a reality with Airbnb. For example, you can afford to live on a private island or in an old Portuguese lighthouse, refurbished with the latest technology, in short, fantasize.

Airbnb Rental Cons

  • Airbnb Resellers. The worst thing that can happen on Airbnb is to run into intermediaries, many enterprising types (personally ran into similar ones in Goa) pretend to be hosts, but in fact are intermediaries. In Goa, this is very often common, part of the local population does not have a good command of all the intricacies of working on the Internet, and nosy intermediaries actively use this. As a rule, in such apartments, the owners are not particularly happy with you, because the amount that they got from the intermediary does not exceed 50% of the rent paid, so they do not have to rejoice too much. Some types go even further and sell ordinary hotel rooms under the guise of their apartment, what is it like for you to choose a private house by the sea and come to a hotel.
  • You have to wait for your Airbnb booking. Airbnb is designed in such a way that host confirmation is required to rent a home (unless the host has specified "instant booking" in the settings). Unlike the usual hotel booking, where everything happens very quickly, Airbnb can take some time before the final payment of the booking.
  • Cancellation of Airbnb by Host. On Airbnb, the host has the right to cancel your reservation. Why this is happening is impossible to understand, maybe he doesn't like you (your profile on Airbnb), maybe someone suggested a better price / better conditions, maybe the landlord didn't like your writing style in correspondence and a million more reasons, but there is only one conclusion, booking on Airbnb may be canceled.
  • Airbnb cancellation policy. It happens that travel plans change and for such cases it is advisable to study in detail the conditions for canceling a reservation on Airbnb, the service provides several types of cancellation: strict, moderate, flexible, long-term. Be sure to check the cancellation issue before booking your accommodation.

Collected in one place links to all sites for booking accommodation in travel that I know. Here you will learn how easy it is to spend the night in almost any city in the world at an adequate price or even free! Or find a truly unusual place, where you will remember for a long time.

The post contains the largest hostel database in the world, the largest rental service from owners, websites for booking unusual designer hotels, overnight stays in exchange for help with the house or looking after a pet - in general, options for every taste. Take your pick!

Classic: hotel aggregator sites

Personally, I open these sites first when I am going somewhere on a trip. As the name implies, they combine information from various booking systems, such as: booking, hotels, ostrovok (some of the best prices in Russia), agoda (good for traveling in Asia), trivago, expedia and many others.

Aggregators compare prices, look for discounts and special offers, there you can find not only hotels, but also hostels, guest houses - it is very convenient when everything is in one place.

Read also:

Free overnight stay

The best way to understand the country and its people is to get to know the locals, or even better to live with them for a while. Such opportunities are provided by international hospitality sites when people invite guests to their homes. Just don’t see them only as a free overnight stay; rather, it’s a cultural exchange, interesting communication, an opportunity to improve languages ​​and find new friends around the world.

Source: instagram: @myinterior

Accommodation in exchange for housework

These sites should not be viewed only as a way of free accommodation, but as a new unusual experience and an opportunity to help people and the ecology of the planet for a week, a month, or maybe more. The bottom line is that you work several hours a day, and in return you get room and board.

Source: GettyImages

Services for renting cool and unusual hotels

If you want to live in a lighthouse, a treehouse, visit eco-friendly or vegetarian-only hotels, try glamping (glamorous camping) or just chick, then there are special sites for this.

✔ and - here you can buy someone else's booking at a discount. Someone could not go and sell their reservation on the site. You get a good discount and the person gets money for a non-refundable room.

AirBnb is the premier rental service that makes it easy and safe to rent apartments and houses around the world. On the site, homeowners post advertisements for the delivery of housing, and those people who need it, rent it. It's simple. All ads are posted with a description, photos, a list of what is and what is not in the apartment. Moreover, Airbnb is not limited to renting apartments; on the service you can find excellent houses on the ocean, rooms, yachts and even medieval castles.

Renting a home on Airbnb goes through several stages:

  1. Direct search for housing
  2. Correspondence with the owner, in which you can find out everything to the smallest details
  3. Payment
  4. Arrival and check-in
  5. After living, you can leave a review about the accommodation (this is optional)

Renting an apartment on Airbnb is no different than renting a house, a private room, or a yacht. The process is the same. The service itself has proven itself on the positive side, it has been working all over the world for many years and its popularity is growing every year, of which there are only numerous, moreover, it is fully translated into Russian, so knowledge of a foreign language is not necessary. Compared to hotels, booking airbnb apartments is on average 2-3 times cheaper than a room in a three-star hotel. And if you are eating with your family or with friends, then Airbnb is what you need, because hotel rooms are usually designed for 2 people, and you have to book several rooms at once to fit everything (especially for groups of friends of 4-8 people ), and by renting an apartment on Airbnb, you can all stay together.

Why you need to rent a house on AirBnb:

  • You will see the real condition of housing from numerous photographs
  • You are guaranteed the security of your lease, i.e. You will not be "thrown", all home owners are checked by the service.
  • You can find out reliable information about housing from reviews that are written by people who have already lived there.
  • Each ad contains a list of available devices (Wi-Fi, washing machine, TV, air conditioning, etc.).
  • You can set your filters by price, type of accommodation, facilities, etc., which will allow you to find exactly the property you want.
  • The site is very easy to use, it is translated into Russian.
  • The site has received thousands of positive reviews from travelers around the world.

Finding the right place to live on Airbnb

Knowing some of the features of the service, you can find airbnb apartments at the lowest prices and with a high level of comfort. Often newcomers do not know these "rules for a good search" and find not the most comfortable housing. For those newbies, here are some tips for booking an airbnb apartment.

  • Read accommodation reviews carefully... Reviews were written by those who have already lived in this apartment / house / room, so they reflect the real situation. Choose a property for which more than 5 positive reviews have been left.
  • Prefer housing with verified photos... Photos of some apartments are tagged with the "Confirmed Photos" tag. This means that the landlord provided comprehensive information, professional Airbnb photographers came to him and personally photographed the rooms.
  • Ask the landlord for all the details... Do not hesitate, if you want to know what speed the Wi-Fi has, how long to walk to the city center, whether the windows overlook the sunny side, what pattern is the rug in front of the entrance - feel free to write to the owner, he will be happy to answer all your questions.
  • Better to book with a host with a verified profile... Each host has their own profile on Airbnb, please review it before booking, if the profile is not verified, then it is better to find another accommodation option.

Airbnb vs Hotel Comparison

Is Airbnb Safe

Don't worry, it is absolutely safe to rent an apartment abroad on airbnb. The service is the guarantor of the lease. When you have found a suitable accommodation option, transfer the money to the airbnb service as payment, and not to the owner, which excludes the possibility of the owner “disappearing” after the money is transferred (and this is what happens on some foreign services). Only after checking in, Airbnb transfers the money to the landlord, and you calmly rest and enjoy life.

But not without a fly in the ointment in a barrel of honey. The service is safe and in case of problems it is a guarantor that you will not be left in trouble without help, but some owners can be cunning and provide inaccurate information about their housing. But such owners can be simply identified and not booked with them. Be sure to read the article about that, and then you will be protected to the maximum.

Airbnb and visa confirmation

Booking on Airbnb is suitable for proof of accommodation, which is required upon obtaining a visa. You just need to print a receipt for payment from the site. There is no difference between confirmation with and with Airbnb, all embassies accept both.

If you do not eat alone, then when booking accommodation on Airbnb.ru, write in the names of all people who are going to live with you in these apartments and they will also be indicated on the receipt. If suddenly you did not do this during the booking, then contact the support service, write the names and surnames (as in passports) of all guests, and then the service staff will correct the receipt and send the corrected version to your mail.

Some embassies also require a copy of the owner's passport: a page with his photograph and a page with his signature. You can find out exactly whether these additional documents are required or not for your visa, you can only at your embassy (call them or write to the mail). If copies are still needed, then simply send a letter to the owner with a request (if you do not speak English, you can translate the letter in an online translator) to send copies of the pages and within a few hours or days (when how) you will receive them. For almost never need to receive a copy of the passport of the landlord.

Instructions

It's easy enough to figure out how to use the AirBnb website, but, knowing a few tricks, you can find very good and cheap housing.

AirBnb is the best travel rental site. Travel and enjoy life! All the best!

Today I will tell you about the service, which was created in 2008 and is gaining more and more popularity among travelers. Read also about ours in Bangkok.

You will learn how to register and book accommodation on Airbnb, how to get a coupon with a $ 25 discount, and also tell you why the service is interesting and profitable.

What is Airbnb and how does it work?

Many travelers are already accustomed to accommodation booking systems, such as Booking or where you can choose a hotel to your taste and wallet in almost any country in the world. But hotels are not always the best option for accommodation - sometimes it is more convenient to rent apartments and apartments. This is where Airbnb helps. We must admit that we have recently started booking accommodation through airbnb, and now we will help you figure it out too.

Airbnb is a worldwide rental business from apartment owners. Accommodation can be either separate rooms, houses, apartments, or interesting options, such as trailers, castles and islands. Now the system already has more than 34,000 cities in 190 countries of the world.

It turns out that Airbnb acts as an intermediary between those who want to rent out their apartment, house or room and those who want to rent this housing. Naturally, the service takes a commission for such a bridge. For this fee, Airbnb comes with a financial guarantee against all sorts of troubles, when you can contact the 24/7 support center and get a refund or settle other issues if something went wrong.

Why is Airbnb interesting and beneficial?

  • The service is especially relevant for expensive cities such as Singapore, Paris, other capitals and large cities, where hotel prices bite. But you can rent an apartment on Airbnb for $ 20-40, and a decent level. For that kind of money, in some cities only small rooms are offered in hotels.
  • The possibility of live communication over a cup of tea with the owner, a conversation with whom will help to get to know the country even deeper, to get interesting information.
  • It is especially beneficial to rent an apartment for a large company or a family with a child, when the presence of a kitchen and a separate space is very desirable. In terms of per person, it is often cheaper than a hotel, even very decent apartments, the analogues of which in hotels are very expensive.
  • Airbnb bookings are visa-friendly, meaning a printout of the booking can be submitted to the consulate
  • Interesting accommodation options, not the same type of chain hotels. For example, here.

How to sign up with Airbnb and get a $ 25 coupon

When you go you will receive from us $ 25 personal Airbnb coupon on your first booking (works if its cost exceeds $ 75). For example, if you rent an apartment for 3 days for $ 27 a day, then pay not $ 81, but only $ 56! This coupon is stored for a whole year, and even if you did not use it for the first time, you can do it later.

Airbnb coupon $ 25 from us!

2. Click on the button "get a discount"

3. Now you need to register. You can do this using your Facebook or Google+ accounts, or as usual via e-mail.

4. After registration, you need to confirm your profile - it is simple and will not take more than 3 minutes, follow the prompts of the service in your personal account.

Account verification methods

Account verification methods:

  • E-mail e-mail
  • Phone number
  • Your profile photo
  • Linking social networks to your account
  • Sending a scan of your passport / driver's license.

Why do I need a verified Airbnb profile?

By confirming your profile, both you and the owner prove that you really exist, thus increasing confidence. After all, Airbnb is not only a booking service, but also a travel community.

Often people choose to live with a confirmed owner of an apartment (a corresponding icon appears in front of him) and I advise you to do so. Also, confirmed guests are more valuable))

How Airbnb Rentals

Now is the time to book your accommodation on Airbnb. We go to the official site, and drive the city and dates we need into the search bar.

Find apartments around the world on Airbnb

All available options appear, and to the right of them is a map, along which it is very convenient to look around the areas by moving and moving.

Airbnb Bookings - Search Results with Filters & Map

Pay attention to filters - there are several of them. You can choose the type of accommodation, price range and others. More filters are available by clicking the "More Filters" button - you can clearly define your requirements for housing.

How to rent an apartment on Airbnb - choose options

We choose the options we like and read about them carefully. There is a section "House Rules", there are different conditions: is it allowed to smoke, is it possible with pets, what kind of beds, internet, bathroom, etc.

Read the description and house rules

Pay attention to reviews and whether the host account has been verified. If not, then there is some risk, or maybe this is just a new member, and they did not have time to write reviews. When viewing photos, it is very good if the photo has a “Verified” icon in the upper right corner - this means that an Airbnb photographer has visited this place and the photos are true.

Reviews about the apartment on Airbnb

Landlord reviews and verified profile

Also pay attention to the conditions of booking cancellation, they are of several types: in some cases, you can return the entire amount minus the service commission, in some cases the money is partially returned or not returned at all. More details can be found at.

Cleaning fee. In some cases, cleaning fees are included and are quite high. Be careful.

In some variants, it is taken deposit for the safety of property. You will not be charged anything, and the host must send you a request for payment through Airbnb in the event of property damage after you check out.

The description says how many people the housing is designed for. In some cases, additional people are paid (the amount is indicated in the description), in some - for free.

We write off with the owner of the apartment, find out the details we are interested in and determine its adequacy, if required :-). If you don't know English, then fill in the Russian text into a google translator and copy it.

Owner contact button and booking button

Airbnb booking and payment

1. Next, we send a booking request. Here you will need to enter the details of your bank card or PayPal wallet. The billing address is your address, or rather the one that you indicated when you issued the bank card with which you pay for this accommodation. The host has 24 hours to confirm your request.

2. Instant Booking is available for some options. In this case, the reservation is made immediately, just like in Booking or other similar services.

3. After the owner has confirmed the request and the payment has passed, you will receive a receipt and detailed instructions by e-mail with the owner's contacts and the address of the accommodation. An SMS also comes to the phone. Your money remains in the system and is transferred to the host only after the first day of your stay.

A confirmation receipt appears in your account

If you signed up with and your booking is more than $ 75, you will receive an Airbnb coupon for $ 25. This amount is reflected after clicking the "Book instantly" or "Request a booking" in the "coupon" column, as in the screenshot.

Airbnb discount on first booking $ 25!

We will be very grateful if you register using our link - and you are good, and we will receive a small bonus from Airbnb. :-) Thank you!

That's all we wanted to tell you about how Airbnb rentals work. Soon we will make an article with answers to frequently asked questions. See you and good travel!

Today's tourists are breaking the stereotypes of an ideal vacation that have existed for decades. They prefer rented inexpensive apartments or even rooms to luxury hotels. What caused this shift in priorities?

  • The availability of communication between people, which appeared thanks to the Internet.
  • Understanding that it is better to travel around the world often and economically than luxurious, but rarely.
  • The fact that hotel prices are often difficult to relate to the concept.
  • And, finally, the emergence of a unique service that has made the dreams of many foreign travel lovers come true.

, or, as it is often called incorrectly due to its difficult to pronounce abbreviation, RNB is rental housing all over the world on one site. It all began with three friends in San Francisco who decided to rent out part of their apartment for the conference in 2008, when all the hotels were full. Of the furniture, only air mattresses were available, and they prepared breakfast for the guests themselves. Hence the name AirBed & Breakfast(air mattress and breakfast), abbreviated later to Airbnb.

It didn't take long for the friends to turn their temporary income into a business. Today the company is valued at $ 26 billion, it provides real estate booking services around the world (about 200 countries) and is a serious competitor to the hotel business. Tourists appreciated the opportunity to rent an apartment abroad, which is why hotel owners are forced to constantly reduce prices in order not to lose customers.

Benefits of renting a private home

Saving money... In most countries, self-catering is cheaper than a hotel. The difference in price is especially noticeable if you are traveling all over the world with a large company or family. Plus, being able to cook your own food will also save you a lot.

Huge selection... In addition to booking apartments, you can find many other options on the site, both budget and luxury. This can be a room in a house with the owners or a luxurious mansion on the seashore. There is a suitable accommodation for every wallet.

Comfort and coziness... Parents traveling with children know how difficult it can be to keep fidgets within the four walls of a hotel room. In the apartment, children (and adults as well) will feel at home even abroad. After all, you will be surrounded by such familiar and necessary things as furniture, a kitchen, a washing machine ... No hotel in the world will convey the local flavor the way private accommodation does. Having breakfast on the balcony, with a cup of coffee and a croissant, you will not feel like a tourist, but a true Parisian, for example.

Communication... Choosing the option of living with hosts, you do not just save on the cost of housing. You get free language practice and an excellent guide. After all, who can tell about the city better than its inhabitant? As a rule, people who rent rooms are quite sociable and hospitable, so they will be happy to tell you a lot of interesting things.

How do I rent an apartment overseas with Airbnb?

By going to the company's website, you can view rental housing options around the world, however, registration is required to fully use all the opportunities. Those who have mastered so many letters are now waiting for a small bonus from and Airbnb- discount for the first booking. By registering using the following link, you will receive $ 14, which you can spend on renting an apartment.

Get a $ 25 rental bonus

The company takes the safety of all parties very seriously, and tries to weed out random and inadequate people already at this stage. Therefore, the first thing to do after registration is to fill out your profile on the site. Add a photo, links to your social media profiles, upload a scanned document. Tell us a little about yourself: where do you work, what are your hobbies. Landlords are just as simple people, but they have the right to refuse you if something seems suspicious or unreliable to them.

Search for accommodation

Renting a house or a room in almost any country in the world is no more difficult than finding a hotel in the booking system. The search form is simple and straightforward: enter the desired city, dates, number of guests and click on the red button. As an example, we will have a week for two in Rome.

Further, it is still easier. We put a tick in front of the required type of accommodation (whole house / apartment, separate or shared room) and see what we are offered. You can choose options on the map or use a variety of filters by clicking on the appropriate button.

It is possible to choose the area, the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, the availability of the Internet, washing machine, parking and other amenities. You can choose whatever you want, but remember: the more checkboxes you check, the fewer the options for renting. Therefore, mark only the really necessary things, and see the rest according to specific options.

How to make a choice?

By clicking on any of the housing offers, you will see detailed information about it: photo, description, amenities, maximum number of guests, and more. What should you pay attention to?

Price... It may vary depending on the number of guests and the rental period. Please note that the cost at this stage is not final. A commission will be added to it later Airbnb(on average, 8-10%) and cleaning fees after your departure (if the owner indicated it as an additional service).

Cancellation policy... There are five types, from flexible to super-strict. Read each of them carefully and make an informed decision about what is best for you: save money at the risk of running out of money if you cancel your trip, or overpay but get a money-back guarantee.

Pledge... Some owners require an additional deposit to book their apartments. The required amount is blocked on your card and unblocked 48 hours after your departure, if the owner does not provide evidence that you have caused material damage.

The calendar... It will help you navigate on which dates the housing is already occupied, and which dates are free. Be sure to compare prices, they may differ significantly on different days.

Reviews... By clicking on the avatar of the landlord, you will see reviews of guests from all over the world who have already used his services. For the first time, it is better to choose housing with the maximum number of positive recommendations, so as not to spoil the impression of the service with misunderstandings.

Apartment photo... If the image has an Airbnb watermark, it means the shooting was carried out by an employee of the company or verified. If there is no icon, then the landlord himself took pictures, which means that the original may differ slightly from the image.

Feedback... If you still have questions, you can ask the landlord through the website. Pay attention to the indicator “ Response rate". He talks about how quickly the person responds. If you are in a hurry, then it is better to choose those who have this indicator above 90%.

Booking and paying for an apartment through Airbnb

After making sure that the accommodation suits you, you should send a booking request to the owner by clicking on the appropriate button. Only after he agrees, it will be possible to proceed to payment. Avoiding waiting is possible by choosing some of the instant booking options, where confirmation is not required.

There are two payment options available: PayPal or by credit card MasterCard / Visa... Everything is as usual: fill in the data, put a tick “I agree with the terms”, press the “Book” button.

An important nuance. You transfer money not to the landlord, but to the service Airbnb, which acts as the guarantor of the transaction. Upon arrival, you will have 24 hours to make sure that the accommodation is in order and as described. Only after that the owner receives the amount due to him.

After making the payment, you will receive an email with all the necessary information: the owner's address and mobile phone, receipt, booking confirmation and travel plan.

In case of any misunderstanding, from any part of the world you can call the 24-hour Russian-language support service. Upon arrival, be sure to visit the website and leave a review about the accommodation you have rented. This will help other people planning to rent an apartment abroad. In addition, the owner may provide feedback about you as a tenant by adding a "plus" to your reputation.

How do I rent a place with Airbnb?

Why not? The service rules do not prohibit being both a landlord and a tenant at the same time. While you are traveling the world, your house does not stand idle, continuing to "eat up" utility costs, but, on the contrary, brings in money. If you are lucky enough to own real estate in a tourist or resort town, it is a sin not to take this chance. Earned money can be spent on new ones.