The Best Questions To Ask About Your Next Airbnb
It would be hard to have to choose my favorite thing about working remotely, but I can confidently say that one of the top contenders is the amazing places that we get to live. For any stay longer than a few days, we make liberal use of the Airbnb platform to find our home base wherever end up.
There are some amazing stays available on Airbnb, from cabins in the woods, to cabins on the beach, to cabins in the mountains. (We really like cabins, ok?) But invariably there are differences in the offerings of each stay that can have a huge impact on its livability. No matter how amazing a place looks, making sure that it has the features you need to survive can be the difference between an amazing stay on the beach and a vacation that’s completely washed up.
What are your Airbnb goals?
Before you can figure out if that Airbnb is right for you, you have to decide what it is that you need from your stay. Are you just looking for a place to crash at night, or will you be spending time in your stay? Are you going to be cooking for yourself, or eating out every night? Without knowing exactly what you need from your Airbnb, and what you can flex on, it is impossible to know if a certain location will work.
Here are some questions that you might want to consider.
Is it a solo, couples, family, or group stay?
Traveling with others can be a decidedly different experience from traveling by yourself. Even if you regularly travel by yourself for work, you may find that a trip with your family looks and feels different.
It is important to know not only how many people are going to be staying at the Airbnb, but also how close you can be and remain comfortable. Traveling with your buddies can be a blast, but you’ll want more space with them than you would traveling with your wife.
Traveling with kids? Remember that even if you’re ok with close quarters, they might not be. Kids often have more trouble dealing with the stress that comes from changing routines during travel. And their stress can very easily become your stress. Only your family knows what will work for them, so plan accordingly.
How long will you be there?
One of my favorite Airbnb features is the discount we get for staying longer than a month. Staying longer means a much lower price both because of the discount and because the other one-time fees get spread out over a longer period of time.
But not everyone is looking for a long stay. Knowing how long you do want to stay is important not only for scheduling purposes but also because it affects what amenities you’ll be looking for.
Work or pleasure? (or a bit of both?)
What is the main reason for your stay, and what will you need to make that happen? If your main reason for traveling is to find fun in the sun, then a few interruptions to the wifi aren’t going to bother you a whole lot. However, if you’ll be presenting that proposal to an important client from the Airbnb’s spare office, that’s going to change a few priorities.
Will you be staying in or going out?
Part of the fun of being in a new place is being in a new place! Travel is all about the places you get to go! But, if you’re going to need a place to recharge in between those outings, that’s an important thing to note.
If all you’re doing at the Airbnb is sleeping, then pretty much anywhere can work. If you’ll be spending more than a few minutes awake there, you’ll probably want more than a cot in the corner.
Will you be cooking?
The kitchen is the heart of the home! But dishes are the bane of a vacation (and my everyday life). Because we are always traveling, my family makes certain that we have a fully stocked kitchen in each of our Airbnbs. Cooking for ourselves is healthier and way more budget-friendly than eating out all the time. But for shorter trips, you may not want to do all the grocery shopping to get your kitchen set up. This can be particularly tricky in foreign countries where they don’t have the ingredients or brands that you’re used to.
Another thing to note is whether or not you’re going to want to do cooking lessons. Cooking lessons are one of my favorite ways to get to know a new culture, and while you can definitely do lessons outside your Airbnb, you might still want a space to practice what you’ve learned!
What are the non-negociables?
The fact of the matter is that Airbnbs will rarely, if ever, have all the things that you’re looking for. One may have the kitchen that you want, but no on-premises laundry facilities. Another may offer super fast internet but only have a single bedroom.
It’s important to decide what things are absoluetly vital to your stay and what things are just nice bonuses. For instance, I’m currently staying at a mountain farm in Honduras. We have wifi access, a gorgeous view, and all the fruit we can eat. But also there’s no refrigerator and the nearest store is a half an hour walk away.
Knowing what you need or don’t need is a big part of finding an Airbnb stay you can be happy with.
Getting the Details on your Homestay location
Now that you’ve made a few decisions about the things you need from your stay, it’s time to look at a few of the specifics. Choosing the right place to stay can take a good stay and make it excellent, but choosing a place that doesn’t have the things you need can make what would have been a good stay into a struggle.
Here are some of the questions you should be asking to make sure that you know what to expect from your Airbnb.
Beds and Bedrooms
We’ll start easy. Airbnb often will have a number set on their properties that tells you how many people the host says it can sleep. However, this number isn’t always indicative of how many people it can sleep well. I have seen properties that say they have 2 bedrooms and three beds, but one of those bedrooms is technically the living room. Or a hallway. And the bed may or may not be the sofa.
If that’s all you need, awesome. But if not, I think it’s better to know beforehand.
Internet
For a digital nomad, the internet is our lifeblood. It’s how we make our money, how we stay in touch with people. Without it, a property is essentially useless to us. While most properties in the States will say they have internet available, that doesn’t mean that what they have will be enough for what you need. You should always ask for details.
Asking about the internet is more than a simple, “Do you have internet?” You also need to know if it is accessible and if it is of sufficient quality.
Accessibility of the internet includes knowing if the internet is wired or wireless and knowing if the wireless network reaches throughout the property. Both are important for when you want to work in the office while the kids are watching PBS Kids on their Kindles.
A wired connection means you can only connect one device at a time, which could be disastrous. A wireless network that doesn’t reach all the way across a property could mean not working from that perfect spot at the far end of the house. Neither problem is a deal-breaker, though, since bringing a travel router can fix either one.
A very capable little 4g router that runs off of a SIM card. It's a great option to use in homestays that don't have weak wifi or no wifi at all, and can even be used while camping, so long as there's cell signal!
The bigger problems come with poor network quality. It’s a good idea to ask your host to run a speed check on their network and send you the results. I use speedtest.net to check how fast my connection is. For an idea of the numbers you’re looking for, Netflix HD streaming requires about 5mbps down and an HD Zoom call requires around 3.8mbps up and 3.0mbps down.
Your speed is shared between everyone on the network, so if everyone is watching their own shows you’ll need faster speeds than if it’s just you.
No matter how fast or slow the internet at the Airbnb is, it can also be a good idea to have a data plan and a hot spot just in case. I use Google Fi, which works for me both Stateside and abroad, with some caveats.
Laundry Facilities
For short-term stays, laundry often isn’t a top priority. Just do it when you get home. But if you plan on staying in an Airbnb for a longer period of time, having facilities for laundry can be pretty helpful.
It’s probably not make or break, for most people. After all, there are usually laundromats or services if you need them, but it’s something to consider if you’re weighing two options.
Kitchen
In all of my Airbnbs, I end up spending a pretty large amount of time in the kitchen, so for me this one’s important. Make sure to ask questions about what they have available. Do they have an oven, or is it just stove burners? Do they have a toaster? A microwave? What about a dishwasher?
And it’s not just the major appliances. Be sure to ask if there are enough plates, bowls, mugs, etc. for everyone you are traveling with.
My experience with Airbnb kitchens is that they will always be missing something that you want. So, if there’s something particular that you need, be sure to ask about it.
Television
I’ve not found an Airbnb Stateside that didn’t have a TV (or 4), but if you’re traveling abroad don’t assume that it’s a given. If you’re wanting to watch something particular, be sure to ask if it’s available. Hosts will often have a guest account set up on their TV for access to Netflix or Prime Video, so you may even be able to get access to shows you wouldn’t normally have!
If you’d rather not sign in to your account on other people’s devices, but want to have all your viewing progress stay on your account, I highly suggest traveling with a Google Chromecast. We’ve been doing it for years, and I love that I don’t have to sign into Netflix every time I change houses.
This is one of the easiest ways to keep up with your shows while traveling. Literally plug it in to the TV, give it power and wifi, set your VPN, and you're good to go! Your accounts stay on the device, so you never have to worry about logging in on someone else's TV. Love it.
Location
It’s also a great idea to ask your host about the best things to do and see near their Airbnb. Often you’ll be able to find some great things to do that you wouldn’t have otherwise known about. Just be sure to ask about travel time, because the best things might be farther than you are willing to travel.
Questions to ask when abroad
While the previous questions are good to think about no matter where you’re headed, these next few are specifically for traveling abroad. Note: If you’ve never been abroad, do not let these questions intimidate you into not going. These are important questions to ask to keep from running into a travel disaster, but so long as you ask, dealing with them is usually pretty trivial.
Can I drink the water?
Many countries are known for having water that you shouldn’t drink, but that doesn’t mean it’s that way everywhere! Make sure to ask your host what the deal is with water in their house. They may have household filters so you can drink straight from the tap, or it may be a better idea to stick with bottled water.
Can I flush the toilet paper?
In a lot of Latin American countries, you should not flush your toilet paper. The pipes are smaller than in the States and flushing TP can result in clogs. Instead, there are usually small trash cans next to the toilet for TP disposal.
In recent years, though, builders have been using larger pipes, in part because American tourists prefer them. It’s not super common yet, but it’s definitely worth asking if you can flush toilet paper or not.
How do I get hot water?
In the States, hot water tanks are the norm, but abroad you can’t take that for granted. In other countries, households often heat water using tankless water heaters, or with an electric heater right on the showerhead. This is way more energy efficient than hot water heaters in the States, but they can be confusing to travelers who aren’t used to them. I’ve found that I like them because I can take long showers without worrying about running out of hot water.
Some require you to light a gas fire to get hot water. Some require you to turn down the water pressure to allow the heater more time to work. Some houses have hot water for showers, but not in the kitchen. Make sure to ask before you book, so you don’t get caught by surprise!
What’s the situation with electricity?
Stateside, our power grid is generally stable. That’s not always the case when you travel. In many places, power outages can be much more commonplace. Or, perhaps you’re planning on staying at an Airbnb that relies wholly on solar power, like my current stay. If we want to charge the laptops, we need to turn on an inverter first.
Hosts know that power is important for their guests and will often have plans in place to take care of you if there is an outage, but it’s always a good idea to ask what about the situation at their Airbnb. It might not be a problem at all, but if it could be it is good to be prepared.
What’s the best way to get around?
Some places are walking cities, and others are most definitely not. If you’re going to need to travel any sort of distance, it’s probably a good idea to get recommendations from your host. A lot of times they will have a taxi driver that they trust on call who can take you where you need to go. I always prefer to go with drivers that I’ve been assured are trustworthy both for safety, and because I don’t like to barter when I don’t have to. If you can find a taxi driver that gives you a price you’re happy with, stick with them! They’ll be happy for the repeat business and will work to keep you as a customer.
Conclusion
Airbnb isn’t the only place to find a great stay, but it has served my family well as we travel around the world. Even so, it can also be a minefield for those who aren’t cautious. Asking about the amenities you need to make your next trip a success helps to set expectations both for you and for your host and makes a great trip much more likely.
Happy travels!
