What It’s Like To Live In An Airbnb Full-Time
Maybe you are thinking of taking the plunge into full-time travel, and are wondering what it’s actually like to live in an Airbnb…
Since April of 2017 we have been hopping from one Airbnb to the next, as we explored nearly all of Central America, and are currently in South America. We’re gonna give you the truth, without the sugar coating. This is our real life perspective so you can decide if it’s for you.
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How long should you stay in an Airbnb…
When we first started traveling, we used to hop from one Airbnb to the next. Literally only staying a few days, and then went on our way to the next one. This was INSANE, and not our idea of fun. How are you supposed to soak up an area, and enjoy the culture if you are only there for a blink of an eye?
Moving around from place to place is not economic, super exhausting, and packing ever few days sucks. It seems impossible to be grounded or feel like a well functioning human when you are constantly moving. If you want to flush your cash down the toilet, waste a lot of time, and feel crappy in your mind & body… Go ahead and bounce from place to place. When you are traveling full-time though, it makes no sense to be in a rush to see the world when you can live like a local, and REALLY experience what a place has to offer. We like to stay in a places for 3 weeks to a month, which can often result in some kind of discount. (If you haven’t booked with Airbnb before get a discount on us.)
Finding a GOOD Airbnb to live in…
Searching for an Airbnb to live in long term, or at least for a few weeks isn’t like going apartment/condo shopping. You are doing everything online, and sometimes not searching for places until last minute. Some areas aren’t as robust with amazing places to stay, and some are straight up slim pickin’s.
I have gotten REALLY good at finding a place that is up to our standard, and has everything that we need to live comfortably in the space considering we work from the places we stay.
Pro tip… Write out a list of your non-negotiables. Here’s ours:
A comfortable stylish workspace, so we can build our biz as we travel, and shoot vids in the space if necessary.
A nice kitchen! Cooking our own food keeps us healthy, and eating in restaurants every day is a huge time suck! Sure get out there, and explore the culture & cuisine! BUT eating all of your meas out every day gets pricy, and most of the time the food isn’t even as good as what we cook.
Internet is ALWAYS a must! If you are travelling with an online biz, you need internet! Something we have been doing lately is asking our hosts to run a speed test before we book so we know the upload & download speeds. You can use speedtest.net . There is nothing worse then committing to an Airbnb long term, and finding out the internet stinks. Talk about kill all momentum in your online business.
Living in a walkable area is amazing. If you can walk to the local farmers market, or are able to explore without renting a car it’s the best. Though, our favorite place we have stayed so far was Gigante Nicaragua… Unfortunately, it was not walkable, but it was the most peaceful place we have ever been. When we stayed there we had to rent a car, and drive 45 minutes to go get groceries. (Costing us $80 for 2 weeks of groceries.) So it wasn’t a big deal when the car was a pretty good price too. Also, if you rent a car for a few days you can take it on adventures, so it isn’t always a problem to be out in the middle of nowhere. It’s actually the best if you like the sound of waves crashing, birds chirping, and peace.
Choose an Airbnb host that is a Superhost, or pick a space that Airbnb deems a Gem! Then you are most likely to have a great experience!
An outdoor space is ALWAYS nice, but big windows will suffice! I am a sun baby, and really enjoy being in the sun. I like to meditate in the morning sun, do some sun salutations, and write in my journal while I soak it up. Turns out, Brian does too! It’s also really nice to work in the sun, or take a nice break soaking up some rays…
Room to work out & do yoga, either inside or outside! BEcause feeling good should BE at the top of any successful entrepreneurs list above all else!
Every time you book an Airbnb to live in full-time, you take a risk…
Like I mentioned before, some areas you want to go will be slim pickin’s. Especially if you leave reserving a place until last minute, or the region you want to go is off the grid. To be honest we aren’t always the best at booking in advance either… BUT I would say we have learned our lesson, and are definitely getting better.
Here are some other troubles you can possibly run into…
- You miss out on nice place, and will likely not have all your needs met.
- You may find your dream place, but it only has a few days available (thus no long term stays.)
- The place looks amazing in photos, and sucks in real life… Or is just old & worn out, and the pics are old too.
- The internet is too slow to run your online business
- It could be noisy, stinky, or have pests… Three things that just can’t be captured on camera, or won’t be…
BEst Airbnb practices for long term travelers…
Select the date & filters that are important to you before you even bother looking.
ALWAYS read the reviews! A lot of times people will spill the beans, and let you know what a place is REALLY like! This has been soo helpful to us.
Book as far in advance as you possibly can. We like to book a few weeks to a month in advance. Sometimes it’s just not possible to know how long you want to stay in an area… What if you love it, and want to stay longer? OR what if you hate it? It’s always a toss… So sometimes we just go with our intuition. If we think we are going to really like an area, we may book a place for a couple of weeks, and then if it is a great Airbnb we book it longer once we arrive. Sometimes you can even do a cash deal… Which is sweet for both parties.
Treat a place as if it was your own. If there are problems with the space, or something breaks let the host know. Superhosts will usually fix things right away. We have had some amazing hosts! The key is communicating with them politely. Which may seem obvious, but our hosts always seem surprised by how nice we are to them. Kindness goes a long way!
Make sure you write a review, and BE honest about your stay! Point out the things you loved, and the things that would matter to other travelers because reviews play a big role in decision making like we mentioned above. (For more on choosing an awesome Airbnb click HERE)
There are some amazing places & spaces out there…
It’s true, we have stayed in a few crap holes, BUT most of the time if you follow the tips we have given you here… You will find some of the coolest places in the world. Guess what? You don’t have to buy that place or commit to living there the rest of your life. When you travel full-time, you get to experience a place a long as you want, and when you are ready to move on you do.
Wondering how you can enjoy full-time travel, and the beautiful Airbnb’s of the world…
Build a biz online that allows you the flexibility & freedom to see the world on your terms. That’s all we did. Just two normal people, who figured out how to navigate the online jungle.
If you are ready to learn how to start building a business that allows you to BE where you want, whenever you want, with your love… Grab the 7 day trial for the Exclusive Tribe For Entrepreneurs. It’s only a dollar. We would love to have you in there, and help you reach your goals.
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Did This Help You? If so, we would greatly appreciate it if you comment below and share on Facebook, or any of your favorite social media pages!
Brian Garcia + Erin Nicole Bick are full-time location independent, online business owners. Brian’s background is in firefighting, digital + photographic imaging, and web development. Erin’s background is in professional hairstyling, social intuition, personal development, creative writing, and brand identity development. Together, they create eCourses, high-end online business development coaching, and social media marketing strategies. They go by… BE Adventure Partners!
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