9 Reasons to Stay in an Airbnb

If you’re not considering Airbnb when you travel, let me give you some reasons why you should. Anytime I travel I always check prices for both Airbnb and hotels. As a family of 6 sometimes it’s not only more economical to stay in an Airbnb, but there are several other reasons that it suits our large family better than a hotel.

Access to a kitchen.  I love having a full-size fridge when we travel.  We like to bring our own food and snacks and usually have things that need to be refrigerated.  Even though many hotels have a mini-fridge in the room, it just never feels cold enough for my liking, and the freezer never keeps anything frozen.

We also like to pack our own breakfast, so being able to use a stove to cook eggs or make oatmeal is a bonus.  We don’t usually cook dinners when we travel because we stay out as late as we can sightseeing, but you would have that option if that’s something you wanted to do.

Access to a washer and dryer.  Having a washer and dryer means you can pack fewer clothes, which also means there’s less to keep track of/keep up with while you’re on the road.  I buy washer tablets (ex. Tide Pods) and bring them with me in case the host doesn’t provide laundry detergent. The tablets are easy to pack and are mess-free.

As soon as we get back from a day of sightseeing I have everyone shower/change into pjs and I throw their clothes in the wash.  By the time I’ve got everyone in bed, our backpack repacked and lunches packed, the laundry is ready to throw in the dryer and I head to bed.  You could also start a load in the morning and throw it in the dryer before you head out the door for the day, it just depends on if you’re checking out and changing locations that day or not.

Room to spread out.  When we travel we are together 24/7, and it’s nice to have the option of being in different rooms if we need to.  The kids might want to veg out on their iPads, but don’t want to be near a sibling.  Some of us might want to play a board/card game, while others just want to watch a movie.  Some might want to eat, while some might want to get to bed before others. It’s just nice to have the flexibility of spreading out.

Multiple bedrooms. A three-bedroom layout is ideal for us. The girls can have a bedroom, the boys can have a bedroom, and Rob and I can have a bedroom.  I like being able to have the option of putting the kids to bed early while I stay up packing lunches for the next day, repacking if we’re moving to a new location, repacking backpacks, starting laundry, etc. without keeping anyone else up. There are also times that we like being able to put Hadassah to bed while others stay up.

Multiple bathrooms.  We almost can’t function without having an adult bathroom and a kid’s bathroom.  When traveling with 6 people, we always have some who want to shower in the morning, some who want to shower at night, and some who insist on doing both.  So having 2 plus bathrooms saves us a lot of time and a lot of arguments.

Great for traveling with friends/other family members.  You can easily find an Airbnb that has plenty of room for 2 or more families to spread out, while still enjoying time together.  We took advantage of this on our Colorado trip and found several places that had plenty of room for our group of 13, which was made up of 3 families.

Location. If you’re staying in an urban area you can find an Airbnb that’s within walking distance of everything, or an Airbnb that’s close to public transportation.  You can also find an Airbnb with breathtaking views or one that’s right on the beach or a lake.  There are even Airbnb’s on the side of a mountain or in the middle of the woods. Anything you want you can find, it just depends on whether or not it’s in your price range.

Access to amenities. Some Airbnb’s have a private pool or hot tub.  Others have access to a neighborhood/community pool/water park.  You can also find hosts that offer access to community tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, lakes, fitness centers, walking paths, clubhouses, etc.  There are homes with private back yards, beach access, lake access, private swingset, grill.  There are all kinds of possibilities when it comes to amenities.

Themed rooms. Airbnb hosts in large tourist areas sometimes go out of their way to provide themed rooms.  There is an abundance of Disney and Harry Potter themed bedrooms in the Orlando area.  You can also find Disney themed rooms near Disneyland in California, and beach-themed rooms anywhere near the beach.  Want something even more unique? How about a whole house that looks like a Hobbit house, a Star Wars pod from Tatooine, or a gingerbread house in the woods? You would be surprised at what you can find.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to Airbnb and start looking for the perfect place to stay on your next trip.