What to Pack for an Airbnb Stay
As a family of 6 we are huge fans of Airbnb and frequently choose to book with a host instead of staying at a hotel when we travel. To read more about my thoughts on Airbnb, you can read “9 Reasons to Stay in an Airbnb.”
Throughout our many Airbnb stays we have compiled a list of items that you should consider packing when staying at an Airbnb. We haven’t needed every single one of these items at each location, but for me it’s just peace of mind to go ahead and take them all with me.
Toilet paper – depending on how long you are staying and how many people are in your group, you might want to bring a roll or two with you. Most hosts keep their supplies locked and out of reach of their guests. You don’t want to run out of toilet paper and have to run out in the middle of the night to buy some.
Trash bag – there are so many good uses for an extra trash bag. You can put dirty clothes in it or wet swim clothes that don’t have time to dry before being packed. It’s also good for any beach items that might still have some sand in them and you don’t want to risk getting sand in your suitcase. Your host will probably only leave you access to one trash bag, so it’s best to be prepared with an extra.
Dish detergent – Your host will probably leave behind a cleaning list of things for you to do before you check out. One of those things is usually loading and running the dishwasher. If the guest before you used the last of the detergent and the cleaning crew didn’t remember to replace it, then you’re out of luck. I always throw a couple of dish detergent tablets in a baggie and into my luggage just in case.
Laundry detergent – Since having access to a washer and dryer is one of my 9 reasons to stay in an Airbnb, then I’m definitely going to make sure I have my own laundry detergent on hand. I don’t want to risk not having any on-site, and I also don’t want to risk only having access to a detergent that I don’t like. I do not usually use Tide Pods, but when they are on sale at Kroger I will buy them and save them to use when traveling. The Tide Pods are perfect for traveling because you can put them in a Ziploc bag and throw them in your luggage. I’ve traveled with a Mason jar of liquid detergent before, and while it survived without spilling, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.
Norwex cloth – This is something that I travel with no matter where I am staying. There are just certain things that I want to be able to wipe down when traveling, such as the tv remote and door handles. I have one that I keep in the outside pocket of my suitcase so I don’t even have to remember to pack it, it’s just always there, ready to go.
Ziploc bags – I try to pack a variety of sizes of Ziploc bags every time I travel. You never know when your quart-size toiletries bag might tear, or have something leak inside of it, so I like to have extras on hand. We also have lots of food and snacks with us, and the bags make it easy to divvy up smaller snack servings to pack in the backpack so that we’re not carrying so much with us each day while we’re out sightseeing.
Ice tray – I’ve noticed that several Airbnbs are permanent rental properties, meaning no one actually lives there, so the refrigerator onsite doesn’t always have an ice maker. If it does have an ice maker, I’m leery of how long the ice may have been in there, and how many hands might have been digging around in the ice dispenser tray. So to be on the safe side I’ll throw in my own ice tray and take it with me.
Hangers – I always check my listing to see if they list hangers as an amenity. If not, and we are driving, I will pack a few extra hangers to take with me if we are staying for more than a few days. We hang dry all of our clothes so as a family of 6 we’ve run into some challenges doing laundry at an Airbnb when there aren’t enough hangers. I wouldn’t take hangers with me when I fly.
Diffuser – We always travel with a small diffuser, for several reasons. First of all, we like to be able to put a little moisture in the air, especially if we’re visiting a dry area. We also like to bring our essential oils with us and diffuse some Thieves or Purification oil – anything we can do to prevent getting sick while we’re on the road. There have also been times when we wanted to mask the smell of the Airbnb. For example, one Airbnb that we stayed at was above a restaurant, and we didn’t want to have a constant food smell.
White noise machine – All 6 of us prefer to sleep with a white noise machine at home, so we definitely take it with us when we travel. If you’re used to sleeping when it’s super quiet, you might find it difficult to sleep in an Airbnb in a busy urban area. Having a white noise machine might help drown out the loud city noises.
Your own pillow/blanket – If we are driving we always pack our own pillows and blankets. We find that it’s much easier to fall asleep in a different bed when you have your own pillow and blanket with you. We usually find a way to pack blankets when we fly as well, but pillows don’t make the cut when traveling by plane.
Chip clips – I don’t know how many times we have forgotten to pack chip clips when we travel. We always pack unopened bags of chips for our road trips and then don’t have a way to keep it closed after opening it. We’ve also used them for other things while traveling too. They’re great for keeping curtains closed and for hanging swim clothes up to dry. Never underestimate the many uses of a chip clip.
Have the Airbnb app on your phone – This isn’t really something to pack per se, but it’s definitely something you want to make sure you have. You never know when you might need to contact your host and I’ve found this to be the best way to contact them.
Do you have a list of things that you like to pack when you stay at an Airbnb? Let me know if there’s something else you would add to my list.
68 Comments
Madi Dearson
Traveling with a family always consists of SO MANY details to remember – I am usually stressed the week before:) love this list -it is very helpful. haven’t tried Airbnb with the family yet but stated in holiday parks and the needs are pretty similar – thank you for sharing this.
Santana
My husband and I like to keep to ourselves so Airbnbs are our favorite! They’re much more private and homey than a hotel.
Sara W
So true!
Jane
We only stayed a couple times at an AirBnB and didn’t think about bringing any of the items you mentioned. I’ll definitely keep this in mind. This is very helpful especially the Diffuser because I’m asthmatic. We can’t sleep without any white noise so we normally turn on the fan or have our own application downloaded,
Beth Shields
Great list of things to consider and take. Thanks. I have stayed in Air BnB’s and you are correct on many of these.
Sara W
It’s always good to be prepared.
Jess
This is a great list. Thank you. We love AirBnBs also, but I never pack any of these. I love the idea of putting a rag in the outside of your suitcase. Going to do that on our next trip.
Sara W
I like being able to do a quick wipe down.
Jennifer Van Haitsma
I love bringing a lot of these things! Especially your own smells, and cleaning stuff. You never know what they’ll have there for you to use.
Sara W
Little touches can make it feel like your home away from home.
Danielle
I was burned on t.p. my first AirbnB stay 😂 these are great tips!
Sara W
We’ve had a few places that won’t provide additional supplies, especially when we stay one or two weeks in one Airbnb, so we’ve found it best to always bring extra just in case.
Anmita Das
It seems very effective to me. Thanks for the post. It’s good to be prepared.
Sara W
Yes, definitely better to be prepared than have to do without!
Adriane
Such a great list! I need to save for later when we can actually travel again. We had an airbnb scheduled in May but couldn’t go. Hopefully next year!
Sara W
We had to cancel all of our Airbnbs for our trip to Europe. We now have an insane amount of Airbnb credit that we need to use.
Kristen
This is a great Airbnb list! Sometimes we don’t think about things like toilet paper and laundry detergent!
Sara W
Yes, and there’s nothing worse that being without!
Kristin
Packing is the absolute worst part of any vacation!! I usually do a very bad job of it. A white noise machine is a GREAT suggestion. I don’t sleep well in new places.
Sara W
I’ve found that the closer I can make it seem like my bedroom then the easier it is for me to fall asleep.
Tricia Snow
Great tips! I usually move my whole house over for vacation so I am covered lol
Sara W
Definitely better to be overprepared.
Mariah French
Ziploc bags are always useful for us when we travel, especially for dirty diapers!
Sara W
So true!
leeandra
I’ve never used an airbnb before. thanks for the tips!
Sara W
You should give Airbnb a try, they can be a great place to stay when traveling.
Bonnie
Chip clips are a great idea to bring and we always bring ziplock bags – they come in handy.
Sara W
Definitely two must-haves!
Ramae Hamrin
Great list. Ziploc baggies are always at the top of my travel list, whether it’s a hotel or an Airbnb. How did people exist without those things? Chip clips are a close second.
Sara W
So true – what did people use before baggies?
Holly
Great tips! I have never used Airbnb but I have been looking into with all the craziness in the world this can a way to travel!
Sara W
There are so many great things about staying in an Airbnb. https://seekdiscoverlearn.com/9-reasons-to-stay-in-an-airbnb/
Maggie | leavemetodream.com
We love staying in AirBnBs! Thank you for these great tips!
Sara W
My pleasure.
Laura Lee
I’ve never stayed at an Air BNB, but I’ll keep this list in mind if I ever do!
Sara W
You should give it a try sometime.
Sabrina DeWalt
Thank you for the comprehensive list of things to pack. Some of them I definitely have never thought of.
Sara W
Glad you found it helpful.
Lisa
Great tips!! We love going the Airbnb route when we have large groups
Sara W
Same here!
Melissa Jones
Good tips! I’ve not stayed in one of those before.
Sara W
You should definitely give Airbnb a try.
Amy
That’s a good list because I would never imagine I’d have to bring half those items. You simply assume when you pay to stay somewhere, everything will be there. I’ve never stayed in an AirBNB so this is helpful to know.
Sara W
You definitely have to read the description because I’ve seen places where you have to bring your own sheets!
Alexis Farmer
I’ve never stayed in an Airbnb so I would’ve never known to bring these things. Thanks for sharing!
Sara W
You’re welcome, glad to help.
Taryn
Those are some really great suggestions. My husband is all “oooh, not staying at an airbnb because of COVID” these days. My son lives in NYC and we can’t afford the hotels so guess where he’s staying like it or not. Your tips are very helpful
Sara W
I would suggest reading recent reviews and see what people are saying about the cleanliness of the Airbnb. That will give you an idea of how they’re doing as far as their cleaning right now. You could also message the host and ask what they’re doing to sanitize. A Norwex would also help too.
Eva Keller
Great tips! Every place we’ve gone to has different amenities available so it’s great to plan ahead and bring these household items because they are definitely essential.
Sara W
Yes, we’ve found each home to be different as well. At some we haven’t needed any of these things, and others we’ve needed them all. You just never know, and I always prefer to be over-prepared.
Chelsea
Gosh, I never thought to bring my own TP to an AirBnB stay, but that’s a great tip to remember! I’ve been looking into staying at one more and more with COVID still strong in my area. The idea of staying in a home is more appealing to me than a hotel at the moment.
Sara W
We’ve found that if we stay at an Airbnb for longer than a week we run out of the supplies (such as toilet paper) that the host has left behind and they only provide starter supplies and don’t provide additional.
Charlene
Airbnbs is the way to go when traveling with a group larger than the typical hotel room can hold. There are some great ones out there, too! Love these tips for packing essentials!
Sara W
We love to travel with our friends, and it’s so nice to be able to stay at an Airbnb together where we’re still all under one roof, sharing common areas, but have our own bedrooms to retreat to.
Suzan | It's My Sustainable Life
Love utilizing airbnb’s. I would add a good disinfectant wipe as well. I’ve never had to supply TP but you can never be too prepared 🙂
Sara W
I use my Norwex cloth in place of disinfectant wipes. We’ve needed toilet paper when we’ve stayed in locations for longer than a week.
Danielle Ardizzone
We were supposed to stay in an AirBNB for our trip to Ocean City, Maryland, but we cancelled. This is good information to have for next time!
Sara W
I hope you’re able to get out and stay at an Airbnb soon.
Casandra
I love Norwex cloths too!
Sara W
There’s endless uses for them!
Kendra
Great list! I definitely need to remember the Norwex cloths and chip clips next time!
Sara W
The Norwex cloth is a lifesaver, especially now with everyone concerned about cleanliness standards.
Cindy
I know a lot of people that swear by Airbnb’s. I haven’t stayed in one yet but your advice is great!
Sara W
It’s so nice to have an alternative to a hotel sometimes.
Cindy Moore
I love staying in Airbnbs! I appreciate having a full kitchen so I can cook. This is a great list! I once carried in my own firewood as well, for an Airbnb that had a fireplace.
Sara W
We love taking advantage of the full kitchen when we’re on a laid back, relaxing trip, but most of our trips here lately have been jam-packed full of activities and we end up having to eat on the go.
Kay
Good extension cord, flashlight, nightlight.
Heather
Love your suggestions! I include tissues, a night light, cork screw, my own knives (I have a low tolerance for low-quality knives) and most importantly coffee supplies. I verify on the listing what coffee maker they use and plan accordingly. I don’t use k-cups at home but the airbnb I’m going to tomorrow does … so I am bringing some along!