Move over Couchsurfing, now there’s AirBnB

I’m always curious about alternatives to mainstream travel, so when I heard about this option for accommodations I was intrigued.

AirBnB is a website where locals offer a place in their home (be it an airbed, bed, or entire home) where you can sleep for the night and get a more local experience than at a hotel. Yes, just as Couchsurfing was an alternative to hotels and hostels, now there’s an alternative to Couchsurfing.

The one downside: there’s a fee. Even despite that, I figure it’s worth considering. Who knows—maybe the quality of accommodations available are worth the little expense.

Taking a quick look, I’m finding more real beds (vs airbeds) and private rooms (vs shared rooms) than expected. A place like Paris has 18 offerings, ranging from $20-200, in the span of arrondissements and room types.

AirBnB has only been up and running since August 2008, but it already has options in 915 cities and 74 countries—a large number are in the US, but the international choices are as far afield as Yemen and Pakistan.

When the website launched in August, it was first put to the test during the Democratic National Convention in Denver that same month, when so many people were vying for places to stay. Then, it was tested by the presidential inauguration in January 2009, when the hotels in Washington, D.C. and surrounding area were completely booked.

Posted by | Comments (11)  | May 13, 2009
Category: General, Notes from the collective travel mind


11 Responses to “Move over Couchsurfing, now there’s AirBnB”

  1. Backpack Foodie Says:

    Hmm. So this is how the CS concept goes from grassroots and community-driven to commercial. I see.

    I have the same feeling about this than with ’boutique hostel’; I think it misses the point dramatically. The beauty of CS is that no money is involved; it means only people who are genuinely interested in hosting end up doing so, and out of a desire to meet their guest and show them around their city.

    Do we, as a society, need to pay for things in order to attribute them value?

  2. Lani Sammons Says:

    As an avid couchsurfer and believer in the philosophy of couchsurfing, I think sometimes, for whatever reason, people may just want cheap/kind of homey accomodation. Maybe a couch can’t be found. I would feel better about paying a person or family for staying in their home, than some big, corporate hotel chain. Instead of looking at this as an alternative to couchsurfing (it’s not free, after all), I look at it as an alternative to hostels.

  3. Travel-Writers-Exchange.com Says:

    I’ll check out the website. I never coached surfed — it never occurred to me to couch surf. It would be an experience to stay with a family. You never know who you’ll meet. You may make some lasting friendships.

  4. Backpack Foodie Says:

    I can’t speak for AirBnB, but you should definitely check out CouchSurfing.com. I’ve made many enduring friends through the system, and it’s, in my opinion, the most exciting way to travel the world. (Not to mention it’s 100% free.)

  5. Sidra Says:

    I used AirBnB because I would’ve been out the whole day and not been able to share a lot of conversation with my host. If I had used couchsurfing, I think my host would have felt ‘used’ if i didn’t even talk to her. After all, the purpose of couch surfing is really to facilitate social interaction…and I couldn’t provide that.

  6. Paul Says:

    I agree with Backpack Foodie. Whenever there is a good, genuine, careless idea to help people,there will always be others who want to “help”. That’s how Interent started.

  7. Rodger Says:

    Hey all – please check out LetMyBed.com. We’re bringing together the varied sources of vacation home, room and bed rentals online in one simple, easy-to-use search engine. Please let us know your feedback!

  8. Waj Says:

    i appologise in advance if i offend anyone by saying this, but as someone who knows couchsurfers personally, i have to say the concept suits those with no money, very few friends in life (the main friends being the ones made through couchsurfing) or worse: both. i believe in paying my dues and thats why airbnb grabbed my attention- you get to leave something behind AND if your lucky your host can show you around- if not invest in a lonely plpanet guide and do it yourself!
    personally, i dont know if i could ever admit to people i travelled halfway around the world to crash on a random strangers house….for free!?!?

  9. Joe Says:

    Waj – you really sound like you’re working for airbnb. No one should be embarrassed to meet people who freely offer a place to stay. Why should they be? Or you could keep the world at arm’s length and “pay your way.” Loosen up! You may enjoy it.

  10. Mat Says:

    Couchsurfing has now become more of a social website like facebook. People meet for a drink etc.
    Every year, the number of couchrequests / accepted couchrequest ratio goes down and down. Lately it’s almost a miracle to get your request approved. A lot of people stay in hotels/hostels and meet only for a coffee or drink… in short, couchsurfing isn’t what it used to be

  11. AVOID AT ALL COSTS Says:

    Well I would avoid at all costs

    here is an article about a guy who had his place ransacked by an airbnb host. there are no security checks done so you could be staying with a psycho with a nice apartment.

    Quote
    “They smashed a hole through a locked closet door, and found the passport, cash, credit card and grandmother’s jewelry I had hidden inside. They took my camera, my iPod, an old laptop, and my external backup drive filled with photos, journals… my entire life. They found my birth certificate and social security card, which I believe they photocopied – using the printer/copier I kindly left out for my guests’ use. They rifled through all my drawers, wore my shoes and clothes, and left my clothing crumpled up in a pile of wet, mildewing towels on the closet floor. They found my coupons for Bed Bath & Beyond and used the discount, along with my Mastercard, to shop online. Despite the heat wave, they used my fireplace and multiple Duraflame logs to reduce mounds of stuff (my stuff??) to ash – including, I believe, the missing set of guest sheets I left carefully folded for their comfort. Yet they were stupid and careless enough to leave the flue closed; dirty gray ash now covered every surface inside.

    They did weird stuff too: moving things around in a spooky, psychotic kind of way – creepy little things that I am still discovering as I dig through the wreckage – like cutting the tags off my pillows, and hanging a painting of Paris on the wall that I had never hung before… probably while wearing my now-missing Ugg boots and Roots cap.

    All the while, Dj Pattrson was sending me friendly emails, thanking me for being such a great host, for respecting his/her privacy…. ”

    Link.
    https://ejroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2011/06/violated-travelers-lost-faith-difficult.html