Comments on: Tips for using Airbnb Paris and for other places in Europe

By: Raman S

Raman S — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 09:53:01 +0000

Oh great, I would almost always expect towels at an Airbnb. Good to know to expect this if we use it in France. Good to know that I should book it in Euros too since my Capital One doesn’t have foreign transaction fees.

By: How We Feel at Home Traveling With Airbnb - The Expat Experiment

How We Feel at Home Traveling With Airbnb - The Expat Experiment — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 12:59:29 +0000

[…] than what we would expect. Our friend Talon explained these challenges perfectly in a post of his here. Long story short with this point, communicate with the host if you have questions. make sure you […]

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 15:27:34 +0000

In reply to Steph (@ 20 Years Hence). I finally bought a couple of knives for the same reason. Lately, I've been noticing more Airbnb places having at least some basics like sugar, salt, and cooking oil, but I definitely give high marks to ones that include even more seasonings and real coffee (not instant). Like you I was so used to having a lot of seasonings to work with so not having them now is always a bummer.

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 15:25:43 +0000

In reply to philatravelgirl.

Paris is infamous for not having lifts in apartment buildings so you’ll definitely want to check that.

As cheap as toilet paper is, that’s just so ridiculous. Especially if someone is staying for multiple days!

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 15:24:11 +0000

In reply to Jim D. I'm not sure he could've fit in there when he was 5! lol

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 15:23:52 +0000

In reply to Gerard ~ GQ trippin. It's one of those things I don't understand. How many people travel with their own sheets? Towels, maybe, but I would expect an Airbnb place to have them.

By: Gerard ~ GQ trippin

Gerard ~ GQ trippin — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 06:14:43 +0000

Oh man, I would almost always expect towels at an airbnb. Good to know to expect this if we use it in France. Good to know that I should book it in Euros too since my Capital One doesn’t have foreign transaction fees.

By: Jim D

Jim D — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 00:50:17 +0000

Well it Tigger would stop growing so fast, he would fit in the tub….

Good write up… thanks…

By: philatravelgirl

philatravelgirl — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 16:52:42 +0000

These are great tips. I’ve just used AirBnb for the first time in Italy and spent hours pouring over the reviews for the hidden clues (especially about the elevator as I can carry my bag two floors but would die for more than that). I wish I knew about the conversion too as I couldn’t figure it out on my phone to charge in Euro – hate paying in USD and getting charged a fee – they already have a few hefty fees that made a hotel cheaper in some cases.

The reviews are important especially in Italy – I’ve seen one person say that the host only provided one roll of TP and charged for extra! and others note the nitpicky items in Italy. It has definitely been interesting – now off to find a flat in Paris that isn’t on the 7th floor with a view or I’m leaving my bag on floor zero!

By: Steph (@ 20 Years Hence)

Steph (@ 20 Years Hence) — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 13:43:18 +0000

That’s a great tip about the currency conversion! I have (foolishly) never considered changing our currency before booking somewhere and never considered that, in addition to their annoying service fees, AirBnB would also be charging a currency conversion fee too. Definitely something I’ll be keeping an eye out for in the future!

I do like using AirBnB because it’s a great way to save money, but I do find it to be something of a gamble. I tend to find that photos are quite misrepresentative—many places are cleaned and gussied up for the photos, but then you arrive and the place is no where near as fresh and bright as the photos made it look. And, in Europe, we found that a lot of important information was left out of listings—the place we rented in Paris (we just rented a bedroom) was in a flat that had a cat and allowed smoking in the common area, even though neither of these things were mentioned. Same for Florence, where they specifically said no smoking in the individual bedroom… but wouldn’t you know it, people smoked in the common area and that was ok, and you could still smell it in the bedroom!

Also, without fail, AirBnB kitchens are always terribly stocked. Now that we are traveling with a car here in Mexico, we have bitten the bullet and purchased our own knife, because we were so tired of using knives that were so dull they would generally just smoosh whatever we were trying to cut! And, of course, it’s rare to find a place that has anything more than salt, pepper and oil as your seasoning. For someone who always had a well-stocked spice cabinet at home, that has been so painful for me!