Is Airbnb suitable for solo female travellers ?

[Magstravel]

Hi guys,

I'm 32 years old and will be travelling spain soon for a whole year. I'm excited and nervous since it's the first time travelling alone.

I have been trying to prepare as much as possible for the trip and looking at placea to rent on airbnb.com

I have some questions though regarding airbnb..

1) Is it safe for solo female travellers ?

2) How safe is it leaving expensive electronics in the hosts house ? Ie camera, laptop, ipad, etc.

3) is there anything else i should know about booking airbnbs in spain ?

Thanks guys

 

[GailS]

My advice would be to only book a place with a good number of very positive reviews (without negative reviews). Read the reviews and don't just look at an overall rating. Nothing is a guarantee but hopefully you can find places where you can have some sense of how safe they may be based on lots of others experiences.

 

[Kathrynj]

I’ve rented apartments through Airbnb and other vacation rental sites for solo travel a number of times with no difficulty. I agree about reading a good number of the reviews and don’t choose something with only a handful of reviews.
Since you will be traveling solo, I would also suggest doing your research about areas in the cities in which you are staying. Avoid any areas that might be sketchy - safety wise.

 

[veronicafrance]

What Gail said. I've just returned from a solo AirBnB stay, no problems at all -- a place with lots of positive reviews (and one clearly unreasonable negative one, complaining that an 18th-century building didn't have an elevator ...). I do leave electronics in my room, can't see an alternative since I'm not about to lug the laptop everywhere I go! My basic approach is to trust people to be decent.

 

[SMJ]

I've rented apartments solo for many years; in the UK, in Italy and in Paris. Not just AirBnB, but Homeaway, and VRBO too. Look for many reviews, have some discussions with the host before booking, look for lots of photos, ask questions, and see if you can find the street and building you are looking for on Google Streetview.
Apartments are the way to go!
One thing: if you are coming off a long flight to get to your destination; perhaps stay the first night in a hotel near your apartment.
That way, you will get a good sleep, some food , and be fresh and more able to be making good decisions in the morning; and your head will be clear and less jet-lagged when you meet your host and go to the apartment.
And, as always; leave a detailed itinerary of your trip and where you'll be with someone at home.
I have always left valuables in the apartments with no problems; though I do hide them away in my case or bag, just in case a cleaner or maintenance person comes by.
Just make sure you lock all the windows and doors while you are out.

 

[joe]

Hi Magstravel and welcome here.

If this is your first time using AirBnB, just be sure that you are aware that some rooms and apts. are shared. This shows up in the filters and choices pretty clearly ("Home Type"), but pay attention, that you don't book a type that you're not interested in.

 

[veronicafrance]

Forgot to say that having chosen a likely place, I always send a question of some kind to the host. That helps to judge responsiveness and gives you some idea of their helpfulness.

 

[Magstravel]

Hey guys,

Sorry it has taken so long to reply, however, I have been so busy with work and planning my travels, it can be hard to get time to reply.

I wanted to say a huge thank you girls for tuning in and offering advise. I have since decided to take the plunge and make a booking on airbnb. I'm so excited but also very nervous about meeting the host! Fingers crossed everything will be fine and thw apartment will be nice and clean and secure. I done what was advised here and checked the location of the airbnb too and it looks to be fine.

Whilst looking around and I don't know if anybody has seen but you can actually get a $35 discount off your first booking on airbnb.

Whilst looking around, I stumbled across this video on airbnb where it gives you a direct link to the $35 discount. So hopefully it helps others save a bit money on the first trip.

View: https://youtu.be/vRS1C78skf0