Here's another great travel resource if you're watching your pennies and would prefer a more home-grown vacation experience: rent a room from a local through AirBnB, an online marketplace for peer-to-peer traveling. AirBnB enables people to earn money by renting out their extra space — be it a room, a couch, terrace or rooftop. They list their accommodations, put up a bunch of pictures, and set their price per night. Simple! You, as the traveler, get to browse through the options in your destination city...
AirBnB: Rent a Room —or Rooftop— from a Local
According to the Daily News:
AirBnB co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk, 26, said he and two friends came up with the idea in 2007, when they realized they could rent out spare rooms in their San Francisco apartments to attendees at a big design conference held there. Business is booming, fueled by residents hoping to make extra cash and visitors in search of bargain digs, he said. AirBnB's biggest market is New York, Blecharczyk said. The site has some 800 listings in the city, with as many as 50 new ones put up each week. "New York rents are really expensive," he said. "This is allowing people to hold on to their places." And for travelers, $100 is a pretty good deal for a night in a New York penthouse, even if it's just a tent on a rooftop.
We were very impressed with a lot of the spaces we came across. Most of the pictures were really clear and gave a good overall sense of the apartment and the owner's aesthetic. And it was pretty affordable, too. Prices averaged around $85/night, even for trendy locations like Williamsburg, Brooklyn and parts of Manhattan. (Which may sound outrageous, but is a bargain for New York.)
And personally, we love seeing pictures of people's homes! Just scrolling through the New York apartments gave us plenty of eye candy.
Check it out at AirBnB's website. And let us know if you've ever done this, and what your experience has been!
Via Daily News
Photo: Christine's "Slice of Brooklyn" in Gowanus, Brooklyn, available for for $70/night.
Comments (2)
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This looks AMAZING. Thanks for the heads up!
view Miss Jess's profile
I live in Kentucky and right around Derby people flock to our city. I don't know anyone that has used AirBnB but some friends and family members rent extra rooms and guest houses. Just a warning to anyone considering renting that sometimes things can get trashed and stolen. Including old glass doorknobs original to the house (who does this?).
Renting to business men or someone headed to a conference might not be so bad, even the heavy gamblers that head down here for the races are pretty good people. It was a regular Joe, in town to have fun with his friends that stole the hardware from the house. Just make sure you interview the person, and if you get a bad vibe, pass.
view Rolen the Great's profile