There is always an element of surprise to all travel arrangements, and, for the sake of adventure spirit, I strongly believe it should remain so. If you have never been disappointed by accommodation in your lifetime, I’d say you are either a wizard or you have not been around that much. Of course, the Internet has tremendously changed the “booking game” for both, the world explorers and the travel industry. Nowadays, armed to our teeth with Google Maps, TripAdvisor, virtual location tours and millions and millions of reports by fellow travelers, we cannot be fooled very easily. But, as it is usually the case, with more information comes more responsibility and more work for you, the end customer. Opening an actual print hotel catalog and pointing your finger at one with the best and, frankly, the most doctored pictures seems quite an outdated option. What worked for the generation of our parents just does not do the trick for us, the travelers of generations X or Y. Our “information high” is always on the look out for the next fix. Those with the most typical cases of Internet addiction will be able to tell you the exact distance, i.a. the number of steps, metro stations, cycling kilometers between their upcoming accommodation and the beach, the nearest bakery, Starbucks, the best restaurant in the neighborhood or the theater/museum the tickets for which they have already acquired (of course!) in a great advance online (“Who wants to queue for hours with other sweaty tourists outside the venue??? Besides, a mobile ticket is environmentally friendly!”).

So how does it work with Airbnb and what “information fixes” should we look for while choosing a right Airbnb host? Continue reading “On Art of Airbnb host-guest matchmaking” →