Like the idea of vacation rentals over hotel rooms but aren’t sure how to get better prices and places? We stay in vacation rentals worldwide with our kids, from 7 nights to longer stays of 28 nights and beyond. We put these 7 tips to work for every Airbnb booking, and they’re how to save money on Airbnb, VRBO, and other vacation rentals. (BTW, the fourth tip has helped us the most.)
Search vacation rentals worldwide
Spec out your must-have amenities, such as AC during a hot summer or wifi for entertainment or remote work
As much as we loved our stay in Bologna, Italy, our Airbnb turned out not to have wifi. In all honesty, we’re not sure if we missed that amenity being excluded from the listing, or if the host changed the amenities and we weren’t informed.
We were not thrilled.
However, we managed. It turned out there was a nearby public library where we could get online for work and school.
Still. We try to have a good idea of our must-have amenities for any stay. For example, for an upcoming stay in the Tokyo area, we will be out and about a lot. Some stays were far from train stations. While slightly more expensive, we looked for stays with proximity to train stations, so it’s easier for us to get and about for our sightseeing.
Know what you need out of your stay’s general area
Rental listings only show a general area for where the property is, but that can give you a solid sense of what’s around.
When Jodie looks into VRBO or Airbnb vacation rental properties, she cross-references with Google Maps to see what sort of eateries, libraries, and other attractions could be nearby. We also try to get a sense of the area’s walkability, plus access for bus stops, metro stations, and rideshares.
What does your rental need to help you accomplish?
When we stayed a month in Sevilla, Spain’s Triana area, we chose to book Airbnb in part for our rental’s walkable proximity to nearby attractions, such as the Mercado de Triana. However, for the 2024 total eclipse, we chose a suburban rental for three nights in San Antonio, Texas. That location helped us more easily get to our eclipse viewing spot, had enough room for us and Jodie’s parents, and made it easy to prepare meals for our day’s adventures (or comfy up on the big couch at night to watch a movie).
We’ve sometimes stayed in Airbnbs, such as one in Tokyo, simply so we had cooking space, a nifty neighborhood, and a nearby train station. Conversely, in Hua Hin, Thailand, our month stay was for the on-site pool, the convenience store and night markets nearby, and a spacious condo where we could feel at home while we tended to a lot of business.
If your Airbnb needs simply to be a place to sleep and keep your stuff, cool. If you want to really dig into a neighborhood where you’ve been wanting to spend lots of time, know that. The more you understand your priorities for what you want out of your stay, the better you can match up the right Airbnb or VRBO rental for your trip, get the amenities you consider important, and let slide the ones that are not a big deal.
Don’t just look for reviews. Look for recent reviews
When we look into vacation rentals, we look for 4+ star reviews from at least the last 6 months.
Recent reviews are a much stronger indicator not only of the property’s true current condition, but of the host’s responsiveness and how recent guests are perceiving their experience.
What does this mean for your vacation rental searches?
First look for recent reviews on a property.
Also check the host’s history. Do they have other properties? What do those reviews say? Is the host responsive and engaging with guests? If you’re seeing overall positive comments, then odds are you have found a good place to stay.
Properties will have problems. What matters more is how the host responded
We’ve owned our own home and stayed in rentals around the world. From a dead water heater in Mexico to a weird smell in Spain, we have no illusions about properties having problems.
Things happen. Stuff breaks. Equipment wears out. We don’t expect Airbnb properties to somehow magically defy the laws of reality and never ever have things that stop working or need repair.
But we do expect the host to be responsive, kind, and thorough.
When we note guest complaints in a review, we look for context around how the host handled it, and especially if the host also replied. A responsive host means we can rely on them to be there for us as guests not if, but when problems arise with a property.
Look for (and ask for) discounts on longer stays
Often, hosts offer discounts on longer stays, often at 7-night and 28-night intervals. Sure, sometimes you may only have a few days or a week. If you can stay longer in one property, you cut down more than your need to uproot. Longer stays usually get price breaks on Airbnb. For properties where we’ve been able to stay for 28 days, it often costs us the same as if we stayed somewhere for 2 weeks.
It’s also okay to message the host for other options or price breaks. For example, maybe you are staying somewhere for 14 or 21 nights, but there’s a price break at 28 nights. Message the Airbnb host, explain your situation, share how much you think the property could be a good fit, and ask if they’d be willing to offer an adjusted rate.
Sure, they might say no. They also might say yes. How to save money on Airbnb, VRBO, and other vacation rentals depends in part on being willing to ask for a deal.
A new property from an experienced host can be an amazing deal on a lovely stay
We’re writing this from an Airbnb rental house in Virginia. The listing is brand new and has no reviews—and we are staying here for nearly two months.
However, the host manages many other short-term rentals. They have a stellar reputation, and their other properties have lots of good reviews, whereas this stay had a recent full renovation, and as a new listing simply hasn’t had many guests yet.
We saved a little money on the stay since it’s new (and we’re staying for over a month). Being here has been like being in a new house—and it’s been comfy, safe, worry-free, and wonderful.
That new listing now has an excellent review from us.
Why do we choose vacation rentals like Airbnb and VRBO over hotels?
While we sometimes stay in hotels, we usually choose rentals, such as apartments, condos, and homes, over hotel rooms. Here’s why:
Location
We love staying in local neighborhoods. We get into more of the rhythm of daily life, plus we find it’s easier to access everyday amenities, such as grocery stores. While hotels can offer convenient access to sightseeing spots, we don’t mind snagging a train, bus, or rideshare. Generally, we consider the transportation part of the experience, not just a way to get to and from the experience.
Cooking
Speaking of grocery stores, we dine out occasionally, but we prefer to prepare our own food. Rentals typically have a kitchen, so it’s easy for us to stock up on groceries. Plus, we consider the grocery store a destination all its own! Grocery shopping, and preparing the same foods regular folks eat, is one of our favorite activities everywhere we go around the world.
Value
We typically stay in one place for at least a week, and often a month. Doing so not only gives us more time in a destination (not to mention less time transitioning and transiting). It often opens up price breaks. We’ve had many stays, such as in Portugal and Morocco, where staying in a rental for 28 nights cost us the same as 14 nights.
More space
Our family spends a lot of time together. We can share space in a motorhome, a popup camper, and hotel rooms of various sizes. Since we like to stay in one spot for around a month at a time though, it’s really nice to have more space. Rentals help us spread out more. We feel more at home in spaces where we can come together but also have time on our own.
More local, less touristy
Two of our favorite rental locations have been in regular, everyday neighborhoods in Sevilla, Spain, and Osaka, Japan. In both spots we could wander quiet, safe streets, head to local shops and eateries, and easily access public transportation and rideshares. Getting to activities and attractions was easy, and we could chat with people in our neighborhood. How to save money on Airbnb and other rentals can also get easier when you search outside typical tourist areas.
Be strategic about when you stay in hotels or rentals, and you can save money too
We don’t think of hotels and rentals as being in competition. We think of them as serving different purposes for different types of trips.
During longer stays in one place, we typically prioritize getting a rental, for all the reasons we mentioned above. For example, staying a month in Fes, Morocco, we stayed in a lovely apartment. During our week in Rabat, Morocco, a rental inside the medina, or walled old city and market, made it easy to go out and pick up fresh food for cooking just about every day (not to mention fresh cookies from the stall around the corner). We were also able to get a multi-night discounted rate for each of these stays.
However, we stay in hotels when that fits our purpose better. During a concert weekend trip in Virginia, for example, we snagged a hotel room. It was close to the venue, and we only needed a room for a couple of nights. For that, a hotel was perfect.
How to save money on Airbnb, VRBO, and other vacation rentals comes down to understanding your needs, location, and how many nights you’re staying. It also means looking for recent reviews, constructive replies from a host when problems arise, and being willing to ask for a better rate.
We save money booking Airbnb and other rentals around the world. Our stays serve our needs, help us stretch our family travel budget, and help us enjoy where we’re visiting. Airbnbs and other rentals can be a great way for you and your family to travel—and using these 7 tips, you can put to work how to save money on Airbnb, and save money on your travels, too.
