My first Airbnb experience was wonderful, overall. The only problem was my naiveté around what I expected for $25/night in the DC area (College Park, MD). The house was a bit dumpy due to deferred maintenance. In fact, inside and out, the home was exactly like a college kid’s pad. Cheap furniture, aging paint, crummy artwork, and a “bachelors” bathroom and kitchen. My bed was on the floor. The home owner didn’t actually live there and owns several other crash pads that he rents out through Airbnb. He has a nice college-aged kid who lives in a room full-time while keeping an eye on things.

I am not really picky, and having raised a son I am familiar with the ambiance I found here! It didn’t bother me. Why? because if you set that aside, this room was perfect in every way. I was minutes from the Metro. The house had free, super fast WiFi, a refrigerator for my yogurt and almond milk, a microwave, washer/dryer, a nice hot shower, and peace and quiet! The house kid kept to his room most of the time and didn’t bother me at all. I am not overly social in this kind of situation so that suited me fine. The house had a dead bolt lock and my room a regular lock. One afternoon, I walked .5 miles to the grocery store and saw lots of kids walking home from school. I would not walk around here or to the metro after dark, but that is true most places I visit when alone.

Here are my suggestions for using Airbnb:

• Reserve as far in advance as you can. Look for the owner’s cancellation policy before you book.
• Make a list of must-haves for you (internet, proximity to public transportation, kitchen, etc). Make sure your choice includes these. So many are available around DC that I could weed out quite a few. Double check public transportation maps online.
• Weekdays are sometimes half the price of weekends
• Read the descriptions carefully. For example, “home has sweet, affectionate cat” means “you can smell the litterbox”.
• Try to avoid booking a room that tacks on cleaning and service fees. I can guarantee you that no one cleaned this place and I paid an extra $12. I washed the bed linens in the washer just to be sure they were clean.
• Before you book, find the place on Google Maps, especially if you are on foot. See what is around the neighborhood, like a grocery store and/or restaurants. I was lucky and found a nice organic market 1/2 mile away. You could also check for food delivery places, which was really handy my first night.
• Avoid magical thinking. For example, “it looks kinda rough but it is probably just a bad photo. WSIWYG
• Read all the comments at Airbnb. Read them carefully! However, my room did not live up to the glowing recommendations.

Things you might ask the owner (text/email):

• Will I have a towel (mine didn’t)?
• Can I check-in early if needed?
• Silverware and dishes?
• Stairs? I had to climb up from the street, but it wasn’t too bad.

Even though my room was not the best choice, I highly recommend Airbnb. You pay them directly at the time you book and not the owner. That is always a good thing. Lyft and Uber work that way too.