I am planning another trip to the Yorkshire Dales soon and have been researching online where to stay. There are so many wonderful things to do in the Yorkshire Dales. I’ve never used Airbnb before but of course have heard a lot about them. A friend of mine used an Airbnb in Ireland a couple of weeks ago and had a slightly mixed experience. She had hired the whole house, but when she got there and let herself in there was lots of the owner’s things scattered about. It was a little disconcerting she said. However, the owner’s and the house were lovely, and she ended up having a marvellous stay. I think it highlights the importance of Airbnb etiquette from the owner as well as the guest though!
I think that is where my concerns lie though, I would want a proper holiday let – more impersonal than my friend experienced. Somewhere I did not feel I was intruding. Looking at the Airbnb site though there are lots of what are obviously holiday lets that would be perfect for us, (with no awkward moments!). So how does Airbnb work?
Where Airbnb really seems to come into its own is for solo travellers that perhaps just want a room for the night without paying a single person’s supplement. Schofields Insurance recently did a survey of over 1000 solo travellers aged 18 and above based in the UK to find out more about their travel preferences. They found that 44% had stayed in an Airbnb property citing the single person supplement as a reason to avoid staying in a hotel.
Looking again at the properties in the Dales on the Airbnb website there are some places I would absolutely love to stay. From cottages to barn conversions, to quirkier places too. Often the price of the whole cottage is similar to what we would pay at a budget hotel – £55 a night for example. I think if we plan a two night getaway for £110 then I would be doing rather well! In fact, I am beginning to regret not looking more into Airbnb sooner!