A few months ago, I spent two weeks living with an Airbnb host... and, it was kind of weird. Naturally, I wanted to share my experience to help you learn from the few mistakes that I made.

If you don't know what Airbnb is, then let me explain...
Airbnb is a travel website where you can book and rent a strangers spare bedroom or house. Sound's safe, am I right? It all started with people advertising their spare bedrooms to travellers, at super low rates. From then, it grew into a multi-million dollar industry, and you can now book and rent stunning rooms and houses. It's fantastic if you're travelling for business or pleasure, as it is far cheaper than booking a hotel. You have three options when booking a place to stay. The first is privately renting the strangers entire house, the second is renting a private room within the strangers house, and the third is renting a shared room.
Read the Reviews
When considering an Airbnb, it is important to read the reviews, *especially* if you are going to be living with your Airbnb host. Your host in the individual that owns the place you are staying in... So, you want to make sure that they aren't going to murder you in your sleep. What you really want to look for is a superhost. Those are the people deemed trustworthy by Airbnb, and they are less likely to murder you in your sleep, as they have lots of high-rated reviews from genuine travellers.

Know The Rules
Before booking, you also want to take a look at the host's "house rules". Self-explanatory but, it is literally a set of rules that you have to be okay with following when living in the host's house. Don't worry, the rules aren't dodgy and usually these rules are totally fine to live with... For example, my Airbnb host said that smoking was not prohibited in the house. As a first time traveller, I was advised to choose a host with a stricter set of house rules, as these are the hosts that are more likely to genuinely care about their property.

(Image rights to Airbnb)
Once you find your ideal place to stay, it's good to contact the host and explain the reason why you're travelling. Some hosts state in their house rules that they only cater towards people travelling for business, other's state an age limit. So, as I have said above, it's good to read up beforehand. By contacting them, you can get a feel for how genuine the host is. And, if it takes them three weeks for them to reply to your message, then, they're obviously not going to be useful in an emergency situation. My host was a "superhost", with a large number of great reviews and responded promptly. So, I decided to take the plunge...

When I arrived, I nearly pooped my pants. Because, the outside of the property didn't really resemble the image posted by the host, and it did not look like a place you would visit alone at night. I felt sick to my stomach, sure that I had been conned out of my money. I was certain at the moment, that I was definitely about to be murdered in my sleep. I began terrifying myself with google searches of Airbnb guests bound and gagged by their hosts. I was convinced that if I entered the property, I would be carried out in a bag by a forensic team. And, that leads me on to my next piece of advice...

Note Your Contacts
Although the majority of Airbnb hosts are harmless, you're essentially a sitting duck. So, write a list of your emergency contacts on speed dial, just in case anything does happen. Airbnb have webpage dedicated to guest safety. Of course, if your life is in immediate danger then the police are your best option, but Airbnb do have a twenty-four hour contact number to ring if you feel uneasy. I ended up flapping around and trying to google search this number on arrival, which only added to my stress. So, note your contacts before you set off.

Image rights to Memegen
So, I pull up and have a panic attack, what next? I met the host... Who was actually really nice and super chatty. She showed me around her modern and clean property, and I felt so much more relieved about essentially putting my life (and valuables) in the hands of complete stranger. My room was a decent-sized, double-bedroom with a shared bathroom, and I was urged to use the host's kitchen whenever I needed to. I feel not only re-assured, but comfortable, at the thought of living with the host for two weeks.

From then on, me and the host only really bumped into each other when we occasionally crossed paths after work. I was working random shifts every day, so I never saw her in the house. When I did, it was a quick chat, and it didn't feel like she was prying. Honestly, it was like we had been living together for ages. I mean, it was incredibly awkward, and I did feel like I was tip-toeing around a stranger's house. I felt rude sitting in my room after work, but I felt awkward at the prospect of strolling into her living room and putting my feet up. But fortunately, the two weeks flew by.

A few final thoughts...
I would definitely use Airbnb again as it was much cheaper than a hotel, but I would hire a private place which didn't include the host. My host was lovely and she did make me feel comfortable. However, I felt like I was low-key squatting in her house and it just made me feel rather awkward. Although, my experience was overall positive, I feel that I underestimated how dodgy hiring a strangers spare bedroom could be. If you want to take a look at the darker side of Airbnb, head over to 'Airbnb Hell', which will really instil some fear in you.

Have you rented a place using Airbnb? Let me know in the comments down below.

XO Zoe