Tips for Booking Airbnb in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
To get a real understanding of any city, renting an apartment or house is a really nice option when traveling. Scroll to the bottom for a few tips for booking your next vacation on Airbnb!
I traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the second time in December 2016. This time I stayed longer than I've ever stayed on any vacation: a whole two weeks. I went with my fiance and his best friend. Together the three of us shared a luxury two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in the upscale neighborhood of Ipanema, just a block and a half from the famous stretch of beach (and two blocks from the foot of a favela).
I traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the second time in December 2016. This time I stayed longer than I've ever stayed on any vacation: a whole two weeks. I went with my fiance and his best friend. Together the three of us shared a luxury two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in the upscale neighborhood of Ipanema, just a block and a half from the famous stretch of beach (and two blocks from the foot of a favela).
While the apartment was huge and perfectly furnished for us, there were some challenges that had nothing to do with the property, the host, or the neighborhood. There are local infrastructure problems that weren't insurmountable, merely frustrating at times and slightly irritating at others. I discuss those at the beginning and end of the video.
Below the video are some tips for booking on Airbnb: SAVE $40 ON YOUR FIRST BOOKING BY CLICKING HERE.
(1) Fill Your Profile-- Make sure your profile is complete with pictures, info about what you do for a living, why you love to travel, why you prefer airbnb, etc. Get references if you can!!
(2) Make Thorough Lists-- Airbnb has a function that allows you to make wish lists for different purposes and add friends, etc. This allows me to save all the places I like while I go ALL the way to the end of the search results. On Airbnb you can filter, but you can't sort properties, so look at EVERY apartment. You might be surprised by what you find on page 16 or 17 of your search. Most people won't even go that far. The more popular hosts get top billing and are featured on the first few pages of the search.
(3) Ask Questions-- I usually start by asking questions as opposed to immediately requesting to book. Let the host have the opportunity to engage with you first before requesting to book their place. In my messages, I compliment the property and then ask my question (making sure the details are not in the description). If they aren't responsive, that's probably an indicator of why type of host they are. I understand there are always extenuating circumstances, but you want to make sure that you and the host are on the same page.
(4) Read the Details-- there are places that charge additional fees, etc. One host said I needed to email a copy of my passport and the country visa-- as a mandatory policy. I didn't comply because Airbnb has already confirmed my identity. When I asked "for what purpose do you need my passport and visa," he backpedaled and said he'd need to see upon check-in, which is fine. There are also places that give discounts for renting more than 7 days! Just make sure you read everything!
(5) Report Prejudice or Discrimination-- There are people who won’t rent to blacks, Muslims, gays, etc. Airbnb has said they don't support these policies, BUT have put nothing in place to combat the practice. And many hosts continue to restrict their availability for certain people. I had a host say a property was no longer available. Then they marked it rented. When I resumed my search the next day-- the exact same property was available again. I messaged the host who continued to say the place was not available. I made the mistake of going back and forth with this person when I should have just reported them.
I hope these tips are helpful when you book your next vacation rental. SAVE $40 ON YOUR FIRST AIRBNB!