TRAVEL EXPERT SHARES CLEVER AIRBNB 'HACK' TO SAVE MONEY ON HOLIDAY LETTINGS
Chelsea, a travel expert known as the Cheap Holiday Expert on social media, has revealed an ingenious money-saving hack for Airbnb bookings. Highly committed to sourcing affordable food, accommodations and services, Chelsea recently documented this clever tip via an Instagram video.
She demonstrated how she managed to achieve a 21% discount on an Airbnb booking in Manchester. The "amazing" barge she landed was fully furnished with a double bed, kitchen, log burner, living area, bathroom, also boasting as the 'smallest bar in Manchester'.
Initially, she discovered the African-themed Floating Homestays boat on Airbnb, costing £132 per night, aside from a £20 cleaning fee. Not content, she ventures further to investigate if the property could be booked directly.
For those wanting to save up, she advises: "This is a great hack, I use it all the time."
Minimum effort, maximum results - she found the key words in the Airbnb title and subsequently found the same barge listed on its own website for a mere £120 per night, reports Wales Online.
In her online caption, she elaborated: "There's SO MUCH CHOICE on Airbnb but as there becomes more and more places for owners to list their properties, it is ALWAYS worth checking to see if you can find the same accommodation on another platform for less.
"This could be on another booking site including: Vrbo, Booking.com, Sykes, HolidayLettings. The reason this can sometimes work out cheaper is because Airbnb charges guests a service fee in addition to the cost per night.
"Another option could also be to check to see if: The owner has their own website or social media. This one can often work out the cheapest since they're not having to give away part of their fee to the platform."
However, the savvy traveller issued a word of caution for those seeking alternatives to Airbnb. She highlighted the importance of understanding who you're entering into an 'agreement' with when securing holiday rentals, and stressed the need to consider what kind of backup and customer support are on offer in case plans need to change, or if problems arise.
She added: "Now, there's pros and cons for both - some individuals may provide a much better service than a big company, and then for others it would be vice versa.
"So always check the reviews and whether you're booking direct or on any platform, always be on the lookout for dodgy listings where someone has just pinched the photos from an existing holiday let (drop me a line if you want me to delve into how to spot these scams in more depth!)."
2024-07-11T15:00:28Z dg43tfdfdgfd