A treehouse in Ontario’s wine country, a converted wine barrel in Switzerland, and a repurposed lifeguard tower in Miami — I’ve booked them all through Airbnb.
As a travel reporter, I’ve slept in accommodations throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. I typically opt for Airbnbs over hotels because I’ve found that they offer more unique experiences.
More often than not, I travel solo. I’ve spent roughly 200 hours on overnight trains in the US and Europe and seven nights on one of the world’s largest cruise ships sailing the Caribbean Sea. I’ve traveled by rail to Vancouver, Niagara Falls, Montreal, and Quebec City. On these trips, I explored new cities and slept in unique accommodations — all by myself.
Now that I’m a seasoned solo traveler, I have several practices to ensure I feel as safe as possible when traveling alone, especially in other countries.
When staying in Airbnbs solo, I recommend booking for two people
When I make an Airbnb reservation for a solo stay, I simply change the number of guests from one to two. Then, in my message to the host, I say I may have a friend joining me for my trip.
This way, my host doesn’t think I’m traveling by myself. Creating the illusion that I have someone else with me makes me feel more comfortable falling asleep at night in a stranger’s place.
Booking for two sometimes comes with an additional fee, depending on the Airbnb. In these cases, I still think it’s worth it to feel safer.
For example, when I traveled to Rome and booked two nights in a livable art-sculpture Airbnb, the price was $102 per night for one person and $145 per night for two people. In this case, a companion did end up joining me for the stay. But even if I’d been on my own, I would have been fine paying the additional fee to feel more secure about staying there alone.
Solo travel can be daunting, especially when you’re booking accommodations with an individual rather than directly through a company like you would at a hotel.
Still, after all my unique Airbnb experiences, I think it’s worth booking them even when I’m alone. And booking for two makes me feel a little safer.
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