There is so much talk about the Airbnb experience. However, I personally had never stayed in one as I kept picturing nothing more than couch surfing at some randoms place as they walked through pouring the morning coffee. I could not have been farther from the truth and Airbnbs are so awesome!
Airbnb experience has affordable options
When heading to Tennessee, we normally book a cabin through a company. However, since COVID, the cabin prices have skyrocketed. So I started looking on Airbnb. Tada, a lovely one-bedroom cottage was discovered in Knoxville! There were about ten properties from condos to rooms to cabins and all were under $125 a night! This was drastically lower than any place I found through any other website. Yes, it wasn’t right in tourist junction. However, it worked out better because the drive wasn’t bad, and we could explore different areas too. We also wouldn’t be stuck in traffic almost every time we wanted to leave the cabin. So we booked it on the Airbnb website!
Airbnb has creature comforts!
As we walked around our Airbnb, we noticed that there were utensils, some dishes and cookware, cleaning products, and even a little food left in the refrigerator. We ended up donating a baking sheet to the menagerie of items that we found. However, it was so nice having a kitchen with a lot of the things needed to cook a meal. Obviously with a stay anywhere a person might have to adjust to certain things they are not used to at home. For me, it was the electric stove. I have the hardest time cooking on one of them! But, just a minor convenience.
You make things work when booking Airbnb-
The TV channels were pretty bad at Airbnb. However, a workaround was casting from my phone to the television. Then I could have whatever streaming services I have at home. So we could Netflix and chill or watch the Roku channel. Casting the phone to the television also allowed us to watch our own personal videos and photos we were taking on the trip! Pretty cool!
Expect the unexpected
Every Airbnb experience will be different. To me, that’s what makes it so awesome. You can pick some really unique experiences. However, you might have some of those experiences anyways during your stay. For us, the owners have chickens. I remember coming home with fried chicken in my hands and a chicken was standing at our front door staring at me. As my daughter says, “so awkward.” But, it was a new experience. Every night they would roost in the tree by our tiny cottage. Abby Girl even got to play with baby chicks. There was also a dog. So be aware if you are bringing your dog. There might be other dogs on the property.
Don’t worry, I got the awkward chicken experience on video! Cluck here. I mean click here …
Another cool highlight was the fireworks. Yes, we had fireworks! On the fourth of July, we ended up going to a seafood buffet instead of the traditional fireworks. I was honestly bummed. However, when we returned to the cabin, fireworks were going off on three sides of the property! An amazing family memory for the Airbnb books.
The Airbnb host-
They can truly rock. Ours was beyond nice. He even suggested the church him and his wife attend. It ended up sparking a blog post about the experience. The first night we were there, my husband and I had a small miscommunication and left the keys in the cottage. Our host, was reachable by the website and his phone. So, we were able to get back in without an issue. In fact, we needed anything, they were there to help.
read our church-inspired post here!
Tips for other Airbnbers to Follow-
- Respect the rules. For us the main one was no dogs on the furniture. Our dog was confused at first but got it
- If you have questions, contact them! After I reserved the Airbnb, it said dogs had to be crated when we weren’t there. Our dog would go bonkers. But the host made an allowance and allowed Noodles to be confined to a room with her bed
- Clean up after yourself
- Embrace the experience
- learn to adapt if needed
- respect the property
- Don’t be a pest. I contacted our host a couple of times. However, they have lives too, so don’t bug them for every little thing.
Final Thoughts on the Airbnb experience-
Airbnb is a great way to experience the world whether you want to stay in a yurt, castle, or suburban neighborhood. Just keep an open mind and expect the unexpected.
Heading to the Gatlinburg area? Here are some touristy things to do. Embrace your inner tourist!
You May Also Like
Leave A Comment