I'm planning to travel solo for a few months and I was considering the option of Airbnb, but I'm not so sure about it. It is not the first time I'm traveling alone, but I usually stay at hostel, hotels or with at a friend's house so this is of course a bit different. I'm curious about experiencing new things, but as a female solo traveler I need to take my precautions. Do you think is a good idea or I should stick to what I'm used to?
It is safe for those who are into solo travel and want to save money on the couchsurfing. I have seen many people getting into this type of routine. And there are people who can get it into routine. And save a lot of money. Airbnb and courchsurfing type options are relatively cheap. Though they may not include amnesties. But they can be safe enough in many ways. So make sure to keep all of those things in mind.
Pardon me for this comment if it sounds negative. My sister-in-law with her family used Airbnb for their accommodation in Hongkong. They experienced a problem with the door that it wouldn’t open. And it took so long for the admin to open it. The suspicion is that someone had tried to pick the lock of the door. Can you imagine if you were alone to experience that incident? My sister-in-law went with her husband and 3 adult children but still, they were not able to sleep well on their last night. So for a solo traveler, I would suggest for you to book in a hotel.
Thanks for your quick reply @overcast and @Alexandoy . Probably I´ll try it with a friend or group of friends instead of by myself to see how it works for me and if the result is positive maybe I can try it again alone. Is there any city you consider as "safe" to travel solo? For example, I think Tokyo is a really safe city but, I´m taking this from my own experience not from any actual report or investigation.
@LesY I personally think that it would be a good idea if you are open towards it. That's is going to be the highest challenge you would face, if your being isn't well open to its acceptance, you definitely wouldn't be comfortable in using Airbnb.
Alexandoy's story is quite alarming, so I think you also should just book a room in a hotel. Nothing beats having peace of mind, never mind if it costs more money, since Airbnb seems unsafe.
Assuming it's the USA, I would suggest a hotel or motel - unless you're on a tight budget. I mean, let's say you're wanting a new start in a new town and you happen to be a college student or someone without a lot of saved money. In that case, you might not have 550 USD for one of those monthly motel specials and you sure don't have 40 USD a night to keep you going until your first paycheck. Therefore, a higher quality AirBnB room would be an advantage. Oh, by the way, the monthly motel specials are not advertised online except probably on Craigslist occasionally, but I haven't seen it, so they can only be probably found in newspapers or from signs from the highway.
