Airbnb is a great way to save money and get an exciting experience when traveling. They are also perfect for families who want to travel with kids. However, as any parent knows, it can be challenging to find the right place that will work well for everyone in the family.
To make your first-time Airbnb stay easier (and more enjoyable), this blog has compiled some tips for making your stay more comfortable and successful! Read on.
Rent the Entire Place to Yourself
You might get tempted to book the place with a bunch of adults. Or you might not want to stay at an Airbnb that strangers share. You have plenty of options! It’s easy enough to rent an entire apartment or home, and sometimes it can even be cheaper than booking multiple rooms in one house for the same amount of people.
The only downside to this is that you don’t have the opportunity for people to rent out individual rooms in your home, and there’s no way for them to participate in any group activities or meet each other. But if these are not things that matter, then it might be worth renting a whole apartment!
Note the more people you have in a space, the less privacy and personal space each person has. Renting the entire place to yourself can be a great way to ensure that everyone has their room and feels comfortable. This will make you enjoy your stay.
The benefits of renting the entire place are pretty clear: you can make it a private space without any awkwardness and have plenty of room for everyone! You get all the privacy that comes with having lots of personal space, plus the comfort in knowing that every person is happy because they have their room. If these aren’t things that matter to you, renting an AirBnB with other people might be better.
Limit Your Expectations
First, no two AirBnBs are alike. And with kids or pets in tow, the experience may not be what you expect it to be. This is especially true if your stay is during a primary holiday season when many people have long-standing reservations at Westgate’s new hotel near Grand Central Station and other properties and don’t want to cancel them for one night’s stay.
It’s essential to know about Airbnb policies (which vary from one property to the next) and prepare for any surprises. After all, you’re not staying at a hotel with staff on duty 24/seven. Instead, you are going into someone else’s home that they rent out by night to make money. And there are some things you should prepare for.
Foremost, no hotel services. You will not be able to call the front desk for extra towels, toiletries, or housekeeping service during your stay. This is something you should know before booking and might even factor into how long of a stay you want to have if this is going to make it difficult on anyone in particular (like if your child has a medical condition or disability that requires extra care and attention).
It’s also important to note that Airbnb does not monitor the property for safety issues. In other words, you are taking responsibility for looking out for your own family’s safety, which means, making sure all doors and windows are locked at night and never leave anything valuable out in the open.
AirBnBs are not hotels and should be treated as such so you can better understand what to expect for your stay, whether it is with kids or without them!
Bring Along Some Toys for Your Children to Enjoy
The first time renting a place with kids can be daunting, but it will go much more smoothly if you plan. One thing you should do is to bring along some toys for your children to enjoy. That way, they’ve got something in common with other guests and won’t get bored too quickly (and then start causing trouble). Also, toys are convenient to have for those times the kids are in bed, and you’re feeling bored, too.
Download a Sound App to Help Everyone Sleep
There are many little things you can do to make your first-time AirBnB stay enjoyable. One of those is downloading a sound app, like Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock for iPhone and Android or White Noise Lite. Doing this will help everyone in the house sleep better because they’ll get the flow right back on track.
This is also a good idea if you’re traveling with children, as these apps often have lullabies for kids that can help them sleep- not to mention adults in general!
Do a Brief Childproofing Walk Through Once You Get There
Do a walk-through with your kids and mark off any dangers or forbidden areas they should stay away from. Use colorful highlighters on the floor to outline where not to go, like closets, bathrooms, and stairs/steps.
Label electrical outlets with permanent markers in each room, so that little fingers don’t reach into them by accident. Remove breakables or anything else that may be dangerous for children to touch, such as sharp objects (knives), candles without protective shields (or only use if you can supervise).
Invest in some childproofing plugs – these are designed specifically for protecting small hands when accessing power sources. Most have an easy-grip handle design, making it harder for children’s hand size to fit inside the handle.
Take note of any “off-limits” areas such as storage spaces, closets with chemicals in them, or anything else that may be dangerous to small children. You can even use a highlighter on these items, so they are easily spotted and avoided by your kids.
Set up an area for arts & crafts where you have enough space to work without having to worry about spilling paint everywhere! This will keep everything contained while still being accessible for the little ones (bonus: it doubles as teaching them responsibility!) If there is a staircase in the house, then make sure you tell your kids not to go upstairs unless someone is guiding them; this way, they stay safe since stairs often lead down into danger zones
Furniture is also an important consideration. If there are any sharp corners, make sure you pad with something soft to avoid injury from falls and spills. You can even put a cover on the furniture so that if your kids are playing around, they do not damage it. It may seem like overkill at first, but it’ll be worth it when all of your kid-proofing pays off!
Bring Some Home Comforts Like Pillows and Blankets
Pillows and blankets are a must if you’re staying in an Airbnb with kids. Even if it’s the best night’s sleep you’ve had in months, your baby will wake up when they feel cold – and no one wants to get out of bed for that!
Pillows also help prevent rolling onto your partner or little ones. The recommended number of pillows you should bring is two – one for each person who will be sleeping on the bed, including children and adults.
The same goes for blankets. This may not seem like a lot, if it’s your little family vacationing together, but when an Airbnb has more than four people, the math starts to work out more in your favor. Pillows and blankets are also suitable for playing on the floor, so you can make a fort or cuddle up with your kids while watching TV – but don’t forget to cover them up with a blanket!
Inform Your Kids on the Necessary Behavior for Safety
Your kids must know how to act in an Airbnb. Tell your kids not to touch any doors or windows. Explain that they might feel tempted because you are staying in a new place, but if they do so, the owner may get angry and ask them to leave even though it’s their home!
Would you please encourage them to be careful with other people’s things? If there is anything they want to borrow, ask the owner first. Tell your kids not to touch any locks or doorknobs that are unlocked—even if they can’t see anyone around!
People don’t know how many germs are on these surfaces and could make your kid very sick with something like a cold. And if someone has a cold, they could spread it to the next person that touches them.
Also, explain to your kids not to go into any rooms without asking first! Even if they are unlocked, this is someone else’s home, and you don’t know what might be in there or how people will react when they find out that your children were exploring their house uninvited.
As you can see, traveling with kids is not easy at all. It requires a lot of preparations and planning in advance to make sure the trip goes smoothly without any hiccups. But if you take these simple steps into account – from location scouting to packing essentials – everything should go just fine! And remember: one of the best things you can do to make your stay enjoyable is giving yourself plenty of time.
