How to find the perfect rental apartment for your vacation

I hate renting apartments from sites like Airbnb Or Vrbo. As a solo traveler, I preferred the sociable atmosphere of the hostel. You met people, the hostels ran activities, and they were where you were “supposed to stay” as a backpacker.

When I wanted something other than a hostel, I used a hospitality network like Couchsurfing or simply stayed with friends.

But after nearly two decades as a nomad, there are times when I like my privacy and the ability to “make a home.” I love to cook, I like to relax on the couch, and be quiet.

While renting apartments often contributes to overtourism (we’ll discuss more below), there are still plenty of genuine hosts who rent out the places they live.

Below is a detailed guide on how they work, how to choose the perfect apartment, and how not to contribute to overtourism/irritate the locals!

How does apartment rental work?

Apartment rental sites allow local residents to rent an individual room, a shared space, or an entire house/apartment. The host lists their place online, posts photos, writes a description, clicks publish, and soon they can start making extra money from the unused space.

The booking process is similar to booking any other type of accommodation online. You can search the database, find the place you want, create an account, and request a reservation. When the owner accepts, a confirmation will be sent to you.

Apartment rents represent the distance between hostels and hotels. If you’re a business traveler and want the comforts of home, you probably won’t stay in a hostel. But hotels may be too expensive or impersonal for you. A rented apartment is the perfect compromise.

Traveling with friends or a large group? This is definitely the right choice for you. Squeezing a group of people into a rented house/apartment will be much cheaper per person than a room in a hostel or hotel. Plus, you get space to stretch out and relax. Cramped dorm rooms and hotels don’t give you much “me” time.

If you don’t want a full apartment but want to save money, Airbnb has a new feature called “Rooms” that lets you search for listings in people’s homes or guest houses. It’s like it was with Airbnb – people renting out extra rooms or guest houses for extra money. You always get your own room and, sometimes, a private entrance. You’ll also be able to interact with your host, who can offer plenty of insider tips and insights into your destination.

I’ve used the rooms a lot in the last couple of years – in Los Angeles, Rome, Paris, Nice – and for me, as a solo traveler, it’s a much better way to travel. I highly recommend doing this as a way to combat the negative effects of these platforms (more on that below). Additionally, as hostels have become more expensive over the years, rooms are often cheaper than hostels! You can stay, meet a local and save money! Win!

How to choose the right apartment

Unfortunately, as accommodation rentals go mainstream, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find great hosts. Many hosts now own multiple properties and live elsewhere. This means that you mostly deal with property managers and never get to interact with the actual owner. In addition, many apartments are not as beautiful in reality as they appear in the pictures. In order to find suitable accommodation, I use the following criteria when searching for accommodation on these platforms:

1. Do they have positive reviews? – If other people have stayed there, had a good time, and found the apartment as advertised, chances are you will too.
2. Do they have multiple menus? – This is important because many people use these sites to be property managers. They buy a block of apartments and then rerent them on Airbnb. I try to avoid these places because they cause a lot of problems for the local rental market and lack the personal touch that comes when hosts rent out their own apartments.
3. Do they have accurate pictures? – Any listing that doesn’t include a lot of (quality) photos is probably hiding something (or at least misrepresenting the property).
4. Are they an active user or a superhost? – Active users are good users, so see when they were last logged in. If a long time has passed, your query may remain unanswered.
5. Is their calendar updated? – Although listings only appear in search if available, hosts do not always update their calendar. If someone doesn’t update their calendar in 30 days, I tend to skip it. There’s nothing worse than going to book a place, only to have them cancel it and say, “Oops, sorry, the place isn’t available!”
6. Is it verified? – Verified accounts are unlikely to be people of suspicious quality, as the listing site has found at least some basic information about them.
7. Have they been someone else’s guests before? – If they are someone’s guest and it goes well, they are likely to be reliable.

These rules are helpful guidelines, but ultimately, you have to stick with your gut. I don’t need a list to satisfy every point. I had a hostess who only hit a couple of these spots and she turned out to be my favorite hostess! And sometimes, in places where there aren’t many hosts, you may have to be a little uncomfortable with this list.

But the more points a place meets, the more comfortable you’ll feel renting.

How to avoid overtourism
Over the years, Airbnb and other apartment rental sites have dramatically raised rental prices and driven away the locals you’d like to interact with, as people began buying multiple properties in order to rent them out to tourists. It’s a big problem.

In many places, such as Lisbon and Venice, most locals can’t afford to rent anymore. This is not limited to cities only. Rural areas are now also affected.

There have been strong protests against Airbnb (and similar sites) in Barcelona. Throughout Europe you often see the phrase “Airbnb go home!” graffiti. Japan has cracked down on Airbnb. New York City has strict laws against it now, too. Mexico City residents protested. Every day brings a new story about the crackdown on these sites.

Due to local rejection and problems with tourism and the housing market, I strongly encourage you to only use Airbnb or similar services if you are renting a room in someone’s house, especially in large cities in Europe. As I mentioned above, Airbnb has a new feature called “Rooms” that lets you easily search for rooms in the homes of people who already live in them. They are verified listings and a much better way to use the platform. It’s like what Airbnb was before it grew big — where people rent out extra rooms or guest houses for extra money. I highly recommend it.

However, if you can’t, try as much as possible to ensure that the place you rent is either a licensed B&B (if only used for tourists) or the home of someone who already lives there. This way you won’t add any local housing problems!

Help end overtourism. You have the power. Don’t distract the people you want to visit!

A note about safety

These sites run on trust. All of these companies try to verify both the buyer and seller to ensure no one is ripping off anyone else, but you occasionally hear reports of sex parties, robberies, or creepy hosts.

However, apartment rental companies provide a window that allows you to get your money back if you get a place that is not advertised. Just call their 24-hour hotline and they’ll set you up (you can also reach out on social media to start the conversation). They also hold your money as escrow so that if the place is not advertised, you will get your money back. Do not deliver it directly to the host.

All types of accommodations come with risks (janitors can steal from hotel rooms, roommates can take clothes from hostels, Couchsurfing hosts can get creepy), which is why these rules are important. I don’t think apartment rentals are any less safe than other options, and the benefits greatly outweigh the perceived risk.

The best sites to find an apartment for rent

I think these are the three best sites to find an apartment:

Another option for long term travelers is House sitting and pet sitting. In exchange for taking care of someone’s belongings or pet while they travel, you can get free accommodation. It’s a great option for slow/long-term travelers looking to stay in one place for longer periods of time. Check out this post to learn more about it!

Apartment rentals, when done right, are safe, affordable and help you have a more authentic experience. Use the above tips and try one on your next trip. You’ll save money, stay away from the tourists, and have a better trip!

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