Discover the world. Discover yourself
Berlin is the city where our Interrail journey began. Once separated by a wall and shared among a few world powers, today it welcomes people from different nationalities and backgrounds. Being in central Europe, it’s very handy if you’re considering travelling to other countries from here.
[Read more…] about Interrailing in unique Berlin: everything you need to know
Interrail is, without a doubt, the best way to discover Europe within a short period of time. It allows you to travel in up to 30 countries with just a single ticket and plan your adventure as it suits you best.
We are sure you know someone who has already enjoyed this experience. If you haven’t yet and would like to know more about this Interrail thing, keep reading!
We were travelling for 3 weeks and, if we learnt something, is that no matter how well you plan your trip, there will always be things that you cannot control. But that’s the interesting part, isn’t it? Getting out of your comfort zone and learning as you travel.
Apart from an amazing life experience and many souvenirs, we also brought home some useful tips for those of you who would like to know how Interrailing works. Here they are! [Read more…] about Want to travel around Europe? 15 tips to make the most out of Interrail
“Once” the musical, a heart-breaking and gorgeous production, is best known for Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová’s rendition of “Falling Slowly”. After winning 8 Tony Awards in 2012 (including Best Musical, Best Actor, and Best Book) and performing all over the world, it is now back in Dublin for another summer. As described on its website, it truly is “a celebration of music, love, and the city that inspired it.”
Through Airbnb’s newly-launched experiences in Dublin, we were very lucky to receive the true VIP treatment in the historical Olympia Theatre. [Read more…] about Experience “Once” the musical like you’ve never before
“I could have never imagined that on November, 10th last year, I would shout: “I’m going to India!”. That day I booked my plane tickets to Chennai, the capital of the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
My friend Nani had been living in Chennai for a year. I decided to visit her and travel around the country together during her last month in India. On one hand, I was very excited because it was my first time travelling outside Europe. I was going to have the opportunity to know a very different culture. Also, as a social and cultural anthropologist, I assumed I’d get a surprising cultural, social, and personal enrichment. On the other hand, I couldn’t help worrying about the unknown. Yes, I had read about India, but being there taking part in their lives, their customs, and their way of being and living would be totally new. And it was much more than that.
First of all, you should [Read more…] about How to spend a month in India. First stop: Chennai
Travelling has never been as easy as it is nowadays. There are low-cost airlines that make flying accessible to everyone, websites like Kayak or Skyscanner to help us find the cheapest flight, and a well varied range of accommodation options, from Couchsurfing to five-star hotels.
If we watch the news or read the newspapers, there is a company that has been on the spotlight recently: Airbnb. Airbnb is an American start-up that was founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky (CEO and Head of Community), Joe Gebbia (CPO), and Nathan Blecharczyk (Chief Strategy Officer). What started as a way to earn some money to pay for rent during their student days has turned into a home sharing and vacation rental business worth $31bn.
Last weekend we had the chance to attend Oscailte 2017, an event organised by Airbnb in their warehouse office, located in the Grand Canal Docks in Dublin. It brings together people from all over Ireland to discuss about the latest updates from the company and share ideas and concerns with one another. We attended different keynotes by senior managers of Airbnb and members of Fáilte Ireland, and participated in several breakouts regarding trust and safety, new features and tools, how to make perfect floral arrangements for your house, etc.
The keynotes were full of interesting facts about how people are travelling nowadays. Did you know that there are more than 3 million hosts, in 65,000 cities, in 191 countries, and that they have hosted more than 160 million guests since the company was founded? If we look at Ireland, the country received almost 900,000 guests last year, with more than 400,000 only in Dublin. Amazing, isn’t it?
After this day, and being avid users of Airbnb, we thought it would be a great idea to put together some tips for people that would like to stay in Airbnb accommodation, or that already do and would like to know more about it.
Your profile is to your host what a cover letter is to the company you want to work for. Introduce yourself, write about your hobbies, why you love travelling,…Don’t forget to upload at least one picture where your face is clearly visible. Avoid those pictures taken from 3 miles away. If you upload a group photo, make sure it is clear who you are.
Adding your e-mail and your Facebook accounts is fine. However, your hosts will feel safer if you add your ID/passport to prove that you are the person in the pictures. Don’t worry, only Airbnb has access to it.
You want to know which features their accommodation includes, their accepted times for checking in/out, as well as their house rules. Some places might not have a TV or WiFi, and this could impact your trip.
Reviews are very important, as they give you a clear idea of how the experience for previous guests was and how they felt after checking out. If you want to guarantee the best stay, try staying with a SuperHost. These hosts have not cancelled a booking during the last twelve months. They have also been rated with 5/5 stars by at least 80% of their guests.
Some hosts have the “immediate booking” option on, but others will read your request before accepting it and will want to know a bit about you. Introduce yourself and tell them why you would like to stay with them.
Remember that you are not staying in a hotel with a 24/7 reception. Some hosts might not be available to check you in at midnight or feel comfortable knowing that you are checking out early in the morning, especially if they are working that day. Some places will have safes with a code where you can get the key from to check in and then leave it there when you are leaving. Double check this with your host.
Sending the same message to several hosts is not ideal. If for some reason you have to, make sure you change the name to the correspondent host. Avoid saying “Hi Peter” if your host’s name is David.
If you contact your host through Airbnb but then decide to pay them by cash or bank transfer, you will NOT be covered by the company should any problem arise. There have been several cases of scams because of this. Only process your payments through the Airbnb website.
Tell them what you liked about their place or how they could improve the experience they offer. There is a section of your review that is private and only your host will read. Future guests will rely on these reviews, so take the time to write yours.
Interested in giving Airbnb a try but don’t have an account yet? Register using our link and get a discount on your first booking! Click here.