September 10, 2024 • 26 mins
Ever wondered if staying in a lighthouse could be your next vacation highlight? Join us on the latest episode of the Z Michelson Travel Podcast as we, along with Jay Lawrence, share all the insider tips and personal tales from our unique experiences with Airbnbs. Discover the charm of tree houses, the convenience of having your own kitchen, and why sometimes, even a lighthouse can be the perfect getaway spot. Plus, Z recounts her family's recent Airbnb adventure, revealing how these stays can offer both flexibility and a homely feel, though we still enjoy the occasional traditional pampering at full-service accommodations.
Planning a family trip to Orlando? We’ve got you covered! From booking the perfect house with a pool to avoiding potential scams, we break down the essentials for choosing and booking Airbnbs, especially in places teeming with attractions like Disney. We’ll guide you through scrutinizing photos and reviews, understanding those tricky fine prints, and ensuring you communicate effectively with hosts. New listings without reviews? Payment requests outside secure platforms? We’ll alert you to these red flags to help ensure your vacation is worry-free.
Don't miss our discussion on navigating Airbnb check-ins and check-outs, including some must-know tips on international travel like ensuring cell phone coverage. Cleaning fees and guests' responsibilities before checking out are all on the table. And as a bonus, hear our travel tip about the perks of off-season travels—fewer crowds, lower prices, and a bit of adventure with the unpredictable weather. All this wrapped up with our passion for exploring new cultures and cuisines, and an invitation for you to share your travel stories with us. Tune in for an episode packed with practical advice and travel inspiration!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Z Michelson Travel Podcast.
This podcast is devoted to thetravel industry.
Z says let your imagination runwild and start dreaming about
where you want to go, and dreambig, reach for the stars, and if
you only get to the moon, atleast you enjoyed the trip.
Your guide to travel is ZMichelson, a travel advisor, and
sitting at the controls is JayLawrence, your concierge of
(00:24):
podcast travel.
Now here's Z.
That's me, that's me, I'm Z.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Isn't that exciting.
We are excited.
We've been all over the placelately, haven't we Jay?
Yes, we have, yes, we have, butyou know what I like to do.
What's that?
This podcast is brought to youby Collage.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Travel Media Network.
Oh, I forgot all about that.
How?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
did you forget?
Well they're the ones that payour checks.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
They do.
Kailash Travel Radio ActionCountry and.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
ZMAX Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yeah, oh, my goodness .
Speaker 2 (00:54):
And of course me Z Michelson Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Travel information.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
And then, of course, we can be bought.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
We can be bought out.
Huh, yes, we can be bought out.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yes, we can be bought , so feel free to buy us
information.
Yes, we are the humor.
We are the humor we are, we arehere to let everybody know.
Yes, you know, I know that wealways talk about rediscovering
america, uh-huh, and we havedone our fair share of trotting
around the united states, yes,but we never really talk about
where we stay.
No, yeah, so today, what I'mgoing to talk about is Airbnbs.
Oh, my goodness, yeah, have youstayed or booked any of these?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Well, yes, I did, you did yes, when?
Well, I didn't book it, my sonbooked it.
Oh, your son booked it, ofcourse, from Florida to Colorado
.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Oh, okay, airbnbs with some special places, so
maybe, we'll be talking aboutthem, okay, yeah, my daughter
loves to stay at them as well.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Yeah, she checks, she books them she books them Is it
a Gen X thing.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
It might be because the kids are the same age, or
roughly the same age, and sheeven books them overseas, right,
yeah, yeah.
So that's what we're going tobe talking about today.
Well, that's a good idea.
So what I'm going to bechatting about is how do you
book an Airbnb?
How does it work?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
That is my question.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, so that's the first question up.
I find my information onseveral sites.
One is called NerdWallet.
You know, I look at NerdWalletand see what they have to say,
and then I also talk to mydaughter, because she does a lot
of this.
But after my first day with mysister and my daughter and her
friend at an Airbnb, the jury'sstill out for me.
(02:33):
Yeah, yeah, it's basically youare renting someone else's home,
right?
Yeah, it can be cheaperalternative.
Yeah, but sometimes you havemany people and you need more
room, so it's kind of a goodthing there so you stayed.
This is the first time you'vefirst time I've ever stayed in
an airbnb airbnb.
Wow, you know because I, youknow, I'm a travel advisor and
(02:54):
people do ask do I book airbnbs?
And my answer is no right, Ipersonally do not book airbnbs
but that's kind of like apersonal thing it is, it really
is really is.
Airbnb is often tend to indicateand include.
They all have couches that willpull out or futons so you can
sleep more people.
You know where we stayed.
There were three bedrooms, twobathrooms, a living room, dining
(03:19):
room, kitchen.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Did they have a couch ?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
or a futon.
They had an actual Murphy bed,which you wouldn't know was a
Murphy bed.
It looked like an entertainmentunit that was closed, which was
kind of cool.
Yeah, so you know you can dothat.
Who?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
got the Murphy bed.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Nobody.
My sister had a room, I had aroom and my daughter and her
girlfriend that known each othersince grade school they shared
a room.
Oh cool, so it was comfortable.
I have to say it was acomfortable feeling.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
What other amenities do they have?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well, typically what they'll have is it's a house, so
they'll have washing machines.
They'll have kitchens withdishwashers because you're using
their dishes, they have allthat supplied Right and it's an
option to save a little bit ofmoney.
If you've got a whole bigfamily going, you can cook at
home.
You may also be able to find anAirbnb where there may not be a
(04:15):
hotel, which was where we werestaying.
There were no hotels, oh, wow,yeah.
So that was kind of one of thereasons why my daughter opted
for an Airbnb for us and I lether handle that, because that's
her forte she loves Airbnbs, andsome of the Airbnbs even have
different style homes.
Like what?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Like tree houses, oh my goodness, do you want to stay
in a tree house?
No, I'm not sure.
Or a lighthouse, yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
They even have a replica of the 100-acre wood
Winnie the Pooh 100-acre wood Iguess I didn't read that.
Yeah, so I mean, they havethese amazing things and, like I
said, the house that we were inwas right there on the canal,
by the water, so it had a dock,which was kind of cool, you know
, but I wanted to go to thebeach.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
And when.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
I go to the beach.
I want to walk right out.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, I, I'm going back up here saving a little
money, where it says they havekitchens and you got to do the
dishes.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yes, when I'm on vacation.
I don't want to do dishes, Idon't want to do laundry, I
don't want to cook.
I want to be pampered when I'mon vacation.
That's me too.
However, I have yet to see anAirbnb that comes with a butler.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
But I'm pumped Right.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
There's a drumbeat theresomeplace.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
You got a drumbeat for me.
I got it someplace.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I can't find it Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
But Airbnbs also have some some challenges, such as
uh, check-in processes areinconsistent because, remember,
you're, you're getting your um,you're getting this home from
somebody, okay, and they allhave different processes to be
going through.
Yeah, some hosts make you meetup with them in person to
exchange keys, yeah, while otherunits unlock remotely, so you
never have to meet the owner.
There are a lot of policies,for instance, parties.
(06:07):
How many you know?
Can you have a party, you know?
If some people say, well, Iknow, our B&B sleeps 12 and we
have this big deck, but youcan't have a party or a wedding
or anything there, why do itthen?
Yeah, exactly.
And then you have cancellation,you know, then, why do it then
Exactly?
And then you have cancellationthings and they vary from
property to property.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
There are tons of fees.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Oh, okay, that's not included in the price you get,
no, which again varies byproperty.
Couple that with the Airbnblack of a loyalty program, so it
doesn't always come out to becheaper than hotels.
Not always Not always.
Again, look at the size of yourgroup, look at where they're
staying, look at what's going on, and sometimes you're only
renting part of the home orproperty.
(06:54):
So, you got to be aware of thatyou might be renting a
mother-in-law suite.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Well, usually those are separate enough right.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Not really, Not really.
I mean, you know, in New Yorkmother-in-law suites are very
common.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And they're pretty much attached right to the
person's house.
It's not like they're in thebackyard or something and over
to the side.
So they're pretty much attachedand you have to be aware of
what amenities are offered.
Yeah, because each one offersdifferent amenities, like the
one I stayed at.
Where did you stay?
What did you have?
Well, what we had.
We had a boat dock, which waskind of nice, but we didn't have
(07:33):
a boat.
There were kayaks, but youcouldn't put the kayak in the
water because the water was toolow from the dock.
I mean, you would have to throwthe kayak in and, like, leap
off into the kayak and you'renot a leaper.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
No, I'm not going to leap.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
We had a barbecue.
We had a golf cart that seatedsix.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Well, that was nice, did you ride it?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Yes, of course Play on it.
We went around with the golfcart and looked at the houses in
the neighborhood.
Like I said, where we werestaying, which was Indian Rocks
Beach, is where we stayed.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Oh okay, that's on the west coast of Florida.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
And there was no hotels in that region and they
don't want hotels in that region.
So there were a lot of B&Bs.
They had beach chairs and beachtoys that you could utilize.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
But you couldn't get to the beach.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
You had to drive a little bit to the beach.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
You had to drive a little bit to the beach.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Some have more or less the same, so you got to be
aware of what amenities arebeing offered.
So that's another thing youhave to look at when you're
renting an Airbnb.
Okay, so you decide on anAirbnb.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Well, yeah, how do you book?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
it?
How do you book?
There are many reputablecompanies out there, so do your
homework.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Isn't there a website called Airbnb?
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Right, and then they have all different ones.
You know Airbnb is the name ofa company, and then you have
B&Bs and then you just go andlook to see.
Booking one is fairlystraightforward.
The websites offer robustfilters so you can narrow down
your rentals based on the dates,number of guests, other
features like whether the rentaloffers amenities like cribs,
(09:09):
accessible showers, free parking.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Sometimes these places don't have like.
When my daughter went overseasshe was in Portugal and she went
with her in-laws and you knowthere was a big party of them.
I think there was.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Oh, 15, wasn't there.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Two, four, six.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
You're counting on your toes, I'm counting on my
toes.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
I think there were six adults and one toddler.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
And you know, one place was in the city, in Lisbon
, so naturally there was noparking, which they really
didn't need really and then theother one was on the outskirts
of another town, so it was alittle bit different, but both
places were very nice.
There are different categories.
They featured which gives youthe option to browse properties
(09:56):
by a different criteria, sorather than searching for a
specific city or region, you cansee properties all around the
world that fall into thecategories that you want.
That's weird, right?
Something weird or somethingwhimsical.
Do you want a baby grand piano?
Maybe you're a piano player, oh, you know, so you can have baby
grand, wow.
Other categories include like achef's kitchen, which I know
(10:19):
that your lovely wife wouldprobably enjoy, but when she's
on vacation.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
She doesn't want to cook.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
There's homes near national parks and they go
simple, or a yurt.
You can rent a yurt.
Yes, I see your hand raised.
Yes, Jay.
I don't know what a yurt is.
A yurt is like a funky tent,it's round.
Oh, we saw those in Yellow is Ayurt is like a funky tent, it's
round.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Oh, we saw those in Yellowstone.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah, it has like a cone on top and it's round.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
So those are yurts.
So yeah, so you can even rent ayurt.
And here's some new trendsgoing on, and I'm probably going
to say this word wrong.
It's called a hanok H-A-N-O-K,which is a traditional Korean
home.
H-a-n-o-k, which is atraditional Korean home.
What's that?
It's the type of Korean home Iguess, so new and top of the
(11:08):
world, indicating homes that areat least about 10,000 feet
above sea level or higher.
Now I've seen some stuff onside of mountains.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Like no, I wouldn't yeah, but if that's your thing?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Yeah, if that's your thing.
But, yeah, but if that's yourthing, yeah, if that's your
thing.
So there's lots and lots ofdifferent things that you can do
with b&b's well, it's uniquehow you can categorize or find
out what you want and there's alot here in the orlando region
because people are coming downwith large families that want to
go to disney but they don'twant to stay on property and
they have all these kids and youknow yeah, you need a big house
(11:43):
and you know.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
so it's rent a house and it's for family.
That's kind of the thing.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
And my niece did that .
Her and her husband came downthey have four kids I'm counting
on my fingers again and theystayed at a B&B, probably about
15 minutes from Disney.
They had each one of them had abedroom.
They had a swimming pool thatthey could utilize, but again
you got to put in groceries.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Well, yeah, yeah.
So you have to make sure, yeah,but if you're doing it for the
family, if it's a big deal, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
It saves you a little money there.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
So most have you gone out to eat lately, right, whoa.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Well, we have, but actually with me and my husband
it's actually cheaper because myhusband throws away leftovers,
but yeah, so I mean somethinglike that where the kids can use
the pool and you can, you know,have like unwind time.
So that makes it nice.
So, again, that was an amenitythat she opted for.
The ones in Europe that mydaughter was at in Portugal not
(12:40):
only had a pool, it had a viewof the ocean, it had a hot tub,
you know.
So there's things like that.
Yeah, so you look for theamenities that you want and, of
course, you're going to seemultiple photos, you know, with
detailed descriptions, and theyalso have reviews, which should
give you an idea of what you'rein for Right Should Now the
(13:00):
photos, which should give you anidea of what you're in for,
right Should?
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Now the photos.
I want to make sure that youknow, right, are they doctored?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Yeah, you know, just like selling a house.
Is that really doctored?
Is there a roof on that house?
Speaker 3 (13:09):
that I'm going to see yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, if there aren't many high-quality photos and
there are no reviews, you mightwant to be a brand new listing.
Well, that would be great, yeah, but it also might be a warning
sign.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
So keep that in mind.
Something to look out for.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, read the descriptions carefully, very
carefully, really.
Yeah, they typically detailimportant information such as
pet rules.
Like I know my daughter, shetakes her animals sometimes, so
she has to see what the petrequirements are.
Right, noise rules no noiseafter like 10 o'clock at night,
uh-oh, you know.
So you got to be careful onthat.
(13:49):
Or the limit on guests.
I know it sleeps eight, but ifyou put that ninth person in you
might be in trouble.
Oh, wow, some owners alsorequire you to sign a separate
contract or a rental agreementoutside of the standard B&B
contracts, yeah, which typicallybe spelled out in a description
as well.
So you got to read the fineprint.
(14:10):
They have features that let youmessage the host before booking
.
Well, that's good.
Now, when we went to this inparticular one, it rained, and
I'm going to be very vulgar.
It rained like piss on a rockone night, yes, and it was just
coming down in droves.
What did we lose?
We lost power for a few secondsand then the cable went out.
(14:32):
Oh no, so none of us could useour phones, we couldn't use our
computers, and then we're tryingto figure out where it was.
You know how do we reboot it,how do we reboot the system.
Yeah, and some Airbnbs willhave directions on how
everything works.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
This in particular, airbnb didn't think of that.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Oh no.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
So my daughter had to contact the guy and say how do
we get this back on?
So make sure you can contactthe host.
It's very, very important.
Some homes let you bookinstantaneously, you know you
don't have to go through aprocess, While others require
you to send an owner request forapproval, and sometimes that's
only because it's booked out.
(15:13):
You know.
So you need to know Paying.
How do you pay for this stuff?
How do you pay for all of thisstuff?
Payment methods in mostcountries include major charge
cards, which is what we used.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
A Visa, a MasterCard and and.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
American Express and most debit cards can be
processed as a credit card, andother payment services like
PayPal, apple Pay, google Pay,are also available.
If you find yourself in asituation, however, where the
host is asking to be paidseparately, such as through
Venmo payments or bank transfers, be careful.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Could be a scam.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
They just want to get your money.
Oh wow, yeah, so be carefulwith that.
Yeah, kind of like renting ahouse you got to know who you're
paying.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I'm looking up, oh this beautiful house and I send
this money and whoop it was ascam.
Right up all this beautifulhouse and I send this money and
whoop it was a scam.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Right, you're sending it to the supposed owner oh,
wow yeah, so you gotta becareful.
So make sure you're goingthrough a reputable b&b company.
Yeah, and make sure you readthe fine prints.
But before we get into moreinformation, how about a
traveling trivia question?
Oh, trivia, traveling trivia.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
The answer is Airbnb.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
What is the second smallest country in the world
after Vatican City?
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Vatican City is next to the largest smallest.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Vatican City is the smallest.
What is the second smallestcountry in the world after
Vatican City?
Speaker 3 (16:41):
The answer isn't listed on my script.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
No, it's not.
What do you think I'm going tolet you cheat, Jay?
Speaker 3 (16:48):
I would have no idea, okay.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
It surprised me, but you'll know the place.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Let's um.
Is it in North America?
No.
Is it in Europe?
Yes.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
I don't think you've been there, but I know you know
it.
Let's see.
Can I give you a hint, graceKelly.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Monaco.
Yes, oh, that is the smallestcountry.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Second smallest country after Vatican City.
I see, yeah, I knew Grace Kellywould give it away.
Yeah, wow, yeah.
So Monaco.
I knew Grace Kelly would giveit away.
Yeah, yeah, wow, yeah.
So Monaco.
I was surprised to see that too.
It was like oh wow, monaco,that's one place I want to go
see.
Really I'll have to have a lotmore money to go.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Yes, Make sure you get to the casino Right.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Here's my dollar.
Okay, let's get back to rentingthe B&Bs.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
I'm just so excited.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
You got an answer.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Well, I can get an answer with a clue.
I phoned a friend.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Right, he had a clue.
Okay, so checking in andchecking out Okay, check-in
processes vary from Airbnb toAirbnb.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
It's always the easiest is getting in.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Yeah, checking in is a little bit more of a process.
Checking in, oh really, yeah,not like checking into a hotel.
There's no front desk, there'sno 24-7 to issue a key.
B&b check-in policies varywidely by property to property.
There could be an in-person keyexchange, but then there are
properties with more complicatedfeatures such as guard gates or
(18:24):
coded entries.
Yeah, so you also have to beaware, if you're going
international, to make sure youhave an adequate international
cell phone coverage or access towifi so you can actually chat,
especially if yourtransportation is delayed.
You know, in today's a day andage, with planes being delayed
(18:44):
all over the place, oh yeah.
Yeah, you'll have to meet uplater than expected, so forth
and so on and other possiblecheck-in methods.
The host leaves instructions.
The key is under the floor pot,you know something like that
Keys are left in the numberedlockbox and the host messages
you with the code Well, that'sgood, Right, or a neighbor,
(19:04):
co-hosthost or building doorperson meets you.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
So, there's.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
There's a few different things, you know um.
The one that we were at had akey code to get into the front
door.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Oh yeah, but that's good Cause you were, you were
given it, right.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
But after the processes were paid.
When were they given that keycode after you paid?
Oh, um, so you know things likethat.
Now, typically, the host willmessage you the check-in details
48 hours prior to your trip.
Okay, and it could be on theapp, it could be on the website,
it could be anywhere, butthey'll let you know.
(19:37):
You know.
You also check out, okay.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
This is what I'm in.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Yeah, you may have to clean up before checking out.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Yeah, I'm in.
Yeah, you may have to clean upbefore checking out.
Yeah, yeah, I'm not into thateither.
You know my vacation.
So the check-in processes varyby property.
The check-out processes alsovary.
Some hosts have specificcleanup instructions, such as
asking you to put used towelsand sheets in the laundry room
or to start the dishwasher.
Other hosts let you leave thehouse as is and handle the
(20:09):
cleanup themselves.
Oh well, that's good.
Now I know.
When we left, we had to takeall of the towels we used and
put them on the floors in thebathroom.
We had to leave the beds unmade.
We also had to start thedishwasher, make sure all the
dishes were in the dishwasherand start the dishwasher.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
So we didn't have to do much.
Did they have a book on theinstructions?
They did not have anyinstructions.
Oh, that's right.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
This in particular one did not, some other ones do.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
The ones I stayed in did Right.
They have a book.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
This is what you do.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
A, B, C, goodbye.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
The majority of hosts also charge a cleaning fee, so
that's also included.
Cleaning fee so that's alsoincluded.
Make sure you look at that fineprint, which are one-time
charges pocketed by the host andit covers the cost of doing the
laundry or scrubbing thetoilets.
They're separate from baseprice, in addition to the
service fees or charges foroptional add-ons.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Yeah, so you got to beware.
Ah, that travel tip.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Do you have a travel tip for us today?
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I always have a travel tip, but what travel tip
should I talk about?
I think I'm going to talk abouttraveling off season.
Oh yeah, it's getting there.
Yeah, I mean why?
For a couple of differentreasons.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
We're in season now, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
One is crowds are not that thick.
You know people like to go toEurope a lot in the summer, but
usually in the height of summerItaly, france you know it's all
packed and you're going to runinto that it's going to be
crowded, it's going to be thickcrowds.
Also, your prices can be alittle higher too in season, a
little less Off season.
Unfortunately, you sometimeshave to deal with weather issues
(21:44):
, like if you go into the desertin the summer, it's going to be
hot, or if you're going to acold region in the winter, it's
going to be cold, it's going tobe a little chilly, but you're
still getting the full adventure.
So if you go to like Ireland orEngland and it's like September
, october, it might be a littlerainy, but you're still getting
the fun.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
It's off season.
It's like September, October.
It might be a little rainy, butyou're still getting the fun
it's off-season.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
It's off-season, but you're saving some money Now how
do I know what is off-season?
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Is there a book published called Off-Season?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Technically, you should contact your travel
advisor and say I want to gooff-season to such and such and
they'll let you know, because itdiffers from place to place.
You know, like the southernpart of our continent of the
world, you know the southernpart of our globe, winter is our
summer and our winter is theirsummer.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Right, yeah, yeah.
So you have to be aware, I wantto go to Australia, right, whoa
it's winter.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah, it's winter down there it's winter right now
.
Well, maybe.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
I should be going.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Going right now, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Mm-hmm, is it real cold in Australia?
Speaker 2 (22:44):
It depends on where you're going.
Remember, Australia is a verybig continent.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
It's bigger than the United States, I understand.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
It's a little large.
Yes, it's a little large.
So contact your travel advisorand say you know, I really want
to go to Italy but I don't wantall the crowds, and then they'll
(23:12):
advise you to go closer to,like September, october, off
season.
That's what we're talking about.
Yep, wow, b&bs, b&bs.
Well, jay, after I stayed inone I'm not quite certain I'll
do it again in the near future,unless there are many of us
going.
Right, I like being pampered.
Just remember that if you aregoing to do a B&B, do your
homework on the location you'regoing to, on the company you're
(23:33):
working, with all the rules andregulations that go with that
B&B.
Also, talk to people that havestayed at B&Bs and get some more
insight from them.
Many travel advisors arestarting to work with B&Bs, so
you can talk to your traveladvisor and they can give you
some insight.
Remember, this is someoneelse's house, so treat it like
(23:53):
your own.
Yeah, yeah, be courteous, can?
I say one thing Do you want tosay one?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
thing.
Yeah, this travel podcast isbrought to you by Collage Travel
Media Network.
I just wanted to say that again.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
You wanted to say it again.
Yeah Well, I'm glad you did.
I'm glad you did.
So you stayed at one.
Would you stay again at anotherAirbnb?
Speaker 3 (24:12):
I'm not looking forward to it.
That's too much work for me,Right?
I mean?
Speaker 2 (24:16):
it's like just okay to me.
Yeah, you know, but Iunderstand if you're traveling
with eight, nine, ten people andthey've got a big house, you
know where you can sleep eight,nine, ten, then that makes sense
.
Yeah, and I'll have my son bookit right and I usually have my
daughter book it so you know,it's their, it's their problem,
so we can always.
We can always yell at themlater if it doesn't work out.
But I was just uh.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
In the last summer we went on a vacation in colorado,
right, and I stayed at Home.
2 Suites by Hilton.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Oh, by Hilton.
Yeah, and it's almost like anAirbnb.
Yeah, it's big enough and youdon't have to worry about all
that other stuff.
Right right, I hear you.
I hear you.
But, like I said, many peoplelike their B&Bs and you know,
hats off, but do your homeworkand know where you're going.
And again, be aware.
Yeah, yeah, homework and knowwhere you're going.
And again, be aware.
Yeah, yeah, so much travelingto do, so little time to do it
(25:11):
in.
So tune in every week for moretravel info, insights, plain fun
talking about more BMEs.
Please follow me and like me onFacebook.
Do you have a favorite locationor perhaps an interesting
travel tip?
I'd love to hear that.
Let me know at ZMichelson, atgmailcom.
Remember, z is spelled Z-E-E.
I'm very excited to let youknow my podcast can be heard on
your favorite podcast playersand it's ZMichelson Travel
(25:34):
Podcast.
So feel free to give me areview.
I would love to hear what youhave to say.
Thanks for listening today.
Traveling truly opens up theworld to you.
You learn all about thedifferent cultures, the
lifestyles and, of course, mineand Jay's favorite, the food.
Then you realize we really aretruly the same Dream, dream, big
, reach for those stars and ifyou only get to the moon, at
(25:56):
least you made the trip.
If you're looking for greatplaces to travel, to visit my
website, zmichelsontravelcom Zis spelled Z-E-E.
This website, z Michelsontravelcom Z is spelt ZEE.
This is Z Michelson, makingyour travel dreams come true.
Welcome to the Z Michelson Travel Podcast.
This podcast is devoted to thetravel industry.
Z says let your imagination runwild and start dreaming about
where you want to go, and dreambig, reach for the stars, and if
you only get to the moon, atleast you enjoyed the trip.
Your guide to travel is ZMichelson, a travel advisor, and
sitting at the controls is JayLawrence, your concierge of
(00:24):
podcast travel.
Now here's Z.
That's me, that's me, I'm Z.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Isn't that exciting.
We are excited.
We've been all over the placelately, haven't we Jay?
Yes, we have, yes, we have, butyou know what I like to do.
What's that?
This podcast is brought to youby Collage.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Travel Media Network.
Oh, I forgot all about that.
How?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
did you forget?
Well they're the ones that payour checks.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
They do.
Kailash Travel Radio ActionCountry and.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
ZMAX Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yeah, oh, my goodness .
Speaker 2 (00:54):
And of course me Z Michelson Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Travel information.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
And then, of course, we can be bought.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
We can be bought out.
Huh, yes, we can be bought out.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yes, we can be bought , so feel free to buy us
information.
Yes, we are the humor.
We are the humor we are, we arehere to let everybody know.
Yes, you know, I know that wealways talk about rediscovering
america, uh-huh, and we havedone our fair share of trotting
around the united states, yes,but we never really talk about
where we stay.
No, yeah, so today, what I'mgoing to talk about is Airbnbs.
Oh, my goodness, yeah, have youstayed or booked any of these?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Well, yes, I did, you did yes, when?
Well, I didn't book it, my sonbooked it.
Oh, your son booked it, ofcourse, from Florida to Colorado
.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Oh, okay, airbnbs with some special places, so
maybe, we'll be talking aboutthem, okay, yeah, my daughter
loves to stay at them as well.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Yeah, she checks, she books them she books them Is it
a Gen X thing.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
It might be because the kids are the same age, or
roughly the same age, and sheeven books them overseas, right,
yeah, yeah.
So that's what we're going tobe talking about today.
Well, that's a good idea.
So what I'm going to bechatting about is how do you
book an Airbnb?
How does it work?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
That is my question.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, so that's the first question up.
I find my information onseveral sites.
One is called NerdWallet.
You know, I look at NerdWalletand see what they have to say,
and then I also talk to mydaughter, because she does a lot
of this.
But after my first day with mysister and my daughter and her
friend at an Airbnb, the jury'sstill out for me.
(02:33):
Yeah, yeah, it's basically youare renting someone else's home,
right?
Yeah, it can be cheaperalternative.
Yeah, but sometimes you havemany people and you need more
room, so it's kind of a goodthing there so you stayed.
This is the first time you'vefirst time I've ever stayed in
an airbnb airbnb.
Wow, you know because I, youknow, I'm a travel advisor and
(02:54):
people do ask do I book airbnbs?
And my answer is no right, Ipersonally do not book airbnbs
but that's kind of like apersonal thing it is, it really
is really is.
Airbnb is often tend to indicateand include.
They all have couches that willpull out or futons so you can
sleep more people.
You know where we stayed.
There were three bedrooms, twobathrooms, a living room, dining
(03:19):
room, kitchen.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Did they have a couch ?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
or a futon.
They had an actual Murphy bed,which you wouldn't know was a
Murphy bed.
It looked like an entertainmentunit that was closed, which was
kind of cool.
Yeah, so you know you can dothat.
Who?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
got the Murphy bed.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Nobody.
My sister had a room, I had aroom and my daughter and her
girlfriend that known each othersince grade school they shared
a room.
Oh cool, so it was comfortable.
I have to say it was acomfortable feeling.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
What other amenities do they have?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well, typically what they'll have is it's a house, so
they'll have washing machines.
They'll have kitchens withdishwashers because you're using
their dishes, they have allthat supplied Right and it's an
option to save a little bit ofmoney.
If you've got a whole bigfamily going, you can cook at
home.
You may also be able to find anAirbnb where there may not be a
(04:15):
hotel, which was where we werestaying.
There were no hotels, oh, wow,yeah.
So that was kind of one of thereasons why my daughter opted
for an Airbnb for us and I lether handle that, because that's
her forte she loves Airbnbs, andsome of the Airbnbs even have
different style homes.
Like what?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Like tree houses, oh my goodness, do you want to stay
in a tree house?
No, I'm not sure.
Or a lighthouse, yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
They even have a replica of the 100-acre wood
Winnie the Pooh 100-acre wood Iguess I didn't read that.
Yeah, so I mean, they havethese amazing things and, like I
said, the house that we were inwas right there on the canal,
by the water, so it had a dock,which was kind of cool, you know
, but I wanted to go to thebeach.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
And when.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
I go to the beach.
I want to walk right out.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, I, I'm going back up here saving a little
money, where it says they havekitchens and you got to do the
dishes.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yes, when I'm on vacation.
I don't want to do dishes, Idon't want to do laundry, I
don't want to cook.
I want to be pampered when I'mon vacation.
That's me too.
However, I have yet to see anAirbnb that comes with a butler.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
But I'm pumped Right.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
There's a drumbeat theresomeplace.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
You got a drumbeat for me.
I got it someplace.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I can't find it Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
But Airbnbs also have some some challenges, such as
uh, check-in processes areinconsistent because, remember,
you're, you're getting your um,you're getting this home from
somebody, okay, and they allhave different processes to be
going through.
Yeah, some hosts make you meetup with them in person to
exchange keys, yeah, while otherunits unlock remotely, so you
never have to meet the owner.
There are a lot of policies,for instance, parties.
(06:07):
How many you know?
Can you have a party, you know?
If some people say, well, Iknow, our B&B sleeps 12 and we
have this big deck, but youcan't have a party or a wedding
or anything there, why do itthen?
Yeah, exactly.
And then you have cancellation,you know, then, why do it then
Exactly?
And then you have cancellationthings and they vary from
property to property.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
There are tons of fees.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Oh, okay, that's not included in the price you get,
no, which again varies byproperty.
Couple that with the Airbnblack of a loyalty program, so it
doesn't always come out to becheaper than hotels.
Not always Not always.
Again, look at the size of yourgroup, look at where they're
staying, look at what's going on, and sometimes you're only
renting part of the home orproperty.
(06:54):
So, you got to be aware of thatyou might be renting a
mother-in-law suite.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Well, usually those are separate enough right.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Not really, Not really.
I mean, you know, in New Yorkmother-in-law suites are very
common.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And they're pretty much attached right to the
person's house.
It's not like they're in thebackyard or something and over
to the side.
So they're pretty much attachedand you have to be aware of
what amenities are offered.
Yeah, because each one offersdifferent amenities, like the
one I stayed at.
Where did you stay?
What did you have?
Well, what we had.
We had a boat dock, which waskind of nice, but we didn't have
(07:33):
a boat.
There were kayaks, but youcouldn't put the kayak in the
water because the water was toolow from the dock.
I mean, you would have to throwthe kayak in and, like, leap
off into the kayak and you'renot a leaper.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
No, I'm not going to leap.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
We had a barbecue.
We had a golf cart that seatedsix.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Well, that was nice, did you ride it?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Yes, of course Play on it.
We went around with the golfcart and looked at the houses in
the neighborhood.
Like I said, where we werestaying, which was Indian Rocks
Beach, is where we stayed.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Oh okay, that's on the west coast of Florida.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
And there was no hotels in that region and they
don't want hotels in that region.
So there were a lot of B&Bs.
They had beach chairs and beachtoys that you could utilize.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
But you couldn't get to the beach.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
You had to drive a little bit to the beach.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
You had to drive a little bit to the beach.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Some have more or less the same, so you got to be
aware of what amenities arebeing offered.
So that's another thing youhave to look at when you're
renting an Airbnb.
Okay, so you decide on anAirbnb.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Well, yeah, how do you book?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
it?
How do you book?
There are many reputablecompanies out there, so do your
homework.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Isn't there a website called Airbnb?
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Right, and then they have all different ones.
You know Airbnb is the name ofa company, and then you have
B&Bs and then you just go andlook to see.
Booking one is fairlystraightforward.
The websites offer robustfilters so you can narrow down
your rentals based on the dates,number of guests, other
features like whether the rentaloffers amenities like cribs,
(09:09):
accessible showers, free parking.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Sometimes these places don't have like.
When my daughter went overseasshe was in Portugal and she went
with her in-laws and you knowthere was a big party of them.
I think there was.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Oh, 15, wasn't there.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Two, four, six.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
You're counting on your toes, I'm counting on my
toes.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
I think there were six adults and one toddler.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
And you know, one place was in the city, in Lisbon
, so naturally there was noparking, which they really
didn't need really and then theother one was on the outskirts
of another town, so it was alittle bit different, but both
places were very nice.
There are different categories.
They featured which gives youthe option to browse properties
(09:56):
by a different criteria, sorather than searching for a
specific city or region, you cansee properties all around the
world that fall into thecategories that you want.
That's weird, right?
Something weird or somethingwhimsical.
Do you want a baby grand piano?
Maybe you're a piano player, oh, you know, so you can have baby
grand, wow.
Other categories include like achef's kitchen, which I know
(10:19):
that your lovely wife wouldprobably enjoy, but when she's
on vacation.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
She doesn't want to cook.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
There's homes near national parks and they go
simple, or a yurt.
You can rent a yurt.
Yes, I see your hand raised.
Yes, Jay.
I don't know what a yurt is.
A yurt is like a funky tent,it's round.
Oh, we saw those in Yellow is Ayurt is like a funky tent, it's
round.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Oh, we saw those in Yellowstone.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah, it has like a cone on top and it's round.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
So those are yurts.
So yeah, so you can even rent ayurt.
And here's some new trendsgoing on, and I'm probably going
to say this word wrong.
It's called a hanok H-A-N-O-K,which is a traditional Korean
home.
H-a-n-o-k, which is atraditional Korean home.
What's that?
It's the type of Korean home Iguess, so new and top of the
(11:08):
world, indicating homes that areat least about 10,000 feet
above sea level or higher.
Now I've seen some stuff onside of mountains.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Like no, I wouldn't yeah, but if that's your thing?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Yeah, if that's your thing.
But, yeah, but if that's yourthing, yeah, if that's your
thing.
So there's lots and lots ofdifferent things that you can do
with b&b's well, it's uniquehow you can categorize or find
out what you want and there's alot here in the orlando region
because people are coming downwith large families that want to
go to disney but they don'twant to stay on property and
they have all these kids and youknow yeah, you need a big house
(11:43):
and you know.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
so it's rent a house and it's for family.
That's kind of the thing.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
And my niece did that .
Her and her husband came downthey have four kids I'm counting
on my fingers again and theystayed at a B&B, probably about
15 minutes from Disney.
They had each one of them had abedroom.
They had a swimming pool thatthey could utilize, but again
you got to put in groceries.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Well, yeah, yeah.
So you have to make sure, yeah,but if you're doing it for the
family, if it's a big deal, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
It saves you a little money there.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
So most have you gone out to eat lately, right, whoa.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Well, we have, but actually with me and my husband
it's actually cheaper because myhusband throws away leftovers,
but yeah, so I mean somethinglike that where the kids can use
the pool and you can, you know,have like unwind time.
So that makes it nice.
So, again, that was an amenitythat she opted for.
The ones in Europe that mydaughter was at in Portugal not
(12:40):
only had a pool, it had a viewof the ocean, it had a hot tub,
you know.
So there's things like that.
Yeah, so you look for theamenities that you want and, of
course, you're going to seemultiple photos, you know, with
detailed descriptions, and theyalso have reviews, which should
give you an idea of what you'rein for Right Should Now the
(13:00):
photos, which should give you anidea of what you're in for,
right Should?
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Now the photos.
I want to make sure that youknow, right, are they doctored?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Yeah, you know, just like selling a house.
Is that really doctored?
Is there a roof on that house?
Speaker 3 (13:09):
that I'm going to see yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, if there aren't many high-quality photos and
there are no reviews, you mightwant to be a brand new listing.
Well, that would be great, yeah, but it also might be a warning
sign.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
So keep that in mind.
Something to look out for.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, read the descriptions carefully, very
carefully, really.
Yeah, they typically detailimportant information such as
pet rules.
Like I know my daughter, shetakes her animals sometimes, so
she has to see what the petrequirements are.
Right, noise rules no noiseafter like 10 o'clock at night,
uh-oh, you know.
So you got to be careful onthat.
(13:49):
Or the limit on guests.
I know it sleeps eight, but ifyou put that ninth person in you
might be in trouble.
Oh, wow, some owners alsorequire you to sign a separate
contract or a rental agreementoutside of the standard B&B
contracts, yeah, which typicallybe spelled out in a description
as well.
So you got to read the fineprint.
(14:10):
They have features that let youmessage the host before booking
.
Well, that's good.
Now, when we went to this inparticular one, it rained, and
I'm going to be very vulgar.
It rained like piss on a rockone night, yes, and it was just
coming down in droves.
What did we lose?
We lost power for a few secondsand then the cable went out.
(14:32):
Oh no, so none of us could useour phones, we couldn't use our
computers, and then we're tryingto figure out where it was.
You know how do we reboot it,how do we reboot the system.
Yeah, and some Airbnbs willhave directions on how
everything works.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
This in particular, airbnb didn't think of that.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Oh no.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
So my daughter had to contact the guy and say how do
we get this back on?
So make sure you can contactthe host.
It's very, very important.
Some homes let you bookinstantaneously, you know you
don't have to go through aprocess, While others require
you to send an owner request forapproval, and sometimes that's
only because it's booked out.
(15:13):
You know.
So you need to know Paying.
How do you pay for this stuff?
How do you pay for all of thisstuff?
Payment methods in mostcountries include major charge
cards, which is what we used.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
A Visa, a MasterCard and and.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
American Express and most debit cards can be
processed as a credit card, andother payment services like
PayPal, apple Pay, google Pay,are also available.
If you find yourself in asituation, however, where the
host is asking to be paidseparately, such as through
Venmo payments or bank transfers, be careful.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Could be a scam.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
They just want to get your money.
Oh wow, yeah, so be carefulwith that.
Yeah, kind of like renting ahouse you got to know who you're
paying.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I'm looking up, oh this beautiful house and I send
this money and whoop it was ascam.
Right up all this beautifulhouse and I send this money and
whoop it was a scam.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Right, you're sending it to the supposed owner oh,
wow yeah, so you gotta becareful.
So make sure you're goingthrough a reputable b&b company.
Yeah, and make sure you readthe fine prints.
But before we get into moreinformation, how about a
traveling trivia question?
Oh, trivia, traveling trivia.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
The answer is Airbnb.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
What is the second smallest country in the world
after Vatican City?
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Vatican City is next to the largest smallest.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Vatican City is the smallest.
What is the second smallestcountry in the world after
Vatican City?
Speaker 3 (16:41):
The answer isn't listed on my script.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
No, it's not.
What do you think I'm going tolet you cheat, Jay?
Speaker 3 (16:48):
I would have no idea, okay.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
It surprised me, but you'll know the place.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Let's um.
Is it in North America?
No.
Is it in Europe?
Yes.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
I don't think you've been there, but I know you know
it.
Let's see.
Can I give you a hint, graceKelly.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Monaco.
Yes, oh, that is the smallestcountry.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Second smallest country after Vatican City.
I see, yeah, I knew Grace Kellywould give it away.
Yeah, wow, yeah.
So Monaco.
I knew Grace Kelly would giveit away.
Yeah, yeah, wow, yeah.
So Monaco.
I was surprised to see that too.
It was like oh wow, monaco,that's one place I want to go
see.
Really I'll have to have a lotmore money to go.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Yes, Make sure you get to the casino Right.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Here's my dollar.
Okay, let's get back to rentingthe B&Bs.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
I'm just so excited.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
You got an answer.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Well, I can get an answer with a clue.
I phoned a friend.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Right, he had a clue.
Okay, so checking in andchecking out Okay, check-in
processes vary from Airbnb toAirbnb.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
It's always the easiest is getting in.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Yeah, checking in is a little bit more of a process.
Checking in, oh really, yeah,not like checking into a hotel.
There's no front desk, there'sno 24-7 to issue a key.
B&b check-in policies varywidely by property to property.
There could be an in-person keyexchange, but then there are
properties with more complicatedfeatures such as guard gates or
(18:24):
coded entries.
Yeah, so you also have to beaware, if you're going
international, to make sure youhave an adequate international
cell phone coverage or access towifi so you can actually chat,
especially if yourtransportation is delayed.
You know, in today's a day andage, with planes being delayed
(18:44):
all over the place, oh yeah.
Yeah, you'll have to meet uplater than expected, so forth
and so on and other possiblecheck-in methods.
The host leaves instructions.
The key is under the floor pot,you know something like that
Keys are left in the numberedlockbox and the host messages
you with the code Well, that'sgood, Right, or a neighbor,
(19:04):
co-hosthost or building doorperson meets you.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
So, there's.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
There's a few different things, you know um.
The one that we were at had akey code to get into the front
door.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Oh yeah, but that's good Cause you were, you were
given it, right.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
But after the processes were paid.
When were they given that keycode after you paid?
Oh, um, so you know things likethat.
Now, typically, the host willmessage you the check-in details
48 hours prior to your trip.
Okay, and it could be on theapp, it could be on the website,
it could be anywhere, butthey'll let you know.
(19:37):
You know.
You also check out, okay.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
This is what I'm in.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Yeah, you may have to clean up before checking out.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Yeah, I'm in.
Yeah, you may have to clean upbefore checking out.
Yeah, yeah, I'm not into thateither.
You know my vacation.
So the check-in processes varyby property.
The check-out processes alsovary.
Some hosts have specificcleanup instructions, such as
asking you to put used towelsand sheets in the laundry room
or to start the dishwasher.
Other hosts let you leave thehouse as is and handle the
(20:09):
cleanup themselves.
Oh well, that's good.
Now I know.
When we left, we had to takeall of the towels we used and
put them on the floors in thebathroom.
We had to leave the beds unmade.
We also had to start thedishwasher, make sure all the
dishes were in the dishwasherand start the dishwasher.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
So we didn't have to do much.
Did they have a book on theinstructions?
They did not have anyinstructions.
Oh, that's right.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
This in particular one did not, some other ones do.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
The ones I stayed in did Right.
They have a book.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
This is what you do.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
A, B, C, goodbye.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
The majority of hosts also charge a cleaning fee, so
that's also included.
Cleaning fee so that's alsoincluded.
Make sure you look at that fineprint, which are one-time
charges pocketed by the host andit covers the cost of doing the
laundry or scrubbing thetoilets.
They're separate from baseprice, in addition to the
service fees or charges foroptional add-ons.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Yeah, so you got to beware.
Ah, that travel tip.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Do you have a travel tip for us today?
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I always have a travel tip, but what travel tip
should I talk about?
I think I'm going to talk abouttraveling off season.
Oh yeah, it's getting there.
Yeah, I mean why?
For a couple of differentreasons.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
We're in season now, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
One is crowds are not that thick.
You know people like to go toEurope a lot in the summer, but
usually in the height of summerItaly, france you know it's all
packed and you're going to runinto that it's going to be
crowded, it's going to be thickcrowds.
Also, your prices can be alittle higher too in season, a
little less Off season.
Unfortunately, you sometimeshave to deal with weather issues
(21:44):
, like if you go into the desertin the summer, it's going to be
hot, or if you're going to acold region in the winter, it's
going to be cold, it's going tobe a little chilly, but you're
still getting the full adventure.
So if you go to like Ireland orEngland and it's like September
, october, it might be a littlerainy, but you're still getting
the fun.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
It's off season.
It's like September, October.
It might be a little rainy, butyou're still getting the fun
it's off-season.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
It's off-season, but you're saving some money Now how
do I know what is off-season?
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Is there a book published called Off-Season?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Technically, you should contact your travel
advisor and say I want to gooff-season to such and such and
they'll let you know, because itdiffers from place to place.
You know, like the southernpart of our continent of the
world, you know the southernpart of our globe, winter is our
summer and our winter is theirsummer.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Right, yeah, yeah.
So you have to be aware, I wantto go to Australia, right, whoa
it's winter.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah, it's winter down there it's winter right now
.
Well, maybe.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
I should be going.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Going right now, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Mm-hmm, is it real cold in Australia?
Speaker 2 (22:44):
It depends on where you're going.
Remember, Australia is a verybig continent.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
It's bigger than the United States, I understand.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
It's a little large.
Yes, it's a little large.
So contact your travel advisorand say you know, I really want
to go to Italy but I don't wantall the crowds, and then they'll
(23:12):
advise you to go closer to,like September, october, off
season.
That's what we're talking about.
Yep, wow, b&bs, b&bs.
Well, jay, after I stayed inone I'm not quite certain I'll
do it again in the near future,unless there are many of us
going.
Right, I like being pampered.
Just remember that if you aregoing to do a B&B, do your
homework on the location you'regoing to, on the company you're
(23:33):
working, with all the rules andregulations that go with that
B&B.
Also, talk to people that havestayed at B&Bs and get some more
insight from them.
Many travel advisors arestarting to work with B&Bs, so
you can talk to your traveladvisor and they can give you
some insight.
Remember, this is someoneelse's house, so treat it like
(23:53):
your own.
Yeah, yeah, be courteous, can?
I say one thing Do you want tosay one?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
thing.
Yeah, this travel podcast isbrought to you by Collage Travel
Media Network.
I just wanted to say that again.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
You wanted to say it again.
Yeah Well, I'm glad you did.
I'm glad you did.
So you stayed at one.
Would you stay again at anotherAirbnb?
Speaker 3 (24:12):
I'm not looking forward to it.
That's too much work for me,Right?
I mean?
Speaker 2 (24:16):
it's like just okay to me.
Yeah, you know, but Iunderstand if you're traveling
with eight, nine, ten people andthey've got a big house, you
know where you can sleep eight,nine, ten, then that makes sense
.
Yeah, and I'll have my son bookit right and I usually have my
daughter book it so you know,it's their, it's their problem,
so we can always.
We can always yell at themlater if it doesn't work out.
But I was just uh.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
In the last summer we went on a vacation in colorado,
right, and I stayed at Home.
2 Suites by Hilton.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Oh, by Hilton.
Yeah, and it's almost like anAirbnb.
Yeah, it's big enough and youdon't have to worry about all
that other stuff.
Right right, I hear you.
I hear you.
But, like I said, many peoplelike their B&Bs and you know,
hats off, but do your homeworkand know where you're going.
And again, be aware.
Yeah, yeah, homework and knowwhere you're going.
And again, be aware.
Yeah, yeah, so much travelingto do, so little time to do it
(25:11):
in.
So tune in every week for moretravel info, insights, plain fun
talking about more BMEs.
Please follow me and like me onFacebook.
Do you have a favorite locationor perhaps an interesting
travel tip?
I'd love to hear that.
Let me know at ZMichelson, atgmailcom.
Remember, z is spelled Z-E-E.
I'm very excited to let youknow my podcast can be heard on
your favorite podcast playersand it's ZMichelson Travel
(25:34):
Podcast.
So feel free to give me areview.
I would love to hear what youhave to say.
Thanks for listening today.
Traveling truly opens up theworld to you.
You learn all about thedifferent cultures, the
lifestyles and, of course, mineand Jay's favorite, the food.
Then you realize we really aretruly the same Dream, dream, big
, reach for those stars and ifyou only get to the moon, at
(25:56):
least you made the trip.
If you're looking for greatplaces to travel, to visit my
website, zmichelsontravelcom Zis spelled Z-E-E.
This website, z Michelsontravelcom Z is spelt ZEE.
This is Z Michelson, makingyour travel dreams come true.
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