By Katrice
I can't remember what mag I was reading recently that mentioned Airbnb, but I marked the page and meant to look it up online later. I forgot about it until a conversation this past weekend about apartment swaps when someone brought up renting rooms via Airbnb.com. There are places available all over the world. What a fantastic concept.
What you do: Do a quick search on airbnb.com by entering the location and dates you want to travel. You can arrange a private room in a place with other people or a home by yourself -- for a night, a week or a month at virtually any price point. And before booking anything you can read reviews of previous guests' experiences where you're interesting in staying. If you have any questions, just message the host directly through the site.
Payment: When you're ready to book, you put in your request and Airbnb holds your payment {which includes a 6-12% booking fee} until 24 hours after you've checked in.
A couple things: Sign-up is free as is listing a space. Airbnb charges just 3% of each accepted reservation.
This just may change the way I travel.
P.S. If you're trying to get to NYC for Fashion Week, you're in luck. There are places available all over the city.
