Living out of Airbnbs for ~2.5 years - surprisingly affordably!

[FreelanceToFreedom]

For most of the last 2.5 years, I've lived out of various Airbnbs all around the world (and in the US during Covid), and it's been surprisingly affordable given the freedom it provides. I wanted to share this tidbit, mostly for:

• Those who are already FIREd and want to slow travel
• Those who are remote workers, freelancers, self employed that can work and travel
• Anyone interested in unique/alternative lifestyles

First, the numbers:

• In 2020 and 2021, paid stays averaged around $1,240/month. This was all in the West Coast US, in medium/high COL areas. Typical market rents for comparable stays would be about the same, ~$1200-$1,300, plus utilities (which are included with Airbnb). Most says were 1-3 months
• In 2019, stays averaged around $1,050/month. This was mostly in Eastern Europe, with some USA road trippin' included, and a few weeks in Hawaii. These were shorter stays of mostly 1-3 weeks, so it was more expensive (probably 2x+ local rents, in Europe, but bit of a different ballgame when abroad!)
• In the last 2.5 years, we've stayed a cumulative total of ~6 months for free/dirt cheap through a combination of housesitting, staying with family/friends, camping, etc. These free stays are not included in the calculations above - but if they were, would drop the total average monthly cost by around $250/mo
• We are able to pay for all stays with a credit card, so I use the Chase Sapphire Reserve. This effectively earns 4.5% back on travel purchases (including Airbnb), so this further reduces the total cost

The main ways we've been able to keep costs down are:

• Asking for discounts. Many hosts have a monthly discount baked-in, but even if they do, it's worth asking for more - particularly if you're staying a few months.
• Going small. We're fairly minimalist anyways, so we mostly stayed in MIL units, tiny homes and small apartments/houses.
• Being flexible. Our work allows us to go wherever, so we cast a wide net and looked for interesting lodgings in towns that we were interested in. Pre-covid, the opportunities for geo arbitrage are much better, as there are many very cheap countries out there!

Background
Back in 2018, my partner and I made the switch to becoming "digital nomads". I was already a freelancer, and she quit her job to start freelancing as well.

We don't make a ton of money (~$50-$70k between the two of us most years), but we've been able to enjoy a ton of freedom in our lifestyle, while also saving aggressively. We also don't really work that much, hah!

The plan was to travel internationally full-time for a couple years and then re-assess. We traveled for around a year, and then Covid hit. We were supposed to be in SE Asia for all of 2020, but obviously that didn't happen.

Instead, we pivoted to staying with family for a while, and then staying in monthly Airbnb's in the states. We were surprised to be able to find quality rentals at pretty close to market rent. Part of this was a willingness to downsize (we stayed in mother-in-law units, small houses, and a couple tiny homes), and part of it was likely Covid and owners being more willing to give discounts. But even now with travel resuming, we've booked through early Fall at reasonable rents (a bit higher average in the summer, as expected, but we also have nicer places).

This has also given us the opportunity to try out different living situations, lifestyles, and geographical locations. We stayed in two tiny homes, on a homesteading farm, and are now looking for an RV for a month to try that out.

There have been some ups and downs, of course, but I feel like we've made the best of it given the curveball that was Covid-19.

Anyways, for those who value freedom/flexibility, this can be an interesting path to test out. And once international travel is possible again, the possibilities are endless (and quite cheap!)

Cheers!

[iluvzbeach]

This is awesome. I love hearing when others do this. When she retired, my mom sold her condo and all her possessions, outside of 5 medium-sized boxes that she shipped to us to store. She then spent the next year traveling through Europe & the UK with a small suitcase & backpack. She stayed in Airbnb/VRBO rentals, for 1-3 months at a time. Had the time of her life, met great people and loved getting to see so many places at a leisurely pace.

I highly encourage it for others.

[helloyou]

That sounds awesome. It's something I'm thinking to do once covid ends. Although my job may require me to work back in the office though.

[Padonak]

How exactly do you ask for discounts on AirBnB? How much do you ask for? What reasons do you give? Can you share the wording you use?

I tried to ask for discounts a few times but couldn't get anything less than 5% off.

[FreelanceToFreedom]

How exactly do you ask for discounts on AirBnB? How much do you ask for? What reasons do you give? Can you share the wording you use?

I tried to ask for discounts a few times but couldn't get anything less than 5% off.

So typically we are staying for at least a month, usually 2-3 months. So there's some bargaining room there. I usually just message the host saying something like "we'd love to stay at X, but it's a bit out of our budget. Do you have any room for an additional discount if we stay for X months?"

Some hosts will certainly say no, while others offer substantial discounts. This is why we cast a wide net and contact several options to feel them out. If they agree, they can send a "special offer" with the new rate (but be sure to account for Airbnb fees of ~12%. So if they agree to $1000/mo you'll actually pay like $1120/mo).

[FreelanceToFreedom]

This is awesome. I love hearing when others do this. When she retired, my mom sold her condo and all her possessions, outside of 5 medium-sized boxes that she shipped to us to store. She then spent the next year traveling through Europe & the UK with a small suitcase & backpack. She stayed in Airbnb/VRBO rentals, for 1-3 months at a time. Had the time of her life, met great people and loved getting to see so many places at a leisurely pace.

I highly encourage it for others.

That's great! Awesome way to leap into retirement. I'm surprised she came back!

[FreelanceToFreedom]

That sounds awesome. It's something I'm thinking to do once covid ends. Although my job may require me to work back in the office though.

Mhm, hopefully it works out! I'm hopeful that more employers will be open to permanent remote, now that they've seen it can actually work!

[Padonak]

How exactly do you ask for discounts on AirBnB? How much do you ask for? What reasons do you give? Can you share the wording you use?

I tried to ask for discounts a few times but couldn't get anything less than 5% off.

So typically we are staying for at least a month, usually 2-3 months. So there's some bargaining room there. I usually just message the host saying something like "we'd love to stay at X, but it's a bit out of our budget. Do you have any room for an additional discount if we stay for X months?"

Some hosts will certainly say no, while others offer substantial discounts. This is why we cast a wide net and contact several options to feel them out. If they agree, they can send a "special offer" with the new rate (but be sure to account for Airbnb fees of ~12%. So if they agree to $1000/mo you'll actually pay like $1120/mo).

Thanks, I'll try to do the same.

Have you ever booked an airbnb for the first few days and then agree to rent directly from the same host month to month for a substantial discount? Some of my friends did that.

Another option is to rent a place for a few days, check out local facebook groups and FB marketplace and try to find a month to month rental through a broker or directly from a landlord. That's what i did last year.

[The 585]

I've been interested in this type of slow travel lifestyle both domestically and eventually internationally. A couple questions if you don't mind -- what do you do for a US-based address which employers, financial accounts, and health insurance require? Also, how much luggage do you travel with?

[terran]

Thanks for the writeup! We plan to do this when we retire, so I have some questions we've wondered about if you're up for answering them. How far out do you typically book and does that change based on the length of your expected stay? Do you find a place to stay and then make travel arrangements or do you arrange travel first and then find a place to stay? We've done quite a few AirBnBs of a week or less with some excellent experiences and some not so great experiences that we were thankful weren't long term (a London apartment with a smoky smelling bathroom and a musty apartment in Barcelona being the worst)... what do you do to help ensure you'll be in a place you're willing to live for multiple months?

[swashbucklinstache]

Do you use the host's internet? Any concerns from your clients about this? Or do you bring a hotspot with you?

[FreelanceToFreedom]

How exactly do you ask for discounts on AirBnB? How much do you ask for? What reasons do you give? Can you share the wording you use?

I tried to ask for discounts a few times but couldn't get anything less than 5% off.

So typically we are staying for at least a month, usually 2-3 months. So there's some bargaining room there. I usually just message the host saying something like "we'd love to stay at X, but it's a bit out of our budget. Do you have any room for an additional discount if we stay for X months?"

Some hosts will certainly say no, while others offer substantial discounts. This is why we cast a wide net and contact several options to feel them out. If they agree, they can send a "special offer" with the new rate (but be sure to account for Airbnb fees of ~12%. So if they agree to $1000/mo you'll actually pay like $1120/mo).

Thanks, I'll try to do the same.

Have you ever booked an airbnb for the first few days and then agree to rent directly from the same host month to month for a substantial discount? Some of my friends did that.

Another option is to rent a place for a few days, check out local facebook groups and FB marketplace and try to find a month to month rental through a broker or directly from a landlord. That's what i did last year.

I have not yet done that, no, but it's a good strategy that many have found success with. I do keep hosts' phone numbers so that if we stay with them again in the future I can cut out Airbnb as the middle man.

Also haven't done month to month through a broker. Airbnb is just so convenient. And we need furnished places as we don't really own much right now!

[FreelanceToFreedom]

I've been interested in this type of slow travel lifestyle both domestically and eventually internationally. A couple questions if you don't mind -- what do you do for a US-based address which employers, financial accounts, and health insurance require? Also, how much luggage do you travel with?

For an address, you can either use a family member/friend's house, or you can get a virtual mailbox service for like $10 or $20 a month. They scan your mail so you can access it digitally.

Luggage wise - right now all the stuff we're traveling with basically fills up my Subaru Outback, so it's quite a bit of crap! But when we're traveling internationally, it's much less. Usually 1 standard suitcase + 1 backpack each.

[FreelanceToFreedom]

I'm also interested in this and will be doing something like it while combining travel (in north America) while looking for a new, permanent place to live. My issue with airbnb are the fees (including cleaning fee) and taxes which seems to tack on several hundred dollars to a monthly rental plus pet fees/availability for my small dog.  Plus I've had difficulty finding longer term AirBNBs that didn't have their weekends and holidays  booked far in advance so monthly wasn't always possible.

I'm moving today to a short term (monthly) vacation house rental for the summer thru a broker/landlord not airbnb after selling and would like to try out of some different places in the US PNW and New England this fall so happy to hear any recommendations or hacks.

Yeah, the fees definitely add up. Airbnb fees are around 12%, and then some areas have additional taxes. And then cleaning fee of $50-$150 per booking. I don't travel with a pet but yeah I imagine that would add cost and hassle.

On the other hand, there are no utilities. So that helps balance it out. I also pay for stays with my Chase Sapphire Reserve, which earns 4.5% back on travel purchases, which also helps to offset fees.

Random weekend bookings can be an issue, yes. We tend to book like 4-6 months in advance so that helps. And the last year has all been Covid weirdness, so many hosts transitioned into long term only, so that helped. Can't say what it would be like in a normal year in the US (we were international before Covid).

[FreelanceToFreedom]

Thanks for the writeup! We plan to do this when we retire, so I have some questions we've wondered about if you're up for answering them. How far out do you typically book and does that change based on the length of your expected stay? Do you find a place to stay and then make travel arrangements or do you arrange travel first and then find a place to stay? We've done quite a few AirBnBs of a week or less with some excellent experiences and some not so great experiences that we were thankful weren't long term (a London apartment with a smoky smelling bathroom and a musty apartment in Barcelona being the worst)... what do you do to help ensure you'll be in a place you're willing to live for multiple months?

We were booking like 3ish months ahead, but moving into summer we knew it would be busier, so we booked summer about 6 months ahead. But internationally I've had trips where I booked like 2 days ahead, so it varies, hah!

We book before traveling, generally. In the past (internationally) we would at times travel somewhere for a few days to see how the city felt (just staying in a hotel), and if we liked it we'd look for longer stays. But usually we book lodging long before we book travel.

Quality-wise, we rely on reviews a lot. I wouldn't book a multi-month stay somewhere that didn't have very good reviews overall (and a decent quantity of ratings). If it's a shorter stay I'll roll the dice a bit for a cheaper stay, but usually we're looking for places that are like 4.6/5 or better. We also ask the hosts clarifying questions to ensure we know what we're getting into. Also, we're not too picky!

[FreelanceToFreedom]

Do you use the host's internet? Any concerns from your clients about this? Or do you bring a hotspot with you?

I use the host's internet with a VPN. I don't really handle any sensitive information for clients. If I did, I'd probably look into a hotspot - so yeah, this is a good point to bring up!

[swashbucklinstache]

Any concerns about health insurance network limitations? Some smaller companies don't cover across the U.S. for instance.

[FreelanceToFreedom]

Any concerns about health insurance network limitations? Some smaller companies don't cover across the U.S. for instance.

Yeah, so most plans will cover true emergencies when you're out of state, but routine stuff isn't covered. I'm young and don't go to the doctor much (and have a worthless catastrophic plan anyways). For international travel, there's usually no coverage, but we'll get travel insurance for a little piece of mind (it's also for emergencies). Routine healthcare is generally much cheaper everywhere but the US, so we just pay out of pocket if we need to go to the dentist or something while abroad.