NOT QUITE A STAYCATION, BUT CLOSE ENOUGH
Right before Covid hit, I booked my first female solo travel adventure and decided on an AirBnB trip a state away. It wasn’t too far from home, but it was just far enough.
It was not my first time traveling as a solo female, but it was my first time staying in a new city where I didn’t have anyone local that I knew.
Here are my 10 practical tips for female solo AirBnB travel. Ya know, just in case you ever find yourself needing to book a solo getaway, STAT, to a new city where nobody knows your name.
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS I’LL RECEIVE A COMMISSION IF YOU PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINK, AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.
Why I Decided To Book A Female Solo AirBnB Adventure
The Covington, KY AirBnB Video Tour
Join 2019 me for a walk-through, silent tour of the AirBnB I booked for my stay.
TIP 1: Do your location research before you book your AirBnB Travel Trip
I fully utilize Google’s Instant Street View when I am planning my trip. This is especially true when I’m going to be visiting a new area that’s unfamiliar to me. If you’re interested in a cute little place or room that you find on AirBnB’s website, you can click the map information to get an approximate location. You won’t receive the direct address until booking confirmation.
How To Research AirBnB Locations
TIP 2: Pre-plan any activities you would like to do while you’re in the area
Knowing the purpose behind your trip, before you book it, may sound silly. But sometimes we don’t completely think about what we want our trip to look like until we are there. I’m talking mostly to the wanderlust loving traveler who is more spontaneous in nature, than the Type-A planner. You’re the kinda person who gets up and goes! I wish I was more like you. I’m the crazy planner!
If you’re wanting to travel for a one night stay like me, in order to get away from the happy chaos of your normal day-to-day, then perhaps you’ll want to stay in and enjoy the quiet. Gosh, that was N-I-C-E.
If you’re planning to do anything outside of the house/room, then definitely think about restaurants, attractions, events, shopping and anything else you could possibly do in the area and how you’ll be getting to those locations.
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A Covington, KY AirBnB Tour & Honest Review
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TIP 3: Reach out to the Airbnb host with any questions prior to booking*
Okay, so this one is either a hit or a miss, when contacting the AirBnB Host (before a paid reservation).
I booked a trip in Columbus, Ohio before I booked my first solo AirBnb stay in a different city and state. I ended up canceling my reservation after arriving, due to several poor management issues.
My correspondence (before, during and even after) with that Host was a huge fail. It turned out that he told me what I wanted to hear in order for me to book the trip and then did NOT deliver.
Getting a refund was incredibly difficult.
Another time, while I was working on Stylish Milk Magazine’s final issue, I wanted to do a photo shoot at a super cute AirBnB, for one of my articles.
I reached out to the Host and they ignored me completely. So as you could probably guess, I did not book with them and booked a different AirBnB instead.
If you have questions, it never hurts to reach out to the host beforehand. But just be aware that sometimes hosts don’t bother to answer emails unless you’ve paid them with a booked reservation.
TIP 4: Think About Parking, Transportation Required And Plan Ahead
This one is super important as a female solo traveller. You definitely don’t want to find yourself carrying luggage (or photo and video equipment on top of luggage in my instance) for miles upon miles. I actually did this when I traveled to New York City for the first time in the late Summer of 2019 when it was dreadfully hot. Carrying heavy bags that didn’t have wheels was not my smartest moment.
I hadn’t traveled by air in a decade, okay, give this girl a break. I’ll tell ya about that trip in the near future, too. It was very, well, interesting. Anyway, I had a huge lapse in judgement for my NYC trip, but I am thankful for the tough life lesson. I kept this in mind for my solo trip to Covington, KY, and made sure to consider parking ahead of time.
The cute little one bedroom apartment that I booked was located on a busy street, but they did have a private parking space located right across the two-lane road, in a private lot, that was wide-open and well-lit. I could keep an eye on my car from the front window of my AirBnB and I knew I wouldn’t be going back to the car til checkout the next day, so I felt good about this particular scenario.
I’m so glad I went with that place, vs the other cute one I was considering. It turns out that the other place didn’t have parking at all. It was street-only and a “good luck if you can find a spot” type of situation according to the reviews. I may be alright with that scenario if I wasn’t traveling alone or was not new to the area, but since I WAS solo AND new to the area, knowing my parking situation ahead of time took all the anxiety and nerves away.
I knew what to expect, which gave me a sound, peace of mind.
TIP 5: Review AirBnB house rules and book your stay
TIP 6: Plan To Arrive During Daylight Hours
Traveling to a new place can be daunting to a solo female traveler who isn’t used to a wanderlust kinda lifestyle. Arriving in the daylight makes the entire arrival experience so much easier! It’s difficult to find your way around a busy city, in the night time. If you’re going for a more rural area, then you may be able to navigate just fine in the dark. But it might be a safety risk, if you’re solo.
Safety, first is my motto when traveling solo.
I know that it would make me feel incredibly uncomfortable to travel alone to an area I wasn’t familiar with, firsthand, during nighttime hours. A lot of AirBnB Hosts have a 4pm check-in time. But sometimes you will see 3pm. You can also reach out to the Host ahead of time to request an early arrival, although if they are booked with someone else the day before you’re set to or wanting to arrive, the chances of early arrival (with a fee) is highly unlikely.
TIP 7: Utilize Convenience Services If You Change Your Mind About Leaving Your AirBnB
TIP 8: Clean up as you go
TIP 9: Triple Check Each Area For Personal Belongings Before You Lock Up And Check-Out
I did this for each space in my AirBnB, but I still forgot some things. Perishable things, so it wasn’t a huge deal, but damnit, I left my wine and left-over chipotle bowl. Yes, you guessed correctly; I forgot to check the fridge.
Aside from that, I triple checked each space because I would have been devastated had I left any camera or video equipment, my expensive iPad or my favorite pair of pajamas. Ya feel me?
TIP 10: Enjoy Your Solo Time!
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FINAL THOUGHTS
I hope you found these 10 Tips For Female Solo Travel AirBnB Trip (2023) helpful. I also hope they inspire you to book (or start saving up for) a solo adventure in the near future. Thank you for reading this post! xo, Bri
