airbnb介紹/Introduction to airbnb

都分享完我的經驗了，才想到應該要先介紹一下airbnb，不然看倌們讀了我的文章，可能還是搞不清楚我在說啥。趕緊來補說明一下！

簡單說來，airbnb類似租屋網站，是一個提供屋主出租家裡空間、旅客上網搜尋住宿的交易平台。類似沙發衝浪，屋主們提供自己公寓裡的空間/房間讓旅客們休憩。但與沙發衝浪不同的是，住宿的旅客們是要付費的，因此又有點像台灣的民宿或日租套房。出租的住宿型態有很多種，有些屋主提供客廳沙發或是氣墊床，有些是出租家裡的空房間，包含一張真正的床，有些則是出租整棟房子或公寓。住宿價格由屋主自訂，隨著住宿型態與地點不同，價格當然也不一樣。

我使用airbnb的流程是這樣的：進入網站後，先在首頁輸入預計前往的國家城市、住宿日期與人數，airbnb就會列出可供住宿的列表。選好預計的價格區段後，接著我會篩選房型為獨立房間（之前和馬克出去拜訪朋友住朋友家都睡沙發墊，結果都是兩人都睡不好隔天精神超差，所以有沒有獨立房間和真正的床對我們來說非常重要）。如果已經知道希望住的地區，可以再用地點做進一步的篩選。然後就是看照片、住宿規定與周遭環境、關於主人的介紹以及以前房客的評價。在米國好區和壞區差異很大，所以還會用Google地圖街景的功能再確認一下周遭環境。通常我會選擇兩、三個心中合意的進行聯繫，與屋主確認其他細節，如停車問題、床的尺寸或大眾運輸工具等等。如果屋主願意出租房間，那麼在對話訊息中我會看到Preapproved（已允許訂房請求）的顯示狀態，那就可以訂購了。 我不清楚airbnb的金流如何運作，但交易都是等確定房客入住後才會從信用卡扣款。最後在訂房成功後，我也會跟屋主告知預計的入住時間等等，盡量做到清楚的溝通，讓入住更順利。當然airbnb還有提供其他篩選條件與功能，就看你的住房需求了。

這幾年airbnb成長相當穩健快速。聽說有人在紐約做airbnb，一年有2萬美元的收入（註）！我曾問過其他屋主，他們都認為airbnb整個交易過程很令人放心。截至目前為止，很幸運地在airbnb使用上，我遇到的屋主們人都很好，並沒有碰到如交易臨時被取消等等的問題，從我之前的經驗談上、下，就可以知道airbnb帶給我更多意料之外的樂趣。現在一旦確定旅遊的住宿來源是airbnb，對於這趟旅程我更增添一份期待與興奮！

註：airbnb的屋主其實是要繳稅的，並不是稅外收入喔。前一陣子新聞報導紐約市認為airbnb是違法的，後續的相關發展我就沒有追蹤了。若預計在紐約使用airbnb服務的朋友們可能要多留意一下相關消息。

I just realized that I should have introduced airbnb before I shared my user experience, otherwise readers may not know what I am talking about.  Oh well, if you have already figured out what airbnb is, you can skip this one.

Simply put, airbnb is like a accommodation rental website.  It is a transaction platform where hosts can post their listings and travelers can search for accommodation.  In a way it is similar to couch surfing.  Hosts provide rooms/space for travelers to sleep;  however, travelers have to pay for the space.  There are many different types of accommodations.  Some hosts provide sofa beds, air beds, or a private room with a real bed.  Some even rent out the whole building or house.  The price is set by the hosts and varies due to locations and types of accommodation.

Usually my search flow is as follows: after entering the website, I first search by location and date (default selection).  Airbnb then will provide a list of accommodation.  Then I filter the options by price range and bed type.  Mark and I slept on futon before when we stayed at friends' place.  Usually we couldn't get a good night sleep, and the next day we both felt awful.  Real bed in private room is important to us.  If I already know the neighborhood that we want to stay, then I will further select based on location.  Next, I carefully check the photos, reviews, accommodation rules, neighborhood and transportation introduction, and host profile.  It is important to avoid in a bad neighborhood, so Google maps street view will be used to further check, if it is available.  Having two to three ideal accommodations in mind, I will contact the host to confirm things such as parking, bed size, and transportation.  If the host is willing to rent us the room, I will see "preapproved" in my airbnb inbox.  Then I can proceed to place my order.  I don't know exactly how the cash flow works, but my credit card is always charged after I check in.  Once I successfully reserve the room, I will contact the host again regarding when we may arrive and check in.  I try to have a clear communication with the host, to avoid future problems.  Of course there are other screening rules and functions, you can use them based on your need.

Over the past few years, Airbnb has steadily grown.  I heard that someone in New York City makes twenty thousand dollars by doing airbnb (note).  I asked other hosts regarding airbnb service.  They all thought that the transaction process is safe and secure.  To me, luckily the hosts I met so far were all really nice.  I haven't had problems such as reservations being cancelled unexpectedly.  From my previous posts part I and part II, you can tell that airbnb adds more unexpected pleasant surprise to my trip.  Now once we are sure that we will stay in airbnb accommodation, this trip to me has much more to look forward to!

Note: airbnb hosts actually have to pay tax; they are not making after-tax income.  I saw news saying that New York City ruled airbnb illegal couple weeks ago.  I didn't know the current situation since I didn't follow the news.  However, if you are planning using airbnb in New York, you may have to pay extra attention to the development of the case.