I’ve lived in several apartments over the past three years, including one in Casablanca, Morocco, and another in Antigua Guatemala, a charming colonial town that’s a UNESCO Heritage Site.
Both places were popular with tourists, so I decided to look into renting out my space to travelers and discovered Airbnb. This platform lets you list details about the room or property you want to rent, set the price per night, week, or month, and manage availability on a calendar. You can choose to rent out your entire place when you’re away or just a room occasionally. You can even create separate listings for the whole property and a guest room.
Some people even rent out a sofa in their living room in high-demand cities like NYC or Paris.
Having been a couchsurfer for the past six years, I loved the idea of hosting people and earning some extra money. Some Airbnb users even manage to live rent-free and pay off their mortgages quickly using this method.
Airbnb isn’t the only site where you can list your property; there are also Wimdu, 9flats, and Roomorama.
I enjoy the flexibility of renting out my extra space when I want without having a full-time roommate. The extra cash is great too! It adds up quickly, especially if you live in a popular city. You can easily charge $30 a night, and much more if you’re in a central location with a beautiful apartment.
Airbnb relies on user feedback and ratings, so you can trust the people you rent to and vice versa. They even offer a guarantee for any damages that might occur. So far, I’ve only had positive experiences with Airbnb.