Airbnb might have been the only player in town for rental properties and real local experiences when travelling, and while there is no doubt that it is still the largest and most popular vacation rental site available today, they are no longer just one player in town.
Even with popularity comes the harsh reality of Airbnb usage. The Airbnb experience is no longer what it once was, as both tourists and homeowners flock to the platform, resulting in less-than-stellar experiences for both sides.
Vacationers like us frequently struggle to have authentic encounters with hosts because they are frequently unavailable or are dealing with so many vacationers at once that they are forced to rely on automation. Throughout my travels, I stayed in a variety of Airbnbs and rarely met my hosts. Often, we simply self-check-in and go about our days.
Additionally, hosts are gaining so many clients and rivals are unable to maintain a healthy balance between offering excellent service and being competitive with other sponsors.
As a result, I’ve compiled a list of the greatest Airbnb alternatives for booking holiday homes across the world in this guide. There are more options than you believe, and without further ado, here are the top 4 Airbnb alternatives you should consider for your future holiday.
Top 4 Airbnb Alternatives For Budget Traveller
1. Vrbo
Despite the media attention lavished on Airbnb over the last decade, it’s easy to overlook that prior to 2008, when Airbnb was founded, there was Vrbo (pronounced ver-boh), the OG vacation home online marketplace founded in 1995 and which has since evolved into something akin to Airbnb following its acquisition by Expedia in 2015.
Vrbo now offers over 2 million rental properties, ranging from condominiums to cabins to lake villas. Originally geared at family travellers seeking anything other than a hotel experience, VRBO’s ever-growing inventory now includes a slew of affordable condos and villas similar to Airbnb.
The Vrbo website is also user-friendly, with comparable browsing capabilities that make it simple to select your dream vacation home with a few clicks. Vrbo’s user experience is quite similar to that of Airbnb, and if you’re seeking for comparable Airbnb alternatives, Vrbo is the one to try.
To reserve your first Vrbo vacation rental or to simply browse their choices, visit this page: browse for Vrbo homestays. If you are a homeowner and wish to list your property for free on Vrbo.
2. Sonder
Sonder is another excellent Airbnb alternative that decided to turn the property and hospitality industries on their heads by offering hotel-class facilities without the trouble and unreliability associated with home-sharing.
What makes Sonder unique is that they manage all of their 4,500+ apartments in over 30 cities worldwide personally, ensuring continuous experience during your stay.
When you combine it with their cutting-edge technology, which enables you to contact customer service directly from your phone, and their emphasis on delivering a basic and modern place for both long- and short-term stays, you simply cannot find anything comparable.
Due to the fact that Sonder listings are carefully regulated due to the high level they must meet, the majority of their properties are located in business sections of major cities, and so may not offer as many options as VRBO or Airbnb for normal tourists.
3. Plum Guide
Plum Guide seems to be another excellent Airbnb competitor that focuses on high-quality homes as opposed to the catch-all type of homes that are frequently found on Airbnb. Curbed.com even labelled it “The Michelin Guide for holiday houses,” and I must concur.
Plum Guide is so committed for providing the highest quality homes that they limit themselves to listing only 3% of the very best homes in each price range in each location. This ensures what you’ll see on Plum Guide are the very best homes available for rent in the locations to which you are travelling.
4. Homestay
A homestay is the closest you can go to experiencing a true home away from home. On Homestay, you can locate reasonable homes to rent when travelling overseas, and by affordable, I mean a genuine home with a real host who does more than give you a key and send you on your way.
By booking a home through Homestay, you can be certain of a positive experience with your host, as they will assist you in settling into a new city, which is exactly what having a host will be like, so you can reach your host at any moment during your stay using the Homestay app.
Homestay offers over 33,000 houses in 160 countries at an average price of $30 USD, making it the greatest Airbnb competitor for budget travellers.
While Homestay does not have as many properties as Airbnb, it does have more than the majority of the others on this list. With a focus on affordable housing and authentic connection, Homestay is a couchsurfing/Airbnb hybrid website that offers the quality of Airbnb but the better experience of couchsurfing.
