Air Bnb Advice

If you are considering using the home-sharing Website http://www.airbnb.com, there is a useful article in the Frugal Traveler column of the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/frugaltraveler.

It suggests being realistic with your expectations, being honest and if you believe you might be discriminated against, opting for the site's instant booking feature. There have apparently been a lot of complaints from people who think they were discriminated against because of race, age, gender, etc.

One of the selling points of this Website is that usually the offerings are cheaper than decent hotel rooms. However, if this is the case, don't expect hotel-like amenities such as easy check-out and mini-bars. Also, don't expect breakfast--the writer of the column said he had not received breakfast at any of the places where he stayed.

However, he had met some interesting people and said he would recommend it to the informed traveller.