this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2023
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The last few times I've used AirBNB it's been a pretty much like borrowing someones home.
For one we were travelling in Portugal and stayed in this old portugese lady's home in a small village along the coast. Really sweet lady, but a bit of a language barrier as she struggled with both english and spanish.
Next weekend me and some friends are renting a whole 4 bedroom summer house in southern Norway to use as a base for a weekend of diving.
But in general I've grown tired of the concept, and the scarcity it brings to the housing market in some cities is predatory.
I'm Portuguese, Airbnb "crappy clean before you leave" and 600$ fees haven't caught up yet luckily. Last time I used a Airbnb was in 2016, rented a room on S. Miguel (main Azorean Island) for a fair price.
Since then I mostly just book hotels wherever I go, be it Europe or abroad. In Europe, because it's just easier, often times cheaper, more flexible check-in/check-out and doesn't have the language barrier like you said. And abroad because I just don't feel as comfortable and it's expensive
It was honestly quite nice. We could communicate decently enough, and I believe it was her kids who handled the booking. Was down by Vila Nova de Milfontes, super nice and calm place, would definitely want to go back one day.
Oh yeah, English is very widely spoken in Portugal, mainly the younger generation but a good part of 40s to 50 year old people do have a good enough grasp of it. Older than that usually French is the main 2nd language and English is very basic to none.
You're welcome back anytime! Portugal is a great place to retire, not to work though :p
Good gods how can you afford to go on so many vacations? :o
Portugal was in 2019 and this years is just a 5 hour drive from where I live. The Norwegian krone (NOK) is pretty weak right now, so we decides to not go abroad this year and save money for an upcoming mortgage. I'm doing well, but we're by no means in a financial position to do multiple vacations a year 😅
Oh, 5 hours? Wow, yeah, sorry about that. I sometimes forget just how more compact everything is over in Europe compared to the US (or at least the Midwest in the US). Over here, driving for 45-60 min is pretty common for a commute. If one goes on an away-from-home vacation over here, it's usually for far longer of a distance than 5 hours' worth. (Not that I can afford that. Lol. 😅)
(Note: I just realized this may come across as making fun of you or sounding superior. Neither of these were intended if so.)
Yeah and I apologize, I was talking in a very US specific context and I should have specified that (the hostel comment kind of muddled it as well). I haven't tried airbnb abroad, and I'm glad it's more reasonable over in Portugal and Norway at least so i'll check it out if or when I decide to head that way. Just venting some general frustration using it in the US in my recent experiences.