Tales of AirBnB

I have always been a skeptic of paid couch surfing. The reality is you never know the nature of the people or the quality of the location until you yourself are locked in. There really is no way to pre-determine the safety of one of these places. I don't want to sound paranoid but whose to say your two day rental isn't involved in human trafficking and whats holding a common renter from illegally allowing a sublet? In fact, no one can tell you what you are getting yourself into - not even these high end rental companies like AirBnB. There are smaller ones that claim to have physically viewed properties or guarantee "safety" but AirBnB doesn't have time for that. Fact checking doesn't always have to be up to date. You've seen it in the news, people either booking into places that didn't appear how they looked online or people taking advantage of renters. I guess its a two way street - they have to be choosy and so do you. You also have to remember Air BnB or whatever rental booking site you choose doesn't always take the blame.

Lost on Lunes and Murder on Mayor

We made the mistake of arriving in Madrid on a Sunday morning. Her and I had been pretty cordial through Barcelona. Hell we even had fun at times. However, I was tired. I was exhausted carrying all of that stuff from point A to point B. I had bought a lot of random stuff in Barcelona, we had food to travel with and both of us found ourselves carrying a ton of dirty clothes. After spending the afternoon briefly strolling and spotting the theater I really wanted to see "The Great Gatsby" since we'd already missed it in two other countries. She asked that we skip it so our first night was more about getting some grocery and staying in for the night. We started the laundry which would have to be air dried as Europeans do. Everything about the laundry was strategic since she brought lace everything. I spent the night struggling to hang my practical items while she bullied me out of space for her one size fit all thongs. 

Movin On To Madrid

I never had the time to get excited for Madrid. I honestly didn't do any research and didn't know what to expect. We'd spent five nights in Barcelona and I was jaded. We had a horrible hotel, even worse food and I just wanted to get out of there. In my eyes the place was way too touristy and polluted. I was looking for refuge and relaxation in Spain. All I ever felt was the overwhelming sense to get on to something new. We had done the beach, the museums and walked the popular spots. We had also done the nightlife, chilled in our crappy room and began to feel like five days was entirely too much. Then to finally pack, get down to the lobby and get slapped with city taxes … it was definitely time to move on to Madrid.

Now What? : Check-In Do's and Don'ts

While abroad, I stayed at ten different places in less than sixty days. One might say that isn't a lot if they travel often but for me it was unsettling (no pun intended). Two of these places were homes of a friend of a friend, two Air BnBs, one apparthotel, one brand hotel, two boutique hotels and two four star hotels. In all of these situations, there has been a check-in. I've arrived at a set and expected time. I've been introduced to a new space with its own rules and activities. I've gotten acquainted and relaxed. Then I freshen up to either go to sleep or leave for the days excursion. I guess you can say there is an unwritten code or a check-in etiquette for all stays alike be at a friends or a five star hotel…

Hotels 101

In my lifetime I have never had to book a hotel. Like ever. Every single time I have traveled domestically someone else did the bookings and I just showed up. In the past five years, I haven't went anywhere that required a stay other than camping; which is camping. I don't even like online shopping. That notion is a huge indicator that online bookings are not my forte. I didn't even bother booking accommodations for myself until about three weeks before my trip. I made so many mistakes. I booked hotels on the edge of town. I booked hotels that were the definition of sketch. Sadly, I was just competing with my friend who was well-versed on booking shit. Every time we sat down to eat or got online the boxing round began on who booked what. I just didn't want to admit how bored I was of it and how I just didn't know my resources.

Preventative Planning For Shit To Happen While On Vacation

When asked to accompany my friend it was all about France. Our original travel plans consisted of Nantes, Paris and that castle on an island from that one movie. Over the phone we dreamed up this plan to conquer most of Europe. I had my plans of seeing Sweden and Germany. She had her plans of seeing southern France and Costa Del Sol. We both mapped things in our own way. She had all these lists and I kept an ongoing document. When we finally sat together in NYC we re-routed everything. We sat down with maps and online reviews. We created an itinerary sending us west to Spain, then to Italy and back up through Belgium to London. She would have already been to London and Paris but would save the popular attractions for my arrival. Now we had air tight plans to have a weekend in Paris and a week in Londontown. Everything was open to change and ultimately we decided it would be better to return to Nantes skipping Belgium. Doing this would allow a slower pace back through the south of France. We would pass through Lyon and Versailles and finally see Mont Saint Michel (the castle). We would also save money going back to Nantes. Hopefully, we could stay with friends and eat-in. Besides Nantes was bitterly cold and we hadn't really seen Summer there. We would return in the first week of August refreshed from our trip and actually enjoy it this time.