I booked the wrong Airbnb while backpacking through Europe, and it completely derailed my sleep schedule

03.10.2023 - 15:47 / insider.com

After a sleepless night on an overnight train from Berlin to Vienna, I couldn't wait to check into my Airbnb in the Austrian city. 

This was last October when I was in the midst of a two-week backpacking trip through Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. 

For my two-night stay in Vienna, I wanted a unique, affordable accommodation. I love using Airbnb because the platform offers more unusual stays than I can get at a hotel, in my experience.

Through Airbnb, I've stayed in tiny homes, tents, and cozy cabins. Once I stayed in a geodesic dome in the woods of Ontario, Canada. Another time in Miami, I slept in a lifeguard tower overlooking the Florida Everglades. But my most memorable stay was in Rome, when I booked two nights in a livable art sculpture made out of scrap wood, broken tiles, and recycled car windows.

All of these experiences felt more like an adventure than a place to sleep, which is exactly what I'm looking for when I travel. 

In Vienna, I found a luxury Airstream trailer on Airbnb and booked two nights for $300. The trailer is a part of Hotel Daniel, a boutique luxury hotel in central Vienna with 116 rooms. Inside, there was a bathroom with a tub, a bed, and not much else. 

I'd never stayed in an Airstream before, but I always envisioned it as an ideal style of accommodation for a remote glamping experience in a natural setting such as a desert or forest. I thought it was interesting to see one in a city.  

From sleeper-train cabins to tiny homes on Airbnb, I'm pretty much a pro when it comes to staying in tight spaces. So I thought I'd have no trouble falling asleep in a little trailer. But I struggled to doze off both nights — and the size of the trailer had nothing to do with it. 

When I got to the hotel from the nearby train station, I expected the trailer to be parked in a secluded area, perhaps behind the hotel. Instead, it was right in front of it, next to a busy street.

The noisy street outside the trailer made it hard to sleep. And my evenings were filled with discomfort as people banged on the door of my trailer and tried to open it. I called the front desk and they said they'd tell people to stop if they caught them, but that was all they could do.

A manager of Hotel Daniel told Insider that they never had complaints of people banging on the trailer door before, and apologized for the disturbance.

When I left Vienna, I was just as tired as when I arrived, and I still had a week and two countries to go on my backpacking trip. 

At the end of my stay, I was still happy that I picked a location with so many bustling streets just outside my door because it made it easier to explore during the day. But next time, I'll book a hotel room or an indoor Airbnb when staying in urban