My Favorite Airbnb travel tips

The sun had just set as I rolled down a dark, narrow lane in the remote Balinese village of Kaba-Kaba. The gate at the alley's end swung open to reveal a flurry of excited dogs and smiling staff to welcome my arrival. I’d made it to Lodge in the Woods. Any uncertainty melted away as the owner, Bernard Teo, greeted me with a hug and whisked me over to a communal table bustling with guests from all over the world.

As a long-time resident of London, my soul sometimes craves peaceful isolation, so I was excited to venture out to the Scottish Highlands for a little reprieve from the metropolitan crowds.

There is a yellow house in New Orleans—a pretty pile in Marigny (French Quarter-adjacent) that is home to my favorite Airbnb: a pied-à-terre on the building’s second floor with two balconies, ceilings higher than heaven, and a wealth of period hardware and finishes so fabulously abundant you'll remember them forever. It’s also the perfect distance from Frenchmen Street: the walk takes less than five minutes but nary an errant all-night note will reach your ears so long as the windows remain closed.

Sitting in the back of a well-worn pickup truck, my shoulders sore from the 65-liter backpack I’d been living out of, I struggled to keep the provisions I’d stashed for the next two days from rolling on the floor: gnarled-skinned avocados, a large perfectly ripe papaya, El Cafe de la Mancha’s paper packet of freshly ground coffee, homemade pecan and cashew granola, Chilean Malbec, and the ingredients for a very un-Mexican spaghetti bolognese.

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A scroll through what’s on offer in New York City under Airbnb’s “Experiences” tab reveals little of value in the way of adrenaline or anthropological knowledge—the two reasons to experience anything, in my opinion. If you want to pose for some digital photography, you can do so beneath the Brooklyn Bridge on Dumbo’s cobblestoned streets or sprawled alluringly across a Central Park lawn. You can book a crawl through Manhattan’s “secret bars” and speakeasies (drinks not included). Having seen my colleagues sail the Adriatic and traverse Rio’s rainforests by bike for this series, I wanted to find something in our own city—the best city, if you hadn’t heard—that was at least as interesting, if not as exhilarating. Only one listing caught my eye—a walking tour of Hasidic Brooklyn.

One of my favorite things about living so close to New York City is ironically how easy it is to escape to somewhere else. Dozens of exciting destinations are just a short drive away from the Big Apple—meaning I'm always planning my next fun weekend away. There are no travel experiences quite as stress-free as the ones where all I need to do is pack up my car, drive, and arrive. That's what I was looking for when I planned my most recent NYC getaway: somewhere that was easy to get to and somewhere I could truly unwind for a few days.

A visit to Joshua Tree National Park has long been on my must-do list, and I was particularly interested in getting that quintessential desert stay experience. Scanning Joshua Tree listings, I saw everything from stargazing domes and Airstreams to tiny A-frame homes, repurposed shipping containers, and luxury modern villas. I was looking for something that felt like home, though—a secluded desert pad that would satisfy my desire to relax and connect with nature while ticking the boxes of my eco-friendly criteria.

After checking every single cabinet and drawer in the diner-style kitchen (some call it research or curiosity, but I know I’m just nosy), I opened the fridge last. There might as well have been golden light emanating from the door’s middle shelf where a carafe of cold water sat. My shoulders relaxed from relief, and after chugging a full glass, I felt touched—the hosts of this Airbnb in the center of Rome had thought to leave this for me.

The late Jimmy Buffett’s popular song “Margaritaville” was based on his time in Key West. Although Margaritaville was a fictional oasis (turned restaurant and resort) where people operated on island time, the Florida Keys is a real-life sanctuary where the sun sets in the west and it's always five o’clock. It's also a great place for a group trip. I hadn’t been on one of this magnitude since my high school marching band and I bombarded the staff at Kalahari. During the week-long vacation with 14 friends, I was most interested in going to the beach, enjoying the pool, and napping in the sun (lathered in sunscreen, of course) without a care in the world.

I love being on water. Mind you, I didn’t say I love being in the water, that’s a completely different story. There’s something about being near a body of water or sailing on it that makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. As my friends can attest, I’m prone to seeking out a sailing tour on most of my vacations. What better way to relax than to bask in the sun, listen to the sounds of the waves, enjoy a drink or two, and meet new people?

An hour north of bustling Milwaukee, about a mile inland from the Lake Michigan shoreline, my husband and I checked into a Frank Lloyd Wright house recently made popular by season two of Netflix's The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.

The first time I went to Croatia was in 2017. I was on a week-long winter break trip before I would return to London to start my final semester of university. My friend and I stayed in the capital, Zagreb. We hiked through snow-capped trees, went to markets in the city center, and even took a day trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia’s largest national park and a UNESCO site. After that trip, I knew I had to visit the country again.

I’ve stayed in so many Airbnbs over the past decade—upwards of 150, including an off-grid Earthship Biotecture in New Mexico and a barebones treehouse in rural Sri Lanka—you might just call me a super-user. I’ve met fascinating Airbnb hosts from all over the world along the way but none who have embraced unfettered hospitality quite like fifth-generation sheep farmer Harriet Olafsdóttir av Gørðum and her husband John, co-owners of Hanusarstova, a thoughtful little bed & breakfast in the Faroe Islands.

“Do you hear that?” We halt to a stop on our e-bikes as our guide, Stefano listens intently to the sounds of Rio’s rainforest for one particular note. Listen, cycle, listen, cycle. His excitement is infectious and my husband and I are both listening harder and pedaling faster, just as deeply invested in the chase.