I started using Airbnb over a decade ago. I was a poor queer living paycheck to paycheck, who used Groupon to score bed and breakfast deals for weekends away before Airbnb offered a cheaper option.
When my partner and I bought our house in the Hudson Valley, we rented out a guest bedroom on Airbnb. We did not earn a lot of money working in nonprofits and freelancing, so we could really use the extra thousand dollars from renting out the guest room during the summer travel season.
While we were busy cleaning up after guests, others were buying up every home on the market in the hopes of becoming Airbnb landlords. Longtime landlords decided to pursue the easy money, so they declined to renew tenant leases and turned their apartments in to short-term rentals instead.
Coupled with a pandemic that led to tons of people moving into the Hudson Valley and bidding well over asking prices for Hudson Valley homes, Airbnb completely disrupted the local rental market. Many of the areaโs most vulnerable renters, which includes BIPOC and LGBTQ people, struggle to find safe and secure housing. I put the brakes on Airbnb vacation rentals to look for alternative apartment rental sites that donโt disrupt communities. I did a ton of research and put together a great list of 17 Airbnb alternatives. Today, Iโm sharing my favorites for every type of traveler.
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Best Alternative to Airbnb for Vacation Rentals
VRBO seems like it would create the same problem for communities as Airbnb, but in many respects the apartment booking site is better. Read on to learn why.
VRBO
VRBO is Airbnbโs major competitor in the vacation rental space. Since VRBO primarily focuses on traditional vacation homes listed by homeowners themselves, “Airbnb landlords” are cut out of the process. This tempers the negative impact on local communities, since landlords arenโt removing housing stock from the rental market in the hopes of earning more.
VRBO also has slightly better search functionality than Airbnb. For example, you can search for listings based on pet policies, high ratings, and other criteria.
VRBO has similar safety measures to Airbnb, including property description guarantee, property access assistance, payment protection, emergency rebooking help, and a 24 hour customer support line.
Cost:
VRBO listings may seem pricier than Airbnb, but this is because they tend to be whole-house, rather than having a furnished room in someoneโs home. When you compare whole-home listings on both sites, VRBO and Airbnb tend to be fairly comparable. Both platforms offer long-term discounts for many rentals!
Airbnb is criticized for a lack of transparency and ridiculous add-on fees, like sky-high cleaning fees and outsized expectations on guests to be their own housekeepers.
VRBO hosts are a bit more reasonable, and the platform bundles all fees into the listing price. This avoids the unpleasant surprise at the end or an Airbnb checkout, when you realize that pretty rental is over budget, after factoring in its fees!
Who itโs best for:
As its listings are primarily whole houses, VRBO is especially good for people vacationing in groups or families, or those like digital nomads who need a long-term rental. VRBO is not as cost-space-effective for solo travelers.
LGBTQ+ inclusivity:
VRBO has a zero-tolerance policy for LGBTQ+ discrimination, and anyone found violating this policy regarding discrimination, harassment, or violence is removed from the platform.
Expedia Group, Vrboโs parent company, has a history of advocating for queer inclusion in travel, and has a full-time Trust and Safety team monitoring content across their brands for discriminatory content.
Best Hotel Booking Site
This category is a tie โ both Agoda and Booking.com get my business. Read on to learn why.
Booking.com
Booking.com originated as a hotel booking site, but has since expanded to include vacation houses, villas, and hostels as well as long term rentals and apartments. They have an amazing selection of listings worldwide, especially in Europe.
Notably, they also allow guests to book flights, car rentals, airport taxis, cruises, attraction visits and bundle deals in addition to stays, making them a one-stop-shop for all things vacation.
Like Airbnb, you have the option of staying in vacation homes, villas, or apartments. However, as they offer long term rentals and co-living options in conjunction with vacation stays, less of their properties are contributing to the rental shortage and the rising cost of living associated with Airbnb. Additionally, many of their listings are hotels, hostels, B&Bs, and other locations specifically reserved for vacationers.
Cost:
Like Airbnb, the price for Booking.com accommodations depends on the specific listing, flights, vehicles, and/or attractions youโre looking to book! However, many of their offerings are overall cheaper than similar listings on Airbnb โ and in some cases, you can find the exact same vacation rental listed for less.
Booking.com does not charge additional fees or commissions apart from the price of their booking, unlike Airbnb. Monthly stay discounts, โGeniusโ loyalty discounts, and free cancellations make this a more budget-friendly option than Airbnb.
Who itโs best for:
Booking.com is best for short/medium term vacationers, especially due all the other non-housing related services they offer! However, theyโre also good for longer term renters, remote workers who love to travel, and those with flexible travel schedules!
LGBTQ+ inclusivity:
Booking.com recognizes the discrimination that many queer travelers face, and demonstrates a commitment to LGBTQ inclusivity through their โProud Hospitalityโ training for accommodation providers, which explores common challenges queer travelers face.
Booking.com highlights Proud Certified properties with the โTravel Proudโ badge, meaning itโs simple to vet a property for LGBTQ-friendliness before you book!
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Agoda
Agoda is Southeast Asiaโs answer to Booking.com. While a majority of listings are in Asian countries, Agoda does offer properties around the world โ and it often includes a better price for the same listing! In fact, Iโll often cross check Booking.com and Agoda when making hotel reservations to ensure Iโm getting the best rate.
Agoda offers hotels, vacation homes, and apartment rentals, as well as allowing guests to book flights, airport transportation, and even activities!
Agoda is committed to improving local communities. By promoting tourism to secondary cities, they strive to reduce the burden of overtourism in countries.
They often partner with charities and organizations promoting sustainable and green projects, and they also have campaigns where a small percentage of bookings in specific locations goes towards environmental restoration/protection.
Measures like these ensure that a Thai holiday actually benefits local people rather than making communities unlivable.
Agodaโs advanced search functionalities make it easy to find the best rental for your needs, whether itโs a hotel or apartment. For example, you can specifically search for stays that are pet-friendly, have designated smoking areas, accommodate guests with disabilities, and more..
Cost:
Like Airbnb, costs are dependent on the individual listings, flights, or activities. As a whole, listings are cheaper on Agoda, though it charges a higher commission.
They have regular deals and discounts โ and even have a tab on the front page of their website with promo codes and coupons to help make stays more affordable. Additionally, they have a โbest price guarantee,โ meaning that if you stumble across a cheaper listing for the same property, theyโll match that offer, or refund the difference.
Who itโs best for:
Agoda is best for vacationers heading to Asia! While the site is mostly used to find short-term hotel stays, longer stays and apartment rentals are available, too.
LGBTQ+ inclusivity:
Agoda partners with TravelGay to provide up-to-date information about welcoming and safe locations for LGBTQ+ individuals, and highlight LGBTQ-friendly accommodations.
Best Housesit
There are ton of housesitting exchanges out there. TrustedHousesitters is best for the English speaking world. In addition to US and UK-based listings, there are expat hosts all over the world! Housesits are great for digital nomads who need a reliable WiFi connection and home office. They’re also ideal for travelers on a budget, including retirees, who have the flexibility to plan their travel around a homeowner’s needs.
I’ve used TrustedHousesitters as a homeowner and a sitter for the last 3 years โ reach out if you’re considering joining and have any questions about the site.
TrustedHousesitters
TrustedHousesitters connects homeowners with traveling pet sitters. During their stay, pet sitters watch pets, take care of the home, and perform other duties when agreed upon. TrustedHousesitters has listings all over the world but most listings tend to be UK- and US-based.
Youโll stay in homes or apartments just like Airbnb. But since you are working directly with homeowners and never Airbnb landlords, you can truly โlive like a localโ without negatively impacting the local community!
Like Airbnb, TrustedHousesitters is a community-based system that verifies host and sitter identities and establishes community trust and accountability through a review system, user profiles, and a community forum. The double-blind review system keeps feedback private until each party has left a review.
Cost:
Annual membership costs from $129. Pay less than the cost of a weekend in an Airbnb and enjoy unlimited homestays for a year!
Who itโs best for:
TrustedHousesitters works well for digital nomads, remote workers, and retired people with the flexibility to go anywhere. Long-term stays (30+ days) are incredibly common. There are plenty of weekend sits and short-term stays too, so donโt be discouraged if youโre a frequent traveler with a day job! Last but not least, a love of animals is essential!
LGBTQ inclusivity: While TrustedHousesitters has no official LGBTQ nondiscrimination features, there are many LGBTQ sitters and homeowners active in the community forums.
Best Airbnb Alternative For Digital Nomads
Digital nomads and remote workers have two great options, depending on their preference โ a cohort-style program with socialization built in (Remote Year, which is queer-friendly) and the convenience of getting to “live like a local” WITHOUT disrupting communities (FurnishedFinder).
FurnishedFinder
FurnishedFinder provides great monthly furnished accommodations, with listings primarily based in the US. Personally, I’ve had great success using it in the US to find affordable, furnished housing.
Like Airbnb, FurnishedFinder provides furnished accommodations โ rooms for rent, but also condos, apartments and homes. Oftentimes, the same listing will be on here and on Airbnb. You can either search their property map to find housing yourself, like Airbnb, or you can submit a travel request and FurnishedFinder will match you with properties in the area that fit your needs!
Like Airbnb, there are several safety and identification processes built in. FurnishedFinder provides free tenant screenings once youโve matched with a property.
Cost:
FurnishedFinder is completely free to use, making it a cheap alternative to Airbnb for the remote work community. Costs are dependent on the specific rental, but because you book directly with the property owners, there are no extra fees, commissions, or markups.
Who itโs best for:
FurnishedFinder was designed primarily for travel nurses, but is generally excellent for anyone with a travel-based or remote occupation, including digital nomads! FurnishedFinder has a focus on 30+ day rentals, with the average rental being around 3 months, so itโs definitely best for medium-long term stays!
LBGTQ+ inclusivity:
FurnishedFinder has a LGBTQ+ non-discrimination policy.
RemoteYear
Remote Year is a travel program for remote workers, currently active in 20+ destinations worldwide.
Remote Year provides high end co-living accommodations, food, and structured experiences and social opportunities. It has both flexible and structured trips โ trips that stay in one place or those that take you across the globe with a group of like minded peers.
Remote Year offers private and shared accommodations, largely in apartments, studios, and houses like what youโd find on Airbnb. They also connect you with conveniently located workspaces that have reliable internet and remote work features, which anyone whoโs ever struggled with poor WiFi while working remotely will appreciate!
Remote Yearโs user experience sets it apart from vacation rental sites like Airbnb. Rather than searching for a place to stay, you browse upcoming trips to pre-vetted destinations, with all accommodations and work spaces picked by Remote Yearโs team.
While the rise in remote workers has burdened communities by driving rental prices out of localsโ reach, Remote Year is committed to having a positive impact across the world.
They volunteer and fundraise for charities local to the communities they operate in. Travelers have an opportunity to volunteer directly with local projects and organizations, getting to know the local community while giving back. Remote Year also employs local people in every community it operates in.
Cost:
A Remote Year membership costs $199 annually. However, youโll also need to pay for each trip you go on (which can be pretty pricey, though it covers accommodation, cultural experiences, events, food, and more).
Who itโs best for:
Remote Year is best for remote workers, digital nomads, and other workers with a lot of flexibility looking to incorporate travel into their lives! Itโs an excellent site for people whoโd like to join a community of other remote workers, immerse themselves in foreign cultures, or simply work in a different location! Most trips are medium-long term (ranging from a month to a year), and they can be on the more expensive end, which are both important things to keep in mind when considering Remote Year.
LGBTQ+ inclusivity:
Remote Year has a strict no-tolerance Code of Conduct prohibiting discrimination, racism, and sexual harassment of any kind. All Remote Year staff have gone through mandatory DEI training and all participants are required to take a webinar and online training for community behavior. Additionally, Remote Year creates LGBTQ digital nomad experiences, helping build community among the remote work LGBTQ contingent. Lastly, they have a designated Slack for LGBTQ+ and allied members of the Remote Year community!
Best Alternative to Airbnb for Solo Female Travelers
One of the Airbnb alternatives stands above the rest for promoting solo travel safety for women, the newish vacation rental site Golightly!
Golightly
Golightly is the first home-sharing and vacation rental site exclusively for women โ all properties are managed by women and all bookings must be made by women.
Golightly is a private service โ meaning you can only join after being invited by an existing member or after submitting an application.
Currently Golightly has properties in 85 countries around the world. As bookings are done with the hosts, there are no Airbnb landlord types making money off the site, so it is a more community-friendly option.
Searchwise, the site is similar to Airbnb, but with more detailed filters!
Golightly also includes a vacation bundles option, where they will book accommodation, plan your vacation, and even provide included breakfasts and happy hours.
The goal is to make traveling a safer and more secure experience for women across the world, especially for solo travelers! There is also a message service between hosts and guests, and each member and property is vetted to insure trust and safety.
Cost:
Costs are dependent on each individual listing. However, listings tend to be on the pricier side and come with a 10% additional fee for travelers.
Who itโs best for:
If you love to travel, hate to plan, and identify as a woman, this could be your favorite new tool! Golightly provides extra comfort for female travelers who prefer hosts to be female, and place a priority on safety and security. Basically, youโre paying extra for peace of mind. Most stays are short-medium term, but you can find long term options, too!
LGBTQ+ inclusivity:
Golightly has a zero-tolerance LGBTQ+ discrimination policy, and will remove users from the site if they violate that policy.
There you have it โ amazing travel options that support communities, built for every type of travel. Many of these options are budget friendly. Pay for an annual membership, and you can unlock unlimited stays for the cost of a weekend’s Airbnb rental! The complete guide also includes budget travel options, homestay networks, volunteer travel (where all the projects are vetted to support communities โ no shady orphan tours here!) and much, much more!
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