• Summer

    sublime paris + my airbnb open experience

    on my fourth full day in paris, it was my mother’s birthday, so we had to go shopping in the opera district to spend two hours in the monki store and to stop by galeries lafayette to see their stunningly beautiful noel tree centerpiece. “i’ve spent four days here and still haven’t seen the eiffel tower yet!”, she told me, as we were riding the escalator to the terrace on the top floor level. “well….. look, there it is!”  we didn’t have pre-sale tickets for the eiffel tower that afternoon (hot tip: buy your eiffel tower tickets as far in advance as you can! not a couple weeks, even in the off-season) but i…

  • Summer

    so, you’re listing your space on airbnb

    chances are that by now, you’ve definitely heard of the uber-popular apartment and room rental service, airbnb. (and if not, why?! you can find much nicer properties at a fraction of the price of a hotel) maybe you’re even considering dipping your toe in the hosting pool, or perhaps you are already a host! way to go, you! but during my extensive, exhaustive, and still on-going searching process to find the perfect rental for my mother and i in paris, i’ve noticed some serious airbnb crimes. alright, not so serious, but there are so many things that hosts do that lessen the chances someone will want to book with you.…

  • Summer

    how i travel: apartment rentals

    i’ll be the first to admit that i love a good hotel stay. nothing makes me feel more pampered then cozying up in a fluffy white robe and ordering some room service. but being young, generally underemployed, and and on a budget, this isn’t economical  nor does it make much sense. for the past eight years i’ve mostly stayed in hostels, sometimes pensions or bed and breakfasts… but in the past couple of years, coinciding with my switch to becoming a slow traveler, renting an apartment (or a private bedroom in a shared apartment) has become absolutely the top option. although a hostel or hotel makes more sense for a…