You’ve no doubt seen the blissful treehouses, fairy-tale castles, and chic apartments available on Airbnb, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably bookmarked a few as travel inspiration. The home-sharing website is famous for inspiring fantasy vacations, but did you know it can also help you save for that dream trip?
Getting started
Airbnb makes it simple to earn extra money by putting your extra space to work for you. You can share a spare room in your apartment, host your whole home the next time you’re out of town, or create a listing for a vacation house, if you have one. However you choose to host, Airbnb offers support that makes jumping into entrepreneurship unintimidating. The online process to create a listing is pretty quick and easy—you write descriptions of your space, upload photos, and mark dates your space is available to travelers. And it’s always free to create a listing.
Your earnings
So just how much could you make hosting on Airbnb? Find out what hosts in your area are making, and start imagining the possibilities. Besides saving for travel, Airbnb hosts use their extra income to pay off student loans, upgrade their home (kitchen remodel, anyone?), and pursue their passions. Airbnb makes the payment process simple, too. Guests are charged when a reservation is made, and funds are typically released to hosts 24 hours after check-in. How you’re paid is up to you: You can set up direct deposit, PayPal, or a number of other options.
Host support
Once you’re a host, Airbnb has all kinds of cool tools to help you feel comfortable and confident welcoming guests. You can find hosting tips on the Airbnb blog and get your questions answered by experienced, successful hosts in the Community Center. Nervous about the safety of your home and belongings when you’re away? Airbnb’s got your back: In the rare event an accident happens, your property is covered up to a million dollars when you host—it’s peace of mind for you at no extra charge.
And as for the folks staying at your place, everyone who travels on Airbnb needs to submit a profile photo and confirmed phone number and email address. For extra assurance, you can also require your guests to submit a government-issued ID.
Hometown pride
Hosting can also help you show off what makes your city great. Nothing’s more frustrating than meeting a visitor on the last day of their trip and hearing that they only saw the tourist haunts. When you welcome travelers from around the world as a host on Airbnb, you get to introduce them to all that makes your neighborhood great—and drive more business to your favorite local mom-and-pop shops.
Start hosting now, and you can start earning extra money toward your own adventure! Get started hosting on Airbnb
