In my entire lifetime, I've used Airbnb twice in the past - the first time being a terrible experience, and the second being a total game changer. Because of these extremely different scenarios, I'm here to help you avoid the trouble of picking a shitty or deceptive vacation home by listing several key factors that you need to consider when booking the ideal Airbnb of your dreams.

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1. Affordability/Costs

Take note of how many people are in your party and their ideal budgets before booking your Airbnb. Honestly, I love Airbnb for the fact that they conveniently calculate how much each person would hypothetically owe if you book the place. Not only does the website save me the trouble from juggling complicated numbers in my head, but it makes the booking process very straightforward and stress-free.

With Airbnbs, the more aesthetic humble abodes tend to be higher in price range for obvious reasons. As long as you invest a bit of effort and time into your research, you can definitely snag a cute Airbnb for an affordable price. Good luck!

2. Location/Convenience

Is there really a point to invest in a dirt cheap Airbnb if it's located an hour away from all of the main attractions you want to visit? Or a pricey Airbnb that you would love to live in, but will make your bank account cry? Yep, I didn't think so either. Throughout the process of finding the perfect Airbnb, do yourself a favor ahead of time and write down a list of locations you DO want to visit during your trip. Now comes the tedious part - find an ideal Airbnb you would be interested in renting and use Google Maps to measure how far every attraction is from this respective Airbnb address. If all of your desired tourist spots happen to be in close proximity of your dream Airbnb, then you've found yourself a vacation home to live in!

3. Appearance/Aesthetics/Spacing

Are you going to be rooming with a crowd of homebodies, or will your group be out of the Airbnb for a majority of the vacation time? If your party plans to stay in more often than go out, it's best to invest in an Airbnb with multiple bedrooms and a spacious living room. However, if you're using your Airbnb solely to have a roof over your head, it doesn't hurt to save a bit of moolah by selecting a smaller, less roomy Airbnb.

Also, if anyone in your group LOVES taking photos (cough me cough), there are a LOT of cute Airbnbs with modern, bohemian, or rustic decor that aren't too pricey at all - you just have to do your research ;)

4. Communication

I cannot stress HOW important solid communication between you and the host/hostess is for a positive Airbnb experience. By having a reliable and responsive host, you can depend on him/her to get back to you within a quick time frame in case an emergency or question arises during your stay. I listed communication as the fourth important key factor, as my first Airbnb host in La Jolla was quite shady. He didn't specify anything about an ant infestation problem when we booked the Airbnb so my party of four literally came to a dim-lit, old, and ugly Airbnb with ants crawling all over the outlets, kitchen counter, and sink. For a lack of better words, the place was disgusting. When we brought up the ant situation to our host, he made up an excuse saying all of La Jolla suffered from an ant infestation and refused to do anything to improve our stay.

In contrast to the horrific story above, I texted our Joshua Tree Airbnb hostess, Joanna, if we were able to extend our check-out time so that we can have more time to take photos and relax. Within an hour or two, she politely replied back and extended our check-out time by three hours! Now that's how you make a customer happy ;) I made sure to leave Joanna a kind and lengthy review because her comfortable abode literally changed my entire perspective on Airbnbs.

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I had SO much fun staying at our adorable Airbnb in Joshua Tree for three nights and would totally book with Airbnb again if I find another Instagrammable home that catches my eye in a respective city! From supplying quality dishware and utensils to amenities, I wanted to give a special thanks to our hostess, Joanna, for preparing such a flawless and organized stay for my party of four. If you do plan to visit Joshua Tree anytime soon, I would highly recommend booking this cozy Airbnb with Joanna, as it is filled with teal-themed decor for the modern Instagrammer and is equipped with a shelf full of fun board games! Like any booking, just be sure to do your research beforehand so you know what you're getting yourself into ;)

Lastly, stay tuned for my Airbnb House Tour & Joshua Tree adventures vlog coming soon to the YouTube channel ;) Don't forget to follow my daily updates on Instagram - you're bound to find more of my Joshua Tree photos there!