Woman’s savvy Airbnb tip is so good it ‘should be illegal’ | Travel News | Travel

A woman has shared a simple travel hack that has saved her “thousands of pounds” while jetting off abroad.

The tip, shared by annathingbutanimals, has gone viral since it was posted on TikTok, and people have been left in disbelief.

Anna told people she’s “done gatekeeping”, and thought it was important to share the advice, as it could help so many people save money. In the clip, it was dubbed her “biggest travel hack”, as it’s saved her “thousands of dollars”.

The content creator said she can’t believe so few people are talking about it as it’s so clever, and it’ll come in handy if you often stay in airbnbs. She explained every time you stay in one, you should save the owner’s number.

Anna doesn’t care how long it’s been since you stayed there, as it’s vital to never delete their numbers, as they’re sure to come in handy later down the line. It’s all about who you know!

In the video, she said: “Some of these people, I kid you not, will have like 30 properties, and they would so much rather rent it to somebody they know. Every time I’m going somewhere I go through my Rolodex, I look okay, ‘who do I know there?’

“And I’m like ‘Hey, it’s Anna. I stayed in your Airbnb on blah, blah, blah – absolutely loved it. Coming to whatever this time, was wondering if you had anything during this time?’

“And then whatever the list prices, whatever the price they give you, you say ‘hey, can I give you 70% of that if I pay you in cash?’

“If it’s off-season, or last minute, you can even go lower. It has never not worked for me. I think I’ve saved $500 just this month.”

Anna said the hack is so good that it “should be illegal” to know, and people can’t get over it. Since she shared it with her followers, people think it’s such a great and simple way to save money.

More than 800 people have commented on the video since Anna shared the handy hint, and even Airbnb hosts have been quick to point out she’s “absolutely correct”. It looks as though Anna is really onto something with her theory.

One person said: “I heard a girl did this, and they actually let her stay for free.” Another wrote: “I totally thought this would be a packing hack, but good to know.”

A third replied: “This is so smart – thanks.” Meanwhile, a fourth also commented: “As an Airbnb owner I would do 70% but not 50%. Maybe 50% if you stayed longer than a week or weekdays. Good tip!”

People did raise some concerns about insurance, and paying when you could turn up to be left stranded, but many Airbnb hosts admitted they agree with it. People’s thoughts seem to be mixed, but it’s worked for many people based on the comments.

Some also raised the point that it would make sure all the money went to the owner of the property, so it could avoid anyone taking a cut of the fee.