Spontaneous vacation plans

[Gail762]

Hi, 

We're new to Air bnb and are planning a 3 week, June 14-July 3 2022, trip from Las Vegas to Denver.  It's just the two of us and don't have a set travel schedule...is it possible to book 'on the fly' so to speak?  We'll be traveling around the National Parks of Utah...Zion, Bryce, Arches, then into Colorado.  

Thanks for any info.

[John5097]

@Gail762 @Yes you can make a reservation the night before or day of checking in. Be aware of cancellation policy. That soon before check in would be committed to first night and half of second night payment if you cancel. 

[Gail762]

Thanks for your info.

[Sarah977]

@Gail762  You mean wait until the last minute to book a place as you see how far you get that day sort of thing? 

Sure, you can do that, it just means there may not be a lot of suitable places available on short notice. Also many hosts have advance notice settings- for instance, I require 2 days advance notice, I don't take last minute bookings.

But lots of hosts do. I know of a host in El Paso who lives a few minutes off the interstate and most of her bookings tend to be last minute- folks on a road trip who weren't sure how far they'd make it that day, or decided they'd rather call it a day, have a shower and dinner, and spend the night close by rather than drive another 2 hours.

As a new guest with no reviews, though, you won't be able to Instant Book and will  have to send a Booking Request. As hosts may be leery of accepting a guest last minute with no reviews, you should fill out your profile bio so hosts get a sense of who they are dealing with. 

And make sure you have verified ID uploaded and payment info on file and approved before ever booking anything. You don't want to get hung up waiting for the payment to go through for 24 hrs if you want to check-in in 6 hrs.

[Gail762]

Thank you for your reply.  It's good to know that it is possible.

[John5097]

@Gail762 

iIts very easy to make reservations last minute. A few suggestions to help clear things up.

Each host can select Instaant Booking or Request to book. InstT booking means guests can make reservations without host approval. You may still have this option even with no reviews depending on host settings. 

For request to book, I suggest completing profile and verifying ID. Airbnb may require this anyway. 

Include basic first message. A little about youself, couple traveling three weeks, that would take perfect care of everything, etc. 

If it’s request to book mention that if you don’t hear back in an hour or so you may need to retract the booking request. (No penalty to either guest or host) 

You could also send out inquiries to prospective host before booking or booking request with introduction message and ask them if that might be good fit. If it’s a thoughtful message you should get very positive response. 

Just communicate through Airbnb messages. Host don’t ask for any other payment or book on some other site. This won’t be an issue if they have reviews. 

Have reasonable expectations. The listing should be accurate and clean. 

Have a back up if AC isn’t working or something. 

I doubt you would encounter any real issues but reach out to hist of ABB if something is really wrong.