Last winter I completed a journey around the world. If you followed my adventures, you are aware that I was staying mainly in so-called AirBnB. As many people are looking for reviews and impressions I’ve decided to share my experiences of all AirBnB I stayed at. The overall impression is positive so you might find this review biased but I assure you that this is not s sponsored post nor the content was any other way influenced by a host involved. I don’t feel like an expert in AirBnB but I have few tricks that will help you if you’re looking for one. To all who has no idea what AirBnB stands for: it is an alternative accommodation in apartments of houses provided by the locals. There is a variety of types of accommodation, but this should create a sort of ‘home-like’ atmosphere. What I like the most about AirBnB is the connection with a place through the people you’re staying with. I absolutely love it! Also, the feeling that the accommodation is as close to the ‘normal’ home as possible. And last, but not least, kitchen facilities (when available), so not only you save the money on dining out, but this is also a great opportunity to share time with your hosts. I found AirBnB accommodation most helpful in long term traveling, when after few weeks you just start hating the hotels. It was a lifesaving strategy in my RTW trip! Bearing this in mind, here are 6 rules on how to pick up the best AirBnB. Rule 1: read the description & watch the pictures In all cases, the description and pictures were highly relevant. There was not even one apartment I was surprised about when I entered. The number of rooms, bathrooms and all the facilities was always correct. Thus, I urge you to read the description and stick to the information provided. I met some people who, despite reading the description, they are sometimes hoping for more. It is not fair and, at the end of the day, you might find yourself disappointed. Rule 2: room is always cheaper than the whole apartment If you are looking to save your money, narrow down the research engine on Air BnB site to ‘Private Rooms’. Do not include ‘Entire Place’ as this is always a more expensive version. I used them all: a room with shared bathroom, a room with ensuite bathroom, whole apartment and a separate house in the garden. Out of my experience, the choice should be influenced by the purpose of your visit. If you are focused on ‘living like a local’ I would encourage you to share the apartment with the owners. If you are planning more private stay focused on relax, reading books and solitude go for the apartment on your own. Rule 3: check ‘interaction with guests’ AirBnB service allows you to ask about the type of interactions with the guests preferred by the hosts. I consider this to be crucial in picking up the right place for you. There is a whole variety within this option: starting with interaction limited to ‘online’ one in Japan, through ‘casual’ in Pacific Islands, up to ‘we will treat you like a family member’ in New Zealand. Each of them is great, but it is crucial for you to know in advance so you could make a good decision you’ll be happy with. I personally enjoyed one of my stays in New Zealand where the owners not only had a dinner with me every evening and let me meet their family but also took me to their yacht so I could meet their friends. It was great that they were very clear about their attitude from the very beginning and I was happy about it at the stage of picking up a place to stay. Rule 4: fix the details BEFORE you pay Here is one is a bit negative experience I had, but it was due to the fault of us as guests. We rented an apartment in 4 friends in Greece and it was not clear how much is the stay of the third and the fourth person. We assumed, wrongly, that the total price for 2 people staying in the apartment will  not double when 4 people will stay. How silly of us! And at the end of the day, we had to pay some extra money we were not prepared to. Make sure you’re clear about the number of people who are coming. It sometimes does not influence the total price and sometimes it does. Rule 5: read the comments Always read the comments of previous users! Always! And also, leave a comment as precise and clear as you can. While usually people are honest about their apartment and their expectations regarding their guests’ behavior, there is a slight chance that it is their wishful thinking rather than a reality. Slight. Thus, make sure that a place that you wish to rent is suitable for you by reading comments. I had only one case when I was not happy about my stay in AirBnB and it was due to the owner’s meddling. There was no way to know about it in advance because as few as 3 reviews and it was a risk to rent it. I hope that my comment will help others to be prepared for these sort of issues. Remember: the more comments there are, the less risky the choice is. Rule 6: make an effort to introducing yourself As the AirBnB hosts can reject your request for staying with them, make sure the description of your journey and the purpose of your visit is clearly stated. If you are staying in a place to attend a music festival and will come back home at 4 a.m. every day be honest about it! Searching AirBnB is like matchmaking: you need to find a good partner. Otherwise, this will not work! Perhaps the owner goes to this very same festival too, and...

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Tbex conference is always packed with events. But there is always one of two days off to enjoy the place where the conference is held. This year we were very lucky to find ourselves in Athens – the capital of Greece. Although the weather was summer like only for 2 days we were still having fun laughing, drinking and dancing together. Once in a year it is great meeting all bloggers in the same place at the same time. Bike tour After one day trip with Jenny to Marathon I took part in cycling tour around Athens. No surprises here: I have always considered bikes the best transportation in big cities and also the best way to actually see the city. So when a company Travelncycle invited me and Susan decided to join them we didn’t have a second thought! Security first! We were a jolly group! Twins from Slow Spirit Blog, Franziska from Coconut Sports, Susan from VibrantIreland and Roni from TravelGuru were all invited to join Yorgo and Villy – locals from Athens who wanted to show us their city. Each of us got a helmet, highly visible vest and a bike. Now, I tried quite a few bicycles during my travels. If you remember my adventure on the Aran Islands you will surely know how hard and uncomfortable it was. Thus, I was shocked how easy this bike tour was! Even if we biked up and down the bikes provided by TravelnCycle were brilliant! Guys from this company also published few really nice pictures taken throughout the day: click here to watch them all. Around the city We started from main city site: Acropolis. The weather was perfect for a bike ride: no sun was shining and it was chilly enough to ride a bike without sweating. We biked through the main districts including famous Plaka and Psirri, less known Gazi with revitalized post industrial buildings, Greek Parliment to watch changing of the guard, Public Gardens and epic stadium called Panathenaic Stadium. The Stadium was pretty impressive especially because a finish line of every classic Marathon run in Athens each year is right there. Here are few pictures taken along our itinerary.         Fish Market One of the most fascinating attractions seen and experienced with all 5 senses was a fish market. What a place! Guys from TravlnCycle did great job taking us there so we could – at least for a short moment – see how locals live and do their daily shopping. This place was smelly and very very loud. Every seller shouted in Greek things we didn’t understand but surely they tried to catch the attention of the buyers, and they were very successful in that! I’m not a big fan of seafood but I loved this place! For its vibrant and unpretentious character. It gave us a grip on where and how Athenians buy their food. Chill Out The tour took us more than 4 hours so eventually, after seeing all beautiful byzantine churches, ruins of Hadrian Library, Temple of Zeus and million other sites, we headed towards an exceptional place called: Kerameio Cafe. All of us were tired and needed some regeneration before going back to a hotel so Yorgo and Villy took us to a brilliant place. The music, interior design and food was exceptional. I felt warm and peaceful in a minute. We sat around a table and started trying traditional greek food and drinks.  The tour around Athens by bike was fantastic. I had a great time not only visiting the famous sites but also interacting with our guides and other bloggers. I can tell you this: biking IS the best way to visit the city and with guys from TravelnCycle you can be sure to be well taken care of! Highly recommended! Tbex 2014 from Null & Full on Vimeo.  

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So, I’m leaving to Athens tomorrow and here is something I would like to share with you before I go: my guest post published by Tbex. This is a short review of a recently read book by John Lucas titled: ’92 Acharnon Street. A year in Athens‘. It is special for number of reasons, one of which is the author’s academic background I share. It made really easy to feel just like him. Then, it is about Athens I have never been to but that’s I’m soon visiting (literally tomorrow). There is no better way to prepare yourself to a trip than read a book about it. And also because Greece described by Lucas has changed so much! And you know me – getting closer to history like this sounds almost like magic! So hopefully you’ll find this Eland published book appealing. Just like I did!  

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