{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"categoryState":{"relatedCategories":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2023-02-01T16:01:09+00:00"},"categoryId":34037,"data":{"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"parentCategory":{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","slug":"home-auto-hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"}},"childCategories":[],"description":"Whether you're into the great outdoors or the big city, traveling the world is one of life's greatest pleasures. Learn all about how and where to go with articles written by our Dummies experts.","relatedArticles":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles?category=34037&offset=0&size=5"},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":24,"bookCount":7},"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"relatedCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{"count":10,"total":24,"items":[{"headers":{"creationTime":"2022-09-14T13:39:02+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-10-21T13:30:19+00:00","timestamp":"2022-10-21T15:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"van life for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"For many, the notion of traveling and exploring is a craving that can’t be ignored. And for vanlifers, there is no better way to see the world than to travel se","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"For many, the notion of traveling and exploring is a craving that can’t be ignored. And for vanlifers, there is no better way to see the world than to travel self-contained in a camper van that affords them the freedom to pick up and go whenever the mood strikes.\r\n\r\nHere are pointers on how to make sure your van life road trip is a success, how to level your van once you are parked for the night, and how to keep your van neat and tidy while you're on the road.","description":"For many, the notion of traveling and exploring is a craving that can’t be ignored. And for vanlifers, there is no better way to see the world than to travel self-contained in a camper van that affords them the freedom to pick up and go whenever the mood strikes.\r\n\r\nHere are pointers on how to make sure your van life road trip is a success, how to level your van once you are parked for the night, and how to keep your van neat and tidy while you're on the road.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":35189,"name":"Sebastian Santabarbara","slug":"sebastian-santabarbara","description":" <p><b>Seb Santabarbara</b> is a writer and alternative living enthusiast. Seb established himself as a van life expert by living in a self-converted camper while helping others reach their alternative living goals as head of written content for an online van life media brand that reached five million readers. Keep up with Seb at sebsantabarbara.com.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35189"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294670,"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294670"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}},{"articleId":271347,"title":"What to Do After Airbnb Guests Leave","slug":"what-to-do-after-airbnb-guests-leave","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271347"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":294904,"slug":"van-life-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119886235","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","sports-recreation","camping-rvs"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119886236/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119886236/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119886236-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119886236/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119886236/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/van-life-for-dummies-cover-9781119886235-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Van Life For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b>Seb Santabarbara</b> is a writer and alternative living enthusiast. Seb established himself as a van life expert by living in a self-converted camper while helping others reach their alternative living goals as head of written content for an online van life media brand that reached five million readers. Keep up with Seb at sebsantabarbara.com.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":35189,"name":"Sebastian Santabarbara","slug":"sebastian-santabarbara","description":" <p><b>Seb Santabarbara</b> is a writer and alternative living enthusiast. Seb established himself as a van life expert by living in a self-converted camper while helping others reach their alternative living goals as head of written content for an online van life media brand that reached five million readers. Keep up with Seb at sebsantabarbara.com.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35189"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119886235&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6352b42eaa9fe\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119886235&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6352b42eab8f3\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"Planning your van life road trip","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>With so many amazing road trips around the world to tick off your bucket list, there is no better time to pack your bags and jet off along the highway. With these handy hints and tips, you can prepare for your next adventure and get on the road in no time at all. And who knows, the drive might even end up being more exciting than your end destination!</p>\n<h3><strong> Have a general itinerary in mind</strong></h3>\n<p>The best bit about a road trip is the sense of adventure and the feeling of being free. You don’t need to have a strict itinerary, but have a general idea of where you want to head to and the places you want to see along the way. Take it slow and don’t try to cram too much into your trip. It’s better to spend longer in one place and see everything than embarking on a whistle-stop tour and missing everything. If it feels right, then stay another night. You’ll know when you feel ready to move on.</p>\n<h3><strong> Check that your vehicle is ready for the terrain</strong></h3>\n<p>Whether you’re renting a vehicle or using your existing camper, you need to make sure it’s going to be able to withstand the type of terrain you’re taking it on. If you’re thinking about going off road, then make sure the camper you take has the correct tires and raised suspension.</p>\n<p>Four-by-four vehicles exist for a reason, so don’t risk damaging a vehicle that’s not suited to the terrain. If flat campsites or forest park-ups are more your bag, then any kind of camper should be fine. Just do a couple of test runs to similar locations in your area before you head out on the open road away from family and friends to get a feel of the vehicle first.</p>\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you’re a first-time vanlifer, then always weigh your van before you set off. In certain countries, you can be fined for driving a vehicle that weighs over the vehicle weight allowance on your driver’s license, so it’s good to know how much weight you’re carrying around.</p>\n<h3><strong> Get roadside assistance/breakdown coverage</strong></h3>\n<p>No one ever wants to think about bad things happening, but if you’re driving an older vehicle, then the chances are it might break down on the road. A broken vehicle can put a spanner in the works when it comes to all your van life plans, which is why it’s essential to have good roadside assistance on standby.</p>\n<h3><strong> Get a good satnav</strong></h3>\n<p>Google Maps and Apple Maps have their place, but they don’t always take you down “van friendly” routes. When you’re traveling the world, a satnav (satellite navigation system) designed for campers is way more useful. One example is the TomTom Go Camper, which enables you to put the dimensions of your camper into the settings so it only takes you on routes your camper can handle.</p>\n<h3><strong> Use a park-up app to find overnight parking spots</strong></h3>\n<p>There are so many resources out there to help you find a good parking spot. Take the pressure out of planning your route and picking a place to park; van life is supposed to reduce stress and not increase it, after all!</p>\n<p>Park4Night and iOverlander are two such apps that can help you find exciting locations to call home for a day (or longer!), including information on whether certain spots have water or toilet-emptying facilities.</p>\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Remember, always try to arrive at a park up location in the daytime so that you can get a feel of the area for yourself in the light.</p>\n<h3><strong> Keep tabs on your toilet and water</strong></h3>\n<p>Want to know the real deciders as to how long you can stay in one place? It’s your toilet and water. If you’re traveling in a camper and plan on wild camping instead of visiting campsites, then you’ll probably need to empty your toilet every seven to nine days. The same goes for water. Be sure to pay attention to your water and toilet levels and refer to your park-up apps to find places where you can deposit both grey and black water and fill up with freshwater, planning them into your route as you go.</p>\n"},{"title":"Leveling an RV or camper van","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Getting a decent night’s sleep when your van is on a tilt can be quite a challenge, which is why it’s important to know how to level an RV or camper van before you head out on your first road trip.</p>\n<p>Not only does leveling your van help to ensure you don’t have to sleep on a slant when parked on uneven terrain, but also, keeping your van leveled helps to prevent wear and tear on your internal structure and tires — not to mention helping to prevent your van from toppling over in a strong gust of wind!</p>\n<h3>Deciding on a parking spot</h3>\n<p>In most instances, campsites will already have level park-up spaces for you to park on. If the space isn’t paved, then they’ll usually be level grassy spaces or filled in with those little woodchips that you see in children’s playgrounds.</p>\n<p>If you are boondocking or wild camping in a mountainous area or rural location, however, it’s a good idea to have a look around the plots first to find one as flat as possible before choosing. Grab a ball or skateboard and see how it rolls when you put it down.</p>\n<h3><strong>Making sure you are level</strong></h3>\n<p>Once you’ve decided on the perfect parking spot, get down on the ground and double-check the area. Most spaces can be made level with a couple of leveling blocks, usually either both at the front, both at the back, or both down one side of your vehicle.</p>\n<p>Leveling blocks are essentially plastic wedges that go underneath your van tires. Imagine a huge door stop, some of which have multiple levels for your tires to rest on. The surface of most leveling blocks boasts a special design that maximizes friction between your tire and the block itself, preventing you from rolling backward into a lake or off a cliff while you’re counting sheep.</p>\n<p>Place your blocks in your desired location and gently find your bite point, allowing your engine to pull you up onto the blocks rather than using any real acceleration. The last thing you want is to head straight over your blocks!</p>\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Keep a spirit level on your dashboard and watch it as you’re moving up the leveling blocks too.</p>\n<h3>What happens if I don’t level my camper or RV?</h3>\n<p>Don’t worry, the world isn’t going to implode if you can’t level your camper van, but it can have some long-lasting effects on your vehicle if it happens often. Parking on slant can eventually lead to damage to both your chassis and your suspension, especially if you leave your camper or RV parked on a slant in the same place for prolonged periods of time. It can wear your tires down, too — imagine putting all your weight on one leg like a flamingo while holding 3.5 tons of your belongings. That’s definitely enough straining to blow a tire while you’re driving.</p>\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Other than slipping and sliding around like Bambi on ice inside your van, your 12-volt refrigerator won’t work as effectively if your camper isn’t flat. Absorption fridges contain chemicals, and if they can’t flow properly, then you might end up causing complications inside your expensive fridge that could lead to it breaking.</p>\n<h3>Can I level a camper van on my own?</h3>\n<p>While it’s possible to level your RV or camper van on your own, it’s so much easier with another person there to help “spot” for you when you’re about to drive off the levelers or when you’re at your desired height. If you’re traveling solo and you park up next to some other vanlifers, just ask them to give you a hand. We’re all one big community and always willing to help a slanted van in need!</p>\n"},{"title":"Keeping your van clean on the road","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>The great thing about living in a van is that while stuff can pile up quickly, it’s far easier to clean and tidy a camper van than an entire house. After all, when you live in one room, there’s only one room to clean.</p>\n<p>Housework isn’t the most exciting topic, but a tidy home makes for a tidy mind, and with these tips and tricks, you’ll always have a comfortable and clean van to come back to after a day on the beach or a hike in the mountains.</p>\n<h3><strong>Regularly check for mold and mildew</strong></h3>\n<p>No one ever wants to broach the topic of mold or mildew. It seems to be a bit of a taboo subject in the van life community (especially on Instagram), but it happens to all vanlifers and isn’t something to be embarrassed about.</p>\n<p>Mold and mildew build up in places where you don’t have a lot of airflow, more often than not in the back of your camper in the garage area. You can clean it up with a bit of antibacterial spray and a whole load of elbow grease. Just grab a sponge or cloth and give it a good scrub. You can also buy mildew sprays that kill the mold once and for all.</p>\n<h3><strong>Travel with a dustpan and brush</strong></h3>\n<p>A dustpan and brush are two of the most underrated pieces of van life equipment around. Van floors can hide so much dirt, especially when you are walking in and out of your van from the beach or after hikes in the woods. Get into the habit of sweeping the floor a couple of times a day; your feet will thank you for it.</p>\n<h3><strong>Buy a cordless vacuum</strong></h3>\n<p>In areas like the inside of your drawers, behind your shoe rack, and inside your cab and bulkhead, use a cordless vacuum that you can charge up from your inverter or plug into a 12-volt socket. You can pick them up pretty cheap, and they’re great for thrusting into pesky corners and hard-to-reach places to get crumbs that might attract unwanted guests.</p>\n<h3><strong>Empty your black and grey tanks on a regular basis</strong></h3>\n<p>No one enjoys cleaning out the toilet or wastewater tank, but emptying them and cleaning them on a regular basis before smells have a chance to seep into your living area will make your van feel (and smell) much nicer. Everything smells worse in a tiny space, so keep your eye on these.</p>\n<p>Really go to town when cleaning your cassette toilet. Use an eco-friendly spray and lots of water when you’re cleaning it out. Don’t bother with the harsh blue chemicals for the bottom either; cheap household washing powder works perfectly when breaking down your waste and reducing smells. Those clever enzymes will save you a ton of money!</p>\n<h3><strong>Clean the inside of your bin</strong></h3>\n<p>Food smells from garlic peels, veggie skins, and other organic waste you accumulate when cooking meals in your van can quickly be overpowering, so always make sure to give your bin a clean with spray and warm water whenever you take your bin bag out. You can buy bin deodorizers if you’re going to be in a place without a waste disposal area for a while. These powders are also especially useful if you live in a warm climate.</p>\n<h3><strong>Clean your windows on the inside and out</strong></h3>\n<p>What’s the point in traveling the world if you can’t see out of your windows? Smudges on the inside and general dirt and grime from dusty roads on the outside build up all too easily, so adding a little window cleaning into your routine certainly doesn’t hurt.</p>\n<p>Use a microfiber cloth and some window spray on your side windows and your windshield once a week. Some gas stations have window washing facilities that you can use after filling up, but you can always just tape a squeegee to a broom handle and throw some water on your windshield too.</p>\n<h3><strong>Don’t forget to clean your roof and solar panels</strong></h3>\n<p>Just because you can’t see your roof doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give it a clean from time to time. What with bird poop, leaves, and other debris falling on it as you travel the world, there’s a good chance your roof panels could go rusty or moldy if left unattended. If you don’t have a ladder on your back door, grab a pair of extendable ladders and keep them in your garage area. A little warm soapy water and a bucket and sponge is all you need.</p>\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">While you’re on the roof, give your solar panels a wipe down, too.</p>\n<h3><strong>Open your doors and give your van a good airing</strong></h3>\n<p>Chances are that you’ll sit with your doors open most of the time anyway, so this one is so easy that you can do it without even lifting a finger. By keeping your doors open and allowing air to flow through your van on a nice day, you’ll keep it smelling nice and fresh.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-09-14T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":294958},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2022-08-12T17:19:35+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-10-20T16:49:04+00:00","timestamp":"2022-10-20T18:01:03+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"digital nomads for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn the benefits of becoming a digital nomad, what you will need to make it happen, and how to choose where you will travel and work.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"There’s never been a better time to go remote! 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She&#8217;s also host of the &#8220;Badass Digital Nomads&#8221; podcast, recorded weekly from wherever in the world Kristin currently calls home. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35174"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294958,"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294958"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}},{"articleId":271347,"title":"What to Do After Airbnb Guests Leave","slug":"what-to-do-after-airbnb-guests-leave","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271347"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":294551,"slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119867456","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119867452/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119867452/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119867452-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119867452/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119867452/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/digital-nomads-for-dummies-cover-9781119867456-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"35174\">Kristin M. Wilson</b></b> has travelled to over 60 countries during her 20 years as a digital nomad. She reaches 130,000 subscribers on her &#8220;Traveling with Kristin&#8221; YouTube channel. She&#8217;s also host of the &#8220;Badass Digital Nomads&#8221; podcast, recorded weekly from wherever in the world Kristin currently calls home.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":35174,"name":"Kristin M. Wilson","slug":"kristin-m-wilson","description":" <p><b>Kristin M. Wilson</b> has travelled to over 60 countries during her 20 years as a digital nomad. She reaches 130,000 subscribers on her &#8220;Traveling with Kristin&#8221; YouTube channel. She&#8217;s also host of the &#8220;Badass Digital Nomads&#8221; podcast, recorded weekly from wherever in the world Kristin currently calls home. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35174"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119867456&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63518cdf0ae4c\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119867456&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63518cdf0b68d\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"10 reasons to become a digital nomad","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p><strong>Be your own boss.</strong> The Internet has made it possible to make a living doing almost <em>anything.</em> As a result more people are choosing to work for themselves than ever before. Becoming a digital nomad is a great opportunity to join the 1.1 billion people working as freelancers in the gig economy.</p>\n<p>Millions of independent workers are nomadic knowledge workers who offer online consulting services or contract work in their area of expertise. Many digital nomads also combine different online revenue streams to boost their income. When you work for yourself, you decide where, when, and how much you work. As long as you have an Internet connection, you can do your job anytime, anywhere.</p>\n<p><strong>Be more productive.</strong> Studies show that remote workers are more productive than their office-bound colleagues. When you work remotely, you can protect your time and increase your output by minimizing meetings, distractions, and interruptions. You can also adjust your schedule to fit your best hours for focused deep work. Furthermore, research suggests that travel can boost your creativity and motivation to work as well.</p>\n<p><strong>Enjoy more freedom and flexibility.</strong> Being a digital nomad is the ultimate form of personal freedom, with limitless possibilities for how to design your day and life. Everything is negotiable, from where you live to what you do for work to when you work and play. Feel like taking a three-hour lunch break? How about a day off to hike a waterfall? No problem! Why not move to Mexico for the winter? Or rent a home office with a view of the Eiffel Tower? Your options are only limited by your imagination. You can even change your tax base, country of citizenship, and adjust your cost of living by moving to a new place.</p>\n<p><strong>Meet people and grow your network.</strong> The average person has an inner circle of eight to nine close friends. But when you travel, you have opportunities to cross paths with hundreds or thousands of people you would have never met at home. Whether you’re looking to grow your personal or professional network, living as a digital nomad is a great way to do it. The people you meet while traveling can lead to job opportunities, love connections, and enriching experiences.</p>\n<p>Imagine meeting your next business partner at a co-working space in Colombia. Or hiking up to the Acropolis at sunset to share a bottle of wine with new friends. Or learning to cook from a local chef in Mumbai. All this and more is possible when you travel as a digital nomad.</p>\n<p><strong>Expand your worldview.</strong> Living among people of different cultures and places challenges your worldview, expands your mind, and pushes you beyond the limits of your comfort zone.</p>\n<p>Being a digital nomad opens your mind to other ways of living, working, and problem-solving. You feel more creative and inspired. You begin to see things from a new perspective. And you realize that there’s more than one way to do anything. You stop fearing the unknown and embrace the opportunities to learn, grow, and enhance your life through travel. With each person you meet, each cultural site you visit, and every event you attend, you learn a little bit more about the world and yourself in the process.</p>\n<p><strong>Increase your income.</strong> Millions of digital nomads work for themselves, breaking beyond the limits of a paycheck. Freelancers make more money per hour than salaried workers on average, and there’s no limit to the number of online income streams you can create when you work for yourself. Whether you’re a freelancer, solopreneur, or online business owner, you can make (and save) more money as a self-employed digital nomad.</p>\n<p><strong>Travel and see the world.</strong> There’s no limit to how far and wide you can travel when you can take your office with you. Rather than counting the days until your next vacation, you can see the world as often as you’d like. Living as a digital nomad also allows the option to spend more time in each place, getting to know the people and culture much better than if you were just passing through. You get a chance to learn the language and immerse yourself in the daily life of each destination.</p>\n<p>Your life can be like a page out of Travel &amp; Leisure magazine, and that’s not an exaggeration. Even better? You design your itinerary! Becoming a digital nomad is the ultimate form of self-expression. You can choose places to go based on your unique interests and identity.</p>\n<p><strong>Save money.</strong> You can save thousands of dollars each month by moving to a city or country with a low cost of living. But why stop there? When you live nomadically, you may naturally live a more minimalistic lifestyle, reducing or eliminating many expenses that you’re used to. Commuting, car payments, and monthly utilities are usually the first to go. Many digital nomads have been able to pay down debt by going nomadic or living a van life.</p>\n<p><strong>Reduce stress and increase well-being.</strong> Being able to control your schedule and work environment makes it easier to stay healthy. You can move to a place with an ideal climate and relaxed pace of life. You can also eliminate stressful commutes and replace eating fast food at your desk with a home-cooked meal. Working remotely allows for better work-life balance (as long as you control your screen time). You can also re-invest time spent commuting or in meetings in more healthful activities like sleeping and self-care.</p>\n<p><strong>Take your life in a new direction.</strong> Are you feeling stuck in life? Give the digital nomad lifestyle a try! Sometimes, a change of career, scenery, and a new environment can be just what you need to boost your mood, motivation, and creativity. The digital nomad lifestyle offers endless opportunities for a fresh start and can super-charge your personal and professional growth.</p>\n"},{"title":"Digital nomad technology toolkit","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p><strong>Backpack:</strong> Every digital nomad needs a good backpack or laptop bag. Minaal, Nomatic, Nordace, Osprey, and Tortuga are popular brands.</p>\n<p><strong>Charging station:</strong> Digital nomads rely on technology to get their work done and stay connected. A charging station with ports for your phone, laptop, tablet, camera gear, and USB devices keeps your gear organized and powered up on the go.</p>\n<p><strong>External hard drive:</strong> An external hard drive (or two) is a must for any digital nomad. It serves as a back-up for important work and a place to store heavy files.</p>\n<p><strong>External keyboard:</strong> An external keyboard helps you create a versatile and comfortable workspace in airports, coffee shops, and co-working spaces. You can use it to connect to a laptop, desktop PC, or for ease of typing on a tablet.</p>\n<p><strong>External monitor:</strong> Two monitors are better than one! Research has shown that having a second monitor can increase your productivity by up to 42 percent. Check out Mobile Pixels for a range of portable monitor options.</p>\n<p><strong>Extension cord:</strong> Traveling with an extension cord helps you always find a way to plug in your laptop, even if the outlet is far away. Great for crowded airports and coffee shops!</p>\n<p><strong>Cable organizers:</strong> Digital nomads travel with <em>a lot</em> of technology. Cable and headphone organizers prevent your laptop bag from turning into a harried mess.</p>\n<p><strong>International Wi-Fi hotspot:</strong> Fast Wi-Fi is a lifeline for digital nomads. Experienced nomads know to bring their Wi-Fi with them, rather than relying on public networks or sluggish cable connections at hotels and rental properties. Try an international hotspot with daily or monthly plans, such as <a href=\"https://soliswifi.co/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solis</a> or <a href=\"https://travelwifi.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TravelWifi</a>. Or buy an unlocked mobile hotspot on Amazon that you can use with local SIM cards from any country.</p>\n<p><strong>Laptop with a webcam:</strong> Make sure your laptop has a webcam for all those video calls and meetings you’ll probably be attending! You can also buy an external webcam on Amazon.</p>\n<p><strong>Laptop stand:</strong> A laptop stand helps you maintain good posture while working — key for long hours spent in front of screens. Try the <a href=\"https://www.therooststand.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roost stand</a> and the ergonomic, bamboo stand by <a href=\"https://coffeeshophero.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Coffee Shop Hero</a> (also known as Ergotree).</p>\n<p><strong>Noise-cancelling headphones:</strong> Noise-cancelling headphones come in handy for working in loud environments, such as airports, coffee shops, or working outside. They’re also great for long plane rides.</p>\n<p><strong>Packing cubes:</strong> Packing cubes can be used for keeping your clothes, toiletries, and electronics organized and handy. They’re a must for any digital nomad!</p>\n<p><strong>Power strip:</strong> A power strip with a surge protector keeps your devices charged, accessible, and protected.</p>\n<p><strong>Ports and dongles:</strong> Adaptors, ports, and dongles help you turn your laptop into a multi-tasking remote office. You can use them to connect printers, scanners, monitors, hard drives, A/V equipment, and more.</p>\n<p><strong>Universal travel adaptor:</strong> If you change countries often, a universal travel adaptor helps you charge your devices in 100+ countries.</p>\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Universal adaptors don’t always fit recessed sockets. In those cases, consider buying a travel adaptor set, instead.</p>\n<p><strong>Unlocked smartphone:</strong> It’s hard to conceive of a digital nomad (or any human, for that matter) without a smartphone. Buy an unlocked phone before you hit the road or ask your telecommunications provider to factory unlock it.</p>\n<p><strong>Wireless mouse and mousepad:</strong> An external mouse is a must for productivity.</p>\n"},{"title":"8 things to consider in a digital nomad destination","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p><strong>Climate and seasonality:</strong> Too hot, too cold, or just right? Consider the climate as well as the time of year in advance of your trip. Tropical climates can be nice, but bugs, heat, and humidity can also take a toll on your productivity. Likewise, check if your destination has four seasons or a rainy and dry season. Weigh the pros and cons of traveling during peak or off-peak times as each has benefits and drawbacks. The price and availability of accommodations can vary widely throughout the year. Traveling to Iceland in the winter is cheaper than the summer, but it&#8217;s much colder.</p>\n<p><strong>Cost of living:</strong> It’s no coincidence that the most popular digital nomad hubs are also some of the most affordable places to live in the world. The cost of living for one month in Thailand can be less than the cost of a shared one bedroom apartment in California or New York. Websites such as <a href=\"https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Expatistan</a>, <a href=\"https://nomadlist.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nomad List</a>, <a href=\"https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Numbeo</a>, and <a href=\"https://teleport.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Teleport</a> offer cost-of-living data in thousands of cities worldwide.</p>\n<p><strong>Community:</strong> Strength in numbers! Humans are social creatures and connecting with other people is key to coping with the occasional loneliness of a traveling lifestyle. Search for Facebook groups in the places you’re traveling to, browse popular destinations on Nomad List, try out co-living, or join meetups or international organizations such as <a href=\"https://www.internations.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">InterNations</a>.</p>\n<p><strong>Internet speed:</strong> A digital nomad without an Internet connection is just a nomad. Always ask for an Internet speed test before renting a property, travel with a back-up hot spot, and download an app such as WiFi Finder to find public networks.</p>\n<p><strong>Safety:</strong> While all countries can be safe places to visit, some are safer than others. The Global Peace Index gives you a good overview of a country’s overall of safety and security. Also register with your embassy to receive alerts and news.</p>\n<p><strong>Time zone:</strong> Living in the South Pacific sounds great, until you realize that you might be working the remote night shift. If you work a fixed schedule, make sure the time zone in your destinations aligns with your work hours.</p>\n<p><strong>Visas/length of stay:</strong> Check with the government, embassy, or consulate in your home and destination countries to look up tourist and long-stay visa requirements. The number of days you can enter a country vary according to your passport (usually 30–180 days). Many countries offer digital nomad visa programs that allow remote workers to stay for up to a year or more, so check those out, too.</p>\n<p><strong>Work environment:</strong> Once you arrive in your destination, where will you work? Check out cafés and coffee shops in your area on Google Maps or TripAdvisor. Use Coworker.com or the Regus app to find co-working spaces worldwide.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-08-12T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":294670},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2020-06-08T00:16:31+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-10-19T13:54:41+00:00","timestamp":"2022-10-19T15:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"Baseline Pricing for Your Airbnb","strippedTitle":"baseline pricing for your airbnb","slug":"baseline-pricing-for-your-airbnb","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to determine baseline pricing—the optimal amount to charge for an Airbnb listing under typical market conditions with average demand.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Determining a <em>baseline pricing</em> is finding the <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/home-auto-hobbies/travel/how-much-you-can-really-make-on-airbnb-271323/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">optimal amount you charge</a> for your Airbnb listing under typical market conditions with average demand. Any adjustments you make to your pricing start from this baseline level.\r\n\r\nTo establish the baseline pricing, you analyze comparable listings on <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/home-auto-hobbies/travel/airbnb-for-dummies-cheat-sheet-270019/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Airbnb</a> to create a pricing strategy that works for you. The following sections help you start pricing your listing so it’s competitive wherever you live.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Study your competition: Gather comparable market data</h2>\r\nThe best way to establish your baseline pricing is by looking at what your competition is charging in your market. You can think of your <em>market</em> as the tightest geographic radius that allows you to gather data for at least a dozen comparable and competitive listings. For example, in an ultrahigh-density urban market, this could be just a one block or even a minute walking radius. In the sparse country side, it could mean more than 10 miles or a 30-minute drive radius. In a typical suburban neighborhood, a safe starting point is three blocks or a 15-minute walking radius. You’ll need to adjust as needed for your specific area.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Your <em>competition</em> includes the most similar Airbnb listings in your market — those similar in size (beds, bedrooms, bathrooms), amenities, and overall positioning in terms of pricing and target audience. For example, if your Airbnb listing is a one-bedroom unit targeting the budget-friendly traveler who doesn’t mind being a bit farther out from the main attractions, then your competition is similar, economy-focused one-bedroom Airbnb listings. However, if your Airbnb listing is a two-bedroom luxury condominium in a downtown luxury high-rise residence, your competition includes other two-bedroom luxury Airbnb listings.</p>\r\nWhen studying the competition, gather at least a six (preferable a dozen or more) similar Airbnb listings and record the following information:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Weekday rates:</strong> For each comparable Airbnb listing and hotel listing, collect the average weekday rates (Sundays to Thursdays) for four weeks, eight weeks, and 12 weeks into the future. Take the average of those five days for each of the three weeks for each comparable listing.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Weekend rates: </strong>For each comparable Airbnb listing and hotel listing, collect the average weekend rates (Fridays and Saturdays only) for four weeks, eight weeks, and 12 weeks into the future. Take the average of those two days for each of the three weeks for each comparable listing.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you’re unable to find enough (at least six) comparable Airbnb listings in your market for your baseline pricing analysis, you can substitute with comparable hotel listings. For most Airbnb hosts, comparing to economy and midrange hotel offerings make the most sense. Identify the nearest two- and three-star hotels to your property and compare your studio or one-bedroom listing to their lowest priced offering. For larger properties of two- or three-bedrooms, compare to the lowest priced hotel suites. However, you may need to adjust your findings down by 15 to 30 percent because average hotel listings are often priced higher than their Airbnb counterparts in the same market.</p>\r\nWhen you’re done collecting this information, you’ll have six data points for each of the listings you’ve identified for your comparison — three weekday averages and three weekend averages — resulting from 21 daily prices for each of the comps.\r\n\r\nTaking the average again of the average weekday and weekend rates for these similar listings gives you a good baseline pricing for your Airbnb listing in your market. The following figure shows an example with 12 comparable Airbnb listings and their corresponding data points for their weekday and weekend pricing.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271283\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271283\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-baseline-pricing.jpg\" alt=\"Baseline pricing exercise.\" width=\"556\" height=\"214\" /> Baseline pricing exercise[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Tracking additional information for the comparable listings can help you understand the pricing dynamic in your market even better. Tracking additional information such as the listing URLs, property type, number of bedrooms, number of bedrooms, and number of bathrooms can assist you to fine-tune your baseline pricing analysis.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Choose a baseline pricing strategy</h2>\r\nAfter you gather your data and have a baseline weekday and weekend pricing rate that you feel comfortable with, you need to figure out how to use that information. Here are three primary pricing strategies you can consider adopting to price your listing:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Match market offering and charge less.</strong> If you intend to match the amenities and overall offering of your competition, you can gain an edge by charging slightly less than your competition. By offering the same amenities at a discount, you’ll be able to secure more bookings.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Beat market offering and charge the same.</strong> If you intend to clearly beat the offering of your competition, you can gain an edge by charging the same overall pricing as your competition. By offering better amenities at the same price, you’ll also be able to secure more bookings.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Make unique offering and charge premium. </strong>If your Airbnb listing offers something unique that guests value and the competition in your market can’t match, then you may be able to charge a premium. By offering something unique and valuable, you’ll be able to charge more than your competition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nDepending on which strategy you find most fitting for your Airbnb listing, your baseline pricing will be lower than, about the same, or greater than the baseline pricing you found from the comparable listings.\r\n\r\nHowever, settling on your baseline pricing doesn’t mean you just set your pricing to these levels for the entire availability of your listing. At various times you want to purposely price lower or higher than your baseline pricing. We explore each of moments in the following discussions.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Ramping Up to Baseline Pricing</h2>\r\nThe first such scenario where you price differently from your baseline pricing is during your ramping-up period, typically the first two to four months after an Airbnb listing first goes live on the platform. During these first months on the platform, your objective is to build momentum for your listing as quickly as possible, not to maximize the profits of any individual bookings.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">To do so, get as many bookings and as many 5-star guest reviews as fast as possible. When a listing is fresh on the platform, it has no bookings and no reviews. All things equal, potential guests almost always book with listings that have more reviews than similar listings with no reviews.</p>\r\nDuring your ramping-up period, follow this pricing schedule to build momentum for your listing:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> Start at 20 percent lower than your baseline pricing. </strong>Doing so underprices your listing relative to your competition right out of the gate.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Wait for one week and check to see if your listing is mostly booked two weeks out.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>If mostly booked for the next two weeks, then stay the course until your listing is mostly booked four weeks out — aim for 80 percent plus occupancy.</li>\r\n \t<li>If not booked out, drop pricing by another 10 percent every week until you’re booked four weeks out.</li>\r\n \t<li>If more than four weeks are booked within the first week, then raise prices by 10 percent every week until you’re fully booked for the next four weeks or until reaching baseline pricing.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> After you reach the baseline pricing, sign up for third-party dynamic pricing software to monitor and adjust pricing going forward automatically. </strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Be sure to note in your listing profile title and description that your listing is “NEW.” Doing so can help potential guests get comfortable with your lack of reviews and help them understand why your listing is priced so favorably versus competition — that it’s due to your newness and not some defect.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Adjusting for seasonality</h2>\r\nWhen setting your pricing, sometimes you need to adjust for seasonality. <em>Seasonality </em>means the overall Airbnb demand — the occupancy and average nightly rates for Airbnb listings in the market — may be much higher or lower than their typical rates when travel is correspondingly much higher or lower than average.\r\n\r\nFor example, Airbnb cabins by a popular ski resort may be booked almost every evening, even at much higher than average nightly rates during the high demand skiing season. However, these same cabins may have a hard time booking nights even at significantly discounted rates during low season when the snow has melted and far fewer guests want to spend their hot summer on these dry barren ski slopes.\r\n\r\nFor some Airbnb markets with well-defined seasonal attractions, you can easily know whether there is seasonality in the market. But for many markets without obvious seasonal factors for travel demand, you can verify seasonality by obtaining the relevant market data for the prior 12 months (a full calendar year).\r\n\r\nThe seasonality of your Airbnb market falls into one of these four categories:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Flat seasonality:</strong> If the demand is the same all year around, then there is flat seasonality. In these rare markets, you can expect the occupancy and average nightly rates to stay about the same throughout the year. Often, flat seasonality is associated with low overall Airbnb travel demand for the market.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>High season only: </strong>If the demand spikes high for a part of the year but stays flat the rest of the year, then the seasonality is said to have a high season. In these markets, you can expect the occupancy and average nightly rates to spike higher only during the high season but stay relatively flat the rest of the time.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Low season only: </strong>If the demand drops lower for a part of the year but stays flat the rest of the year, then the seasonality is said to have a low season. In these markets, you can expect the occupancy and average nightly rates to fall noticeably lower only during the low season but stay relatively flat the rest of the time.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>High low seasons: </strong>If the demand drops lower for a part of the year and spikes higher for a different part of the year compared to a middle level the rest of the year, then the seasonality has both a high and low season. In these markets, you can expect occupancy and average night rates both to drop during low season and spike during high season.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThe following figure shows what each of these four seasonality scenarios may look like if you plotted the average occupancy rates in these markets by month where 100 represents the annualized average occupancy rate. When you obtain the market data for a full calendar year for your market, you can notice that the average occupancy or nightly rates in your market will look like one of these scenarios.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271313\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271313\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-seasonality-types.jpg\" alt=\"Different kinds of seasonality.\" width=\"556\" height=\"330\" /> Different kinds of seasonality[/caption]\r\n\r\nFig. A shows a flat seasonality market, Fig. B a high season only seasonality market, Fig. C a low season only seasonality market, and Fig. D a high and low seasonality market. For all examples, the average occupancy rate during normal season is at 70 percent.","description":"Determining a <em>baseline pricing</em> is finding the <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/home-auto-hobbies/travel/how-much-you-can-really-make-on-airbnb-271323/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">optimal amount you charge</a> for your Airbnb listing under typical market conditions with average demand. Any adjustments you make to your pricing start from this baseline level.\r\n\r\nTo establish the baseline pricing, you analyze comparable listings on <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/home-auto-hobbies/travel/airbnb-for-dummies-cheat-sheet-270019/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Airbnb</a> to create a pricing strategy that works for you. The following sections help you start pricing your listing so it’s competitive wherever you live.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Study your competition: Gather comparable market data</h2>\r\nThe best way to establish your baseline pricing is by looking at what your competition is charging in your market. You can think of your <em>market</em> as the tightest geographic radius that allows you to gather data for at least a dozen comparable and competitive listings. For example, in an ultrahigh-density urban market, this could be just a one block or even a minute walking radius. In the sparse country side, it could mean more than 10 miles or a 30-minute drive radius. In a typical suburban neighborhood, a safe starting point is three blocks or a 15-minute walking radius. You’ll need to adjust as needed for your specific area.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Your <em>competition</em> includes the most similar Airbnb listings in your market — those similar in size (beds, bedrooms, bathrooms), amenities, and overall positioning in terms of pricing and target audience. For example, if your Airbnb listing is a one-bedroom unit targeting the budget-friendly traveler who doesn’t mind being a bit farther out from the main attractions, then your competition is similar, economy-focused one-bedroom Airbnb listings. However, if your Airbnb listing is a two-bedroom luxury condominium in a downtown luxury high-rise residence, your competition includes other two-bedroom luxury Airbnb listings.</p>\r\nWhen studying the competition, gather at least a six (preferable a dozen or more) similar Airbnb listings and record the following information:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Weekday rates:</strong> For each comparable Airbnb listing and hotel listing, collect the average weekday rates (Sundays to Thursdays) for four weeks, eight weeks, and 12 weeks into the future. Take the average of those five days for each of the three weeks for each comparable listing.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Weekend rates: </strong>For each comparable Airbnb listing and hotel listing, collect the average weekend rates (Fridays and Saturdays only) for four weeks, eight weeks, and 12 weeks into the future. Take the average of those two days for each of the three weeks for each comparable listing.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you’re unable to find enough (at least six) comparable Airbnb listings in your market for your baseline pricing analysis, you can substitute with comparable hotel listings. For most Airbnb hosts, comparing to economy and midrange hotel offerings make the most sense. Identify the nearest two- and three-star hotels to your property and compare your studio or one-bedroom listing to their lowest priced offering. For larger properties of two- or three-bedrooms, compare to the lowest priced hotel suites. However, you may need to adjust your findings down by 15 to 30 percent because average hotel listings are often priced higher than their Airbnb counterparts in the same market.</p>\r\nWhen you’re done collecting this information, you’ll have six data points for each of the listings you’ve identified for your comparison — three weekday averages and three weekend averages — resulting from 21 daily prices for each of the comps.\r\n\r\nTaking the average again of the average weekday and weekend rates for these similar listings gives you a good baseline pricing for your Airbnb listing in your market. The following figure shows an example with 12 comparable Airbnb listings and their corresponding data points for their weekday and weekend pricing.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271283\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271283\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-baseline-pricing.jpg\" alt=\"Baseline pricing exercise.\" width=\"556\" height=\"214\" /> Baseline pricing exercise[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Tracking additional information for the comparable listings can help you understand the pricing dynamic in your market even better. Tracking additional information such as the listing URLs, property type, number of bedrooms, number of bedrooms, and number of bathrooms can assist you to fine-tune your baseline pricing analysis.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Choose a baseline pricing strategy</h2>\r\nAfter you gather your data and have a baseline weekday and weekend pricing rate that you feel comfortable with, you need to figure out how to use that information. Here are three primary pricing strategies you can consider adopting to price your listing:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Match market offering and charge less.</strong> If you intend to match the amenities and overall offering of your competition, you can gain an edge by charging slightly less than your competition. By offering the same amenities at a discount, you’ll be able to secure more bookings.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Beat market offering and charge the same.</strong> If you intend to clearly beat the offering of your competition, you can gain an edge by charging the same overall pricing as your competition. By offering better amenities at the same price, you’ll also be able to secure more bookings.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Make unique offering and charge premium. </strong>If your Airbnb listing offers something unique that guests value and the competition in your market can’t match, then you may be able to charge a premium. By offering something unique and valuable, you’ll be able to charge more than your competition.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nDepending on which strategy you find most fitting for your Airbnb listing, your baseline pricing will be lower than, about the same, or greater than the baseline pricing you found from the comparable listings.\r\n\r\nHowever, settling on your baseline pricing doesn’t mean you just set your pricing to these levels for the entire availability of your listing. At various times you want to purposely price lower or higher than your baseline pricing. We explore each of moments in the following discussions.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Ramping Up to Baseline Pricing</h2>\r\nThe first such scenario where you price differently from your baseline pricing is during your ramping-up period, typically the first two to four months after an Airbnb listing first goes live on the platform. During these first months on the platform, your objective is to build momentum for your listing as quickly as possible, not to maximize the profits of any individual bookings.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">To do so, get as many bookings and as many 5-star guest reviews as fast as possible. When a listing is fresh on the platform, it has no bookings and no reviews. All things equal, potential guests almost always book with listings that have more reviews than similar listings with no reviews.</p>\r\nDuring your ramping-up period, follow this pricing schedule to build momentum for your listing:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> Start at 20 percent lower than your baseline pricing. </strong>Doing so underprices your listing relative to your competition right out of the gate.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Wait for one week and check to see if your listing is mostly booked two weeks out.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>If mostly booked for the next two weeks, then stay the course until your listing is mostly booked four weeks out — aim for 80 percent plus occupancy.</li>\r\n \t<li>If not booked out, drop pricing by another 10 percent every week until you’re booked four weeks out.</li>\r\n \t<li>If more than four weeks are booked within the first week, then raise prices by 10 percent every week until you’re fully booked for the next four weeks or until reaching baseline pricing.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> After you reach the baseline pricing, sign up for third-party dynamic pricing software to monitor and adjust pricing going forward automatically. </strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Be sure to note in your listing profile title and description that your listing is “NEW.” Doing so can help potential guests get comfortable with your lack of reviews and help them understand why your listing is priced so favorably versus competition — that it’s due to your newness and not some defect.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Adjusting for seasonality</h2>\r\nWhen setting your pricing, sometimes you need to adjust for seasonality. <em>Seasonality </em>means the overall Airbnb demand — the occupancy and average nightly rates for Airbnb listings in the market — may be much higher or lower than their typical rates when travel is correspondingly much higher or lower than average.\r\n\r\nFor example, Airbnb cabins by a popular ski resort may be booked almost every evening, even at much higher than average nightly rates during the high demand skiing season. However, these same cabins may have a hard time booking nights even at significantly discounted rates during low season when the snow has melted and far fewer guests want to spend their hot summer on these dry barren ski slopes.\r\n\r\nFor some Airbnb markets with well-defined seasonal attractions, you can easily know whether there is seasonality in the market. But for many markets without obvious seasonal factors for travel demand, you can verify seasonality by obtaining the relevant market data for the prior 12 months (a full calendar year).\r\n\r\nThe seasonality of your Airbnb market falls into one of these four categories:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Flat seasonality:</strong> If the demand is the same all year around, then there is flat seasonality. In these rare markets, you can expect the occupancy and average nightly rates to stay about the same throughout the year. Often, flat seasonality is associated with low overall Airbnb travel demand for the market.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>High season only: </strong>If the demand spikes high for a part of the year but stays flat the rest of the year, then the seasonality is said to have a high season. In these markets, you can expect the occupancy and average nightly rates to spike higher only during the high season but stay relatively flat the rest of the time.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Low season only: </strong>If the demand drops lower for a part of the year but stays flat the rest of the year, then the seasonality is said to have a low season. In these markets, you can expect the occupancy and average nightly rates to fall noticeably lower only during the low season but stay relatively flat the rest of the time.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>High low seasons: </strong>If the demand drops lower for a part of the year and spikes higher for a different part of the year compared to a middle level the rest of the year, then the seasonality has both a high and low season. In these markets, you can expect occupancy and average night rates both to drop during low season and spike during high season.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThe following figure shows what each of these four seasonality scenarios may look like if you plotted the average occupancy rates in these markets by month where 100 represents the annualized average occupancy rate. When you obtain the market data for a full calendar year for your market, you can notice that the average occupancy or nightly rates in your market will look like one of these scenarios.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271313\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271313\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-seasonality-types.jpg\" alt=\"Different kinds of seasonality.\" width=\"556\" height=\"330\" /> Different kinds of seasonality[/caption]\r\n\r\nFig. A shows a flat seasonality market, Fig. B a high season only seasonality market, Fig. C a low season only seasonality market, and Fig. D a high and low seasonality market. For all examples, the average occupancy rate during normal season is at 70 percent.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33356,"name":"James Svetec","slug":"james-svetec","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33356"}},{"authorId":33357,"name":"Symon He","slug":"symon-he","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33357"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Study your competition: Gather comparable market data","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Choose a baseline pricing strategy","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Ramping Up to Baseline Pricing","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Adjusting for seasonality","target":"#tab4"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}},{"articleId":271347,"title":"What to Do After Airbnb Guests Leave","slug":"what-to-do-after-airbnb-guests-leave","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271347"}},{"articleId":271342,"title":"Communicating Check-In Information with Airbnb Guests","slug":"communicating-check-in-information-with-airbnb-guests","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271342"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294958,"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294958"}},{"articleId":294670,"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294670"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281936,"slug":"airbnb-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119626077","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119626072-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-for-dummies-cover-9781119626077-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Airbnb For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"33357\">Symon He</b>, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b><b data-author-id=\"33356\">James Svetec</b></b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":33357,"name":"Symon He","slug":"symon-he","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. 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","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33356"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119626077&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6350112ee9459\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119626077&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6350112ee9c61\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Six months","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-12-23T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":271329},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2020-04-13T19:32:20+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-02-25T15:22:35+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:15+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"Airbnb For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"airbnb for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"airbnb-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn about the tasks involved in Airbnb hosting, as well as how to optimize your listings and take care of the business side of things.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Becoming an Airbnb host can sometimes feel overwhelming with too much to do and too little time to do everything. But you don’t need to do everything all at once or at all to succeed.\r\n\r\nOften, in the mist of the mad dash to launch their listings and take on guests, new Airbnb hosts forget to take care of the basics. Focus on getting the basics right and you’ll be well on your way to Airbnb hosting success.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_270020\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-270020\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/AirBnB-welcome.jpg\" alt=\"Airbnb welcome\" width=\"556\" height=\"371\" /> ©maroke/Shutterstock.com[/caption]","description":"Becoming an Airbnb host can sometimes feel overwhelming with too much to do and too little time to do everything. But you don’t need to do everything all at once or at all to succeed.\r\n\r\nOften, in the mist of the mad dash to launch their listings and take on guests, new Airbnb hosts forget to take care of the basics. Focus on getting the basics right and you’ll be well on your way to Airbnb hosting success.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_270020\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-270020\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/AirBnB-welcome.jpg\" alt=\"Airbnb welcome\" width=\"556\" height=\"371\" /> ©maroke/Shutterstock.com[/caption]","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}},{"articleId":271347,"title":"What to Do After Airbnb Guests Leave","slug":"what-to-do-after-airbnb-guests-leave","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271347"}},{"articleId":271342,"title":"Communicating Check-In Information with Airbnb Guests","slug":"communicating-check-in-information-with-airbnb-guests","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271342"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294958,"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294958"}},{"articleId":294670,"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294670"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281936,"slug":"airbnb-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119626077","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119626072-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-for-dummies-cover-9781119626077-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Airbnb For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"33357\">Symon He</b>, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b><b data-author-id=\"33356\">James Svetec</b></b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":33357,"name":"Symon He","slug":"symon-he","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33357"}},{"authorId":33356,"name":"James Svetec","slug":"james-svetec","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33356"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119626077&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b23a8fd9\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119626077&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b23a98cf\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"To-Do items to do in order when hosting on Airbnb","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>“Don’t put the cart before the horse,” is good mantra to think about your Airbnb hosting journey. The following table shows the important tasks and the order in which you should do them. Go from top to bottom, then left to right, starting at the top left corner. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, just look at this chart to determine what is the next single action item you can focus on.</p>\n<table width=\"564\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"186\"><strong>Do This First</strong></td>\n<td width=\"198\"><strong>Do This Next</strong></td>\n<td width=\"180\"><strong>Do This As Needed</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"186\">Become an Airbnb guest first. Book your next vacation through Airbnb and learn from the other side.</td>\n<td width=\"198\">Test run your Airbnb listing with friends and family for a weekend mock booking.</td>\n<td width=\"180\">Work with an accountant to make sure you do it correctly and to ensure you minimize your tax exposure.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"186\">Research and find out what local short-term rental regulations would apply to you.</td>\n<td width=\"198\">Take professional photos both inside and outside of your property.</td>\n<td width=\"180\">Troubleshoot to improve performance by comparing occupancy and average nightly rates to competition.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"186\">Read your HOA agreement or lease contract if it applies to you.</td>\n<td width=\"198\">Create a perfect listing with your perfect photos, great description and headline, and appropriate rules and policies.</td>\n<td width=\"180\">Explore secondary sources of income by adding add-on services.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"186\">Consider potential neighbor and landlord relations if you become a host.</td>\n<td width=\"198\">Consider and design a seamless, remote check-in and checkout process.</td>\n<td width=\"180\">Explore getting Airbnb Plus or Luxe designation for your listing.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"186\">Research your competition and set appropriate income expectations.</td>\n<td width=\"198\">Create a cleaning process and have a backup cleaning option.</td>\n<td width=\"180\">Explore adding more listings by acquiring more properties to host.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"186\">Prepare your property — clean, furnish, and stock for guest readiness.</td>\n<td width=\"198\">Research and set proper pricing for launch and after. Explore automated dynamic pricing.</td>\n<td width=\"180\">Explore co-hosting other people&#8217;s properties to grow your Airbnb income.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"186\">Keep records of all purchases and documentation.</td>\n<td width=\"198\">Consider messaging and scheduling automation tools as well as hiring a <a href=\"https://dummies-wp-admin.dummies.com/test-prep/real-estate-license/the-duties-of-a-property-manager-for-the-real-estate-license-exam/\">property manager</a> or co-host.</td>\n<td width=\"180\">Explore listing on other platforms in addition to Airbnb.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"186\">Explore whether adding additional insurance makes sense for you.</td>\n<td width=\"198\">Launch your listing with ramp-up pricing to build momentum.</td>\n<td width=\"180\">Explore hosting an Airbnb Experience.</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n"},{"title":"Airbnb listing quick checklist","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>As established hosts get into a routine of getting bookings and receiving guests, they’ll begin to look at other ways to grow their earnings as host, such as exploring other platforms, adding more listings, and providing add-on services. However, many are often ignoring a glaring low hanging fruit for their picking — their listing profile.</p>\n<p>Unless and until you’ve refined and tuned your listing profile to perfection, your Airbnb won’t earn what its capable of achieving.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Elevate all of your photos.</strong> These are the pictures you took with your phone, poorly composed, poorly exposed, and otherwise making your property appear like a dark and cramp dungeon. Update them before even thinking about any other optimizations. Here are some tips for doing that:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Stage your place ahead of time</strong><strong>. </strong>Your photos are your first opportunity to really wow potential guests with your space, so make sure they really highlight your property’s best attributes. Have your place professionally cleaned, and stage it to perfection before photography day.</li>\n<li><strong>Take photos during golden hour</strong><strong>. </strong>For outdoor shots or shots of windows or doorways looking outside, taking photos during the first or last hour of daylight prevents overexposure and makes for picturesque photos that show your property in the best light.</li>\n<li><strong>Turn on all the lights.</strong> Use extra light as needed to ensure the photos are both bright and detailed.</li>\n<li><strong>Use a DSLR camera with wide lens</strong><strong>. </strong>If at all possible use a professional DSLR camera with a wide lens to capture shots to prevent cramped-feeling photos. This is especially useful for cozier listings. Hire a professional photographer.</li>\n<li><strong>Take a variety of shots.</strong> Mix up the photos with wide and detailed shots, indoor and outdoor pictures, and include action shots when possible — for example, if you have a fire pit in the back yard, take a photo with marshmallows roasting on the fire.</li>\n<li><strong>Plan your cover photo.</strong> Look for three to four spaces in your property that are worth highlighting to grab prospective guests’ attention. Your cover photo is your first opportunity to make a great impression, so rather than leaving it up to chance when looking through your photos later on, plan a few photos in advance that you think will make great cover photos to test.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>Elevate your listing description.</strong> Although every potential guest will look at the photos first, those who are seriously considering your listing will read the description. To get the most out of your description, follow these steps:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Keep it organized.</strong> The only thing more frustrating than a sparsely written description with too little information is a massive wall of jumbled text where finding the right information is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Break up your text. Separate the descriptions by space and category. Use bullets, headlines, and special characters to make it easy to digest. Lastly, make sure that everything flows in a logical order so that guests can find the information they need without issue.</li>\n<li><strong>Include details.</strong> Vague language, at best, confuses potential guests and, at worst, could make you come off as though you have something to hide. Provide specific descriptions. Which of these is more enticing? “Queen mattress and cotton bedding” or “Queen hybrid mattress with cool memory foam and 800-thread count Egyptian cotton bedding.”</li>\n<li><strong>Answer all potential guest questions.</strong> Remember that by the time potential guests get to reading your listing description they’re looking for answers to questions. If all their questions are answered, then they’ll book. If some of their questions are left unanswered, they’ll be much more likely to move on to other listings and less likely to book your place. Consider all of the potential questions that guests may have before booking your place and be sure to answer all of them in your listing description.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-02-25T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":270019},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T23:09:09+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-12-23T22:43:18+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:18:57+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"Common Driving Concerns in Spanish-Speaking Countries","strippedTitle":"common driving concerns in spanish-speaking countries","slug":"common-driving-concerns-in-spanish-speaking-countries","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Driving in a foreign country can be disconcerting. Addressing common driving concerns (like driver’s licenses and road signs) when planning your trip to a Spani","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Driving in a foreign country can be disconcerting. Addressing common driving concerns (like driver’s licenses and road signs) when planning your trip to a Spanish-speaking country is invaluable. That way, you won’t be caught off guard by the differences in driving customs between where you’re from and where you’re going.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Make sure you have a valid driver’s license</h2>\r\nSome countries, including Mexico, accept a valid driver’s license from your home country. Other countries may require you to have an International Driver’s License. You can get one from the American and Canadian automobile drivers’ associations, whether or not you are a member. The association itself can tell you which countries require an International Driver’s License.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Know the Spanish signs of the road</h2>\r\nMost road signs in Latin America are based on symbols rather than words. This system makes them very easy to understand, no matter what language you speak. In fact, most driving signs have become quite universal; they’re much the same everywhere:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">A <em>do not enter</em> sign is a circle in a red field, crossed by a diagonal line.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">A stop sign is always an octagonal red field with white borders. Inside is a word such as <strong>pare</strong> (<em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">pah</span></em><em>-reh</em>) or <strong>alto</strong> (<em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ahl</span></em><em>-toh</em>), instead of the English word <em>stop</em>.</p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"imageBlock\" style=\"width: 463px;\">[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"463\"]<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/73947.image0.jpg\" alt=\"[Credit: PhotoDisc, Inc.]\" width=\"463\" height=\"400\" /> © PhotoDisc, Inc.[/caption]</div></li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">On the highway, left turns and right turns are indicated with signs that have a diamond shape with an arrow bent in the direction of the turn. A turn sign with a diagonal across it means <em>no turn.</em></p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">Ask at the car rental office whether you should expect any road signs that you don’t understand.</p>\r\nWhether at the airport or on the street, these two questions can come in handy when you need to find transportation:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>¿Dónde arriendan autos?</strong> <em>(</em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">dohn</span></em><em>-deh ah-rree</em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ehn</span></em><em>-dahn </em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ah</span></em><em>oo-tohs)</em> (Where do they rent cars?)</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>¿Hay oficina de renta de autos?</strong> <em>(ahy oh-fee-</em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">see</span></em><em>-nah deh </em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">rehn</span></em><em>-tah deh </em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ah</span></em><em>oo-tohs)</em> (Is there a car rental office?)</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"Driving in a foreign country can be disconcerting. Addressing common driving concerns (like driver’s licenses and road signs) when planning your trip to a Spanish-speaking country is invaluable. That way, you won’t be caught off guard by the differences in driving customs between where you’re from and where you’re going.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Make sure you have a valid driver’s license</h2>\r\nSome countries, including Mexico, accept a valid driver’s license from your home country. Other countries may require you to have an International Driver’s License. You can get one from the American and Canadian automobile drivers’ associations, whether or not you are a member. The association itself can tell you which countries require an International Driver’s License.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Know the Spanish signs of the road</h2>\r\nMost road signs in Latin America are based on symbols rather than words. This system makes them very easy to understand, no matter what language you speak. In fact, most driving signs have become quite universal; they’re much the same everywhere:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">A <em>do not enter</em> sign is a circle in a red field, crossed by a diagonal line.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">A stop sign is always an octagonal red field with white borders. Inside is a word such as <strong>pare</strong> (<em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">pah</span></em><em>-reh</em>) or <strong>alto</strong> (<em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ahl</span></em><em>-toh</em>), instead of the English word <em>stop</em>.</p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"imageBlock\" style=\"width: 463px;\">[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"463\"]<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/73947.image0.jpg\" alt=\"[Credit: PhotoDisc, Inc.]\" width=\"463\" height=\"400\" /> © PhotoDisc, Inc.[/caption]</div></li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">On the highway, left turns and right turns are indicated with signs that have a diamond shape with an arrow bent in the direction of the turn. A turn sign with a diagonal across it means <em>no turn.</em></p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">Ask at the car rental office whether you should expect any road signs that you don’t understand.</p>\r\nWhether at the airport or on the street, these two questions can come in handy when you need to find transportation:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>¿Dónde arriendan autos?</strong> <em>(</em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">dohn</span></em><em>-deh ah-rree</em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ehn</span></em><em>-dahn </em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ah</span></em><em>oo-tohs)</em> (Where do they rent cars?)</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>¿Hay oficina de renta de autos?</strong> <em>(ahy oh-fee-</em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">see</span></em><em>-nah deh </em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">rehn</span></em><em>-tah deh </em><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ah</span></em><em>oo-tohs)</em> (Is there a car rental office?)</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Make sure you have a valid driver’s license","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Know the Spanish signs of the road","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294958,"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294958"}},{"articleId":294670,"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294670"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b114b0c1\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b114bae9\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-12-23T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":202702},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T22:51:10+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-12-23T22:40:08+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:18:57+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"Considering the Reasons to Study Abroad","strippedTitle":"considering the reasons to study abroad","slug":"considering-the-reasons-to-study-abroad","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"After you've gotten through the first year at your home university, you probably feel like you finally know all the buildings on campus, can find your way aroun","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"After you've gotten through the first year at your home university, you probably feel like you finally know all the buildings on campus, can find your way around town, know which professors to avoid, which dining hall is busiest at lunch, and of course, have made plenty of friends.\r\n\r\nSo why leave this cozy little environment you've created for yourself just to go back to being the new kid on the block? Because your experience abroad is definitely worth the few trials and tribulations of starting over!\r\n\r\nThink of study abroad as just an extension of your studies at your home university. Your time away should be an integrated part of your four-year undergraduate academic plan. When you go abroad, you will likely take courses that, in some way, build on or add to the courses you are taking at your home university.\r\n\r\nStudy abroad is also a great time to begin independent research projects. Increasing numbers of students conduct research abroad and then work with faculty members when they return to convert their projects into senior theses.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Ready, set, grow!</h2>\r\nStudying abroad definitely challenges you on a personal level. Whether you consciously realize it or not, you develop a greater self-confidence, independence, and self-reliance. By the time you return home, you may feel like a super hero: You can do anything!\r\n\r\nStudying abroad may be the first time you are truly away from home — all your familiar surroundings here in the U.S., as well as friends and family. While this isn't always easy, most students agree that the benefits of giving up your familiar environment for a short period of time far outweigh the reasons to stay at home.\r\n\r\nBelieve it or not, if you immerse yourself in a new culture, experiment with new ways of thinking, or try a different way of living, you naturally experience some sort of personal growth. After you master your new culture and the abroad academic life, you will return home much wiser and probably slightly impressed with yourself for having had a successful time abroad.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Changing your perspective</h2>\r\nIf you go abroad with an open mind, then you're certain to return to the U.S. a more enlightened person. One of the major benefits of studying abroad is its ability to broaden your world understanding and perspective on just about anything. You gain a different view of international affairs, from politics to economics to social issues. You also return with a deeper understanding and respect for your host country, knowing how another culture approaches daily life and unusual challenges.\r\n\r\nYou may also return with a new appreciation for the U.S. Living in another culture can help you understand your own on a deeper level. You may return grateful for the way of life in the U.S., its political system, or its foreign or domestic policies. Through your interactions with your abroad professors, your new peer group, and other foreign or U.S. students on your program, you can find out what others think about the U.S. (and this is usually both positive and negative).\r\n\r\nWhile abroad, a new academic interest or perspective on your major may emerge. Studying at an abroad university allows you to study subjects that aren't available at your home university.\r\n\r\nYou also study familiar subjects but from a different cultural perspective. For example, if you study international relations in France, it will be from a European perspective. Alternatively, studying the U.S. and American history from a different country's point of view can be fun. And, of course, all your classroom learning is enhanced by living in your abroad location and interacting with host families, housemates, roommates, or friends who are native to your abroad country.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Jump-starting your career</h2>\r\nStudying abroad typically gives your resume a nice boost and improves your post-graduate employment prospects, particularly if you're considering a career in business, international affairs, or government service. Nowadays, employers actively seek college graduates who have spent time studying abroad because they want employees with an international knowledge base as well as foreign language skills.\r\n\r\nThe same international skills that make you more marketable for employment are also valued by graduate schools. These skills include cross-cultural communication skills, analytical skills, teamwork, flexibility, an understanding of cultural contexts, the ability to adapt to new circumstances and deal with differences, a developed view of the world outside the U.S., independence, and self-confidence.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Experiencing a different education system</h2>\r\nInstitutions of higher education outside the U.S. function differently than what you're accustomed to. Even if your program is directed by a U.S.-based school, your experience can still differ because U.S.-based programs often employ local professors.\r\n\r\nIn the U.S., most students pay to go to college. It's kind of a pay-for-service model in which students pay for the education and in return expect their professors to conduct lectures, foster class discussion, hold office hours, and so on. This isn't usually the case in other parts of the world. If students don't pay for school or if the government (maybe through taxes) subsidizes tuition, then students don't feel as entitled. The tables are turned. Students have the privilege of going to school and therefore, it is up to them to take responsibility for their own learning.\r\n\r\nAbroad universities are much less focused on grades. They care more about learning to increase understanding and knowledge. Therefore, you can expect much more of a lecture format to your classes and not much (if any) class discussion or participation.\r\n\r\nYou can also expect to have less one-on-one interaction with your professors. (Professors at your abroad university may not even be required to hold weekly office hours.) However, the flexibility of curriculums abroad often gives students at abroad universities more freedom to explore their own interests within a course than would be allowed or even feasible in the U.S.\r\n<p class=\"Remember\">The difference in set ups between your home university and your host university doesn't mean you should assume that academics are easier abroad.</p>\r\nAll of these differences don't mean that the education you receive while you're abroad is better or worse than the education you get at your home university — it's just bound to be different. If you don't like your abroad classroom or learning style, chalk it up to a learning experience. Accept the challenge to learn in a different way, in a different cultural setting.\r\n\r\nBefore you take the plunge, think about your own personal reasons for wanting to go abroad because when you return from studying abroad, you'll assess whether you achieved your goals or hopes for studying abroad.\r\n\r\nWhatever your reasons for studying abroad, make sure that they are not only attainable, but also positive. For example, learning a second language, studying about another culture, diversifying your studies, preparing for graduate school, or traveling to meet new people are all good reasons to study abroad.","description":"After you've gotten through the first year at your home university, you probably feel like you finally know all the buildings on campus, can find your way around town, know which professors to avoid, which dining hall is busiest at lunch, and of course, have made plenty of friends.\r\n\r\nSo why leave this cozy little environment you've created for yourself just to go back to being the new kid on the block? Because your experience abroad is definitely worth the few trials and tribulations of starting over!\r\n\r\nThink of study abroad as just an extension of your studies at your home university. Your time away should be an integrated part of your four-year undergraduate academic plan. When you go abroad, you will likely take courses that, in some way, build on or add to the courses you are taking at your home university.\r\n\r\nStudy abroad is also a great time to begin independent research projects. Increasing numbers of students conduct research abroad and then work with faculty members when they return to convert their projects into senior theses.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Ready, set, grow!</h2>\r\nStudying abroad definitely challenges you on a personal level. Whether you consciously realize it or not, you develop a greater self-confidence, independence, and self-reliance. By the time you return home, you may feel like a super hero: You can do anything!\r\n\r\nStudying abroad may be the first time you are truly away from home — all your familiar surroundings here in the U.S., as well as friends and family. While this isn't always easy, most students agree that the benefits of giving up your familiar environment for a short period of time far outweigh the reasons to stay at home.\r\n\r\nBelieve it or not, if you immerse yourself in a new culture, experiment with new ways of thinking, or try a different way of living, you naturally experience some sort of personal growth. After you master your new culture and the abroad academic life, you will return home much wiser and probably slightly impressed with yourself for having had a successful time abroad.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Changing your perspective</h2>\r\nIf you go abroad with an open mind, then you're certain to return to the U.S. a more enlightened person. One of the major benefits of studying abroad is its ability to broaden your world understanding and perspective on just about anything. You gain a different view of international affairs, from politics to economics to social issues. You also return with a deeper understanding and respect for your host country, knowing how another culture approaches daily life and unusual challenges.\r\n\r\nYou may also return with a new appreciation for the U.S. Living in another culture can help you understand your own on a deeper level. You may return grateful for the way of life in the U.S., its political system, or its foreign or domestic policies. Through your interactions with your abroad professors, your new peer group, and other foreign or U.S. students on your program, you can find out what others think about the U.S. (and this is usually both positive and negative).\r\n\r\nWhile abroad, a new academic interest or perspective on your major may emerge. Studying at an abroad university allows you to study subjects that aren't available at your home university.\r\n\r\nYou also study familiar subjects but from a different cultural perspective. For example, if you study international relations in France, it will be from a European perspective. Alternatively, studying the U.S. and American history from a different country's point of view can be fun. And, of course, all your classroom learning is enhanced by living in your abroad location and interacting with host families, housemates, roommates, or friends who are native to your abroad country.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Jump-starting your career</h2>\r\nStudying abroad typically gives your resume a nice boost and improves your post-graduate employment prospects, particularly if you're considering a career in business, international affairs, or government service. Nowadays, employers actively seek college graduates who have spent time studying abroad because they want employees with an international knowledge base as well as foreign language skills.\r\n\r\nThe same international skills that make you more marketable for employment are also valued by graduate schools. These skills include cross-cultural communication skills, analytical skills, teamwork, flexibility, an understanding of cultural contexts, the ability to adapt to new circumstances and deal with differences, a developed view of the world outside the U.S., independence, and self-confidence.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Experiencing a different education system</h2>\r\nInstitutions of higher education outside the U.S. function differently than what you're accustomed to. Even if your program is directed by a U.S.-based school, your experience can still differ because U.S.-based programs often employ local professors.\r\n\r\nIn the U.S., most students pay to go to college. It's kind of a pay-for-service model in which students pay for the education and in return expect their professors to conduct lectures, foster class discussion, hold office hours, and so on. This isn't usually the case in other parts of the world. If students don't pay for school or if the government (maybe through taxes) subsidizes tuition, then students don't feel as entitled. The tables are turned. Students have the privilege of going to school and therefore, it is up to them to take responsibility for their own learning.\r\n\r\nAbroad universities are much less focused on grades. They care more about learning to increase understanding and knowledge. Therefore, you can expect much more of a lecture format to your classes and not much (if any) class discussion or participation.\r\n\r\nYou can also expect to have less one-on-one interaction with your professors. (Professors at your abroad university may not even be required to hold weekly office hours.) However, the flexibility of curriculums abroad often gives students at abroad universities more freedom to explore their own interests within a course than would be allowed or even feasible in the U.S.\r\n<p class=\"Remember\">The difference in set ups between your home university and your host university doesn't mean you should assume that academics are easier abroad.</p>\r\nAll of these differences don't mean that the education you receive while you're abroad is better or worse than the education you get at your home university — it's just bound to be different. If you don't like your abroad classroom or learning style, chalk it up to a learning experience. Accept the challenge to learn in a different way, in a different cultural setting.\r\n\r\nBefore you take the plunge, think about your own personal reasons for wanting to go abroad because when you return from studying abroad, you'll assess whether you achieved your goals or hopes for studying abroad.\r\n\r\nWhatever your reasons for studying abroad, make sure that they are not only attainable, but also positive. For example, learning a second language, studying about another culture, diversifying your studies, preparing for graduate school, or traveling to meet new people are all good reasons to study abroad.","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Ready, set, grow!","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Changing your perspective","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Jump-starting your career","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Experiencing a different education system","target":"#tab4"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294958,"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294958"}},{"articleId":294670,"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294670"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b1144318\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b1144cdd\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-12-23T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":200630},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T22:03:26+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-12-23T22:37:50+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:18:57+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"Germany's Wines and Wine Regions","strippedTitle":"germany's wines and wine regions","slug":"germanys-wines-and-wine-regions","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Germany has 13 wine regions — 11 regions in the west and 2 regions in the eastern part of the country. German wines are mostly white. They’re fruity in style, l","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Germany has 13 wine regions — 11 regions in the west and 2 regions in the eastern part of the country. German wines are mostly white. They’re fruity in style, low in alcohol, rarely oaked, and often off-dry or sweet. Their labels carry grape names, which is an anomaly in Europe.\r\n\r\nGermany is the northernmost major wine-producing country in Europe — its climate is cool. Except in warmer pockets of Germany, red grapes don’t ripen adequately, which is the reason most German wines are white. The climate is also erratic from year to year, meaning that vintages do matter for fine German wines.\r\n\r\nGermany’s finest vineyards are situated along rivers such as the Rhine and the Mosel, and on steep, sunny slopes, to temper the extremes of the weather and help the grapes ripen.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Riesling and other grape varieties</h2>\r\nIn Germany’s cool climate, the noble Riesling grape finds true happiness. Riesling represents little more than 20 percent of Germany’s vineyard plantings.\r\n\r\nAnother major, but less distinguished, German variety is Müller-Thurgau, a crossing between the Riesling and Silvaner (or possibly Chasselas) grapes. Its wines are softer than Riesling’s with less character and little potential for greatness.\r\n\r\nAfter Müller-Thurgau and Riesling, the most-planted grapes in Germany are Silvaner, Kerner, Scheurebe<i>,</i> and Ruländer (Pinot Gris). Among Germany’s red grapes, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is the most widely planted, mainly in the warmer parts of the country.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Germany’s wine regions</h2>\r\nThe most famous of Germany's 13 wine regions is the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, named for the Mosel River and two of its tributaries, along which the region’s vineyards lie; and the Rheingau region, along the Rhine River. The Rhine River lends its name to three other German wine regions, Rheinhessen, the Pfalz (formerly called the Rheinpfalz), and the tiny Mittelrhein region.\r\n<div class=\"imageBlock\" style=\"width: 299px;\">[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"299\"]<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/138369.image0.jpg\" alt=\"The wine regions of Germany. [Credit: © Akira Chiwaki]\" width=\"299\" height=\"400\" /> The wine regions of Germany <br />© Akira Chiwaki[/caption]</div>\r\nFollowing are descriptions of notable wine regions in Germany:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Mosel-Saar-Ruwer:</b> The Mosel-Saar-Ruwer vineyard rise steeply on the slopes of the twisting and turning Mosel River. The wines of the region are among the lightest in Germany (usually containing less than 10 percent alcohol); they’re generally delicate, fresh, and charming. Riesling dominates the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer with 57 percent of the plantings.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Rheingau:</b> The Rheingau is among Germany’s smaller wine regions. It, too, has some dramatically steep vineyards bordering a river, but here the river is Germany’s greatest wine river, the Rhine. The Riesling grape occupies more than 80 percent of the Rheingau’s vineyards, many of which are south-facing slopes that give the Riesling grapes an extra edge of ripeness.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Rheinhessen:</b> Rheinhessen is Germany’s largest wine region, producing huge quantities of simple wines for everyday enjoyment. Liebfraumilch originated here, and it’s still one of the most important wines of the region, commercially speaking. The Rheinhessen’s highest quality wines come from the Rheinterrasse, a vineyard area along the river.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Pfalz:</b> Almost as big as the Rheinhessen, the Pfalz has earned somewhat more respect from wine lovers for its fairly rich and full-bodied white wines and its very good reds — all of which owe their style to the region’s relatively warm climate. Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Silvaner, and Kerner are among the most planted grape varieties of the Pfalz, but qualitatively Scheurebe and Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) are important.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Nahe:</b> One other German region of importance for the quality of its wines is Nahe<i>,</i> named for the Nahe River and situated west of Rheinhessen. The Riesling wines produced here are relatively full and intense.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"Germany has 13 wine regions — 11 regions in the west and 2 regions in the eastern part of the country. German wines are mostly white. They’re fruity in style, low in alcohol, rarely oaked, and often off-dry or sweet. Their labels carry grape names, which is an anomaly in Europe.\r\n\r\nGermany is the northernmost major wine-producing country in Europe — its climate is cool. Except in warmer pockets of Germany, red grapes don’t ripen adequately, which is the reason most German wines are white. The climate is also erratic from year to year, meaning that vintages do matter for fine German wines.\r\n\r\nGermany’s finest vineyards are situated along rivers such as the Rhine and the Mosel, and on steep, sunny slopes, to temper the extremes of the weather and help the grapes ripen.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Riesling and other grape varieties</h2>\r\nIn Germany’s cool climate, the noble Riesling grape finds true happiness. Riesling represents little more than 20 percent of Germany’s vineyard plantings.\r\n\r\nAnother major, but less distinguished, German variety is Müller-Thurgau, a crossing between the Riesling and Silvaner (or possibly Chasselas) grapes. Its wines are softer than Riesling’s with less character and little potential for greatness.\r\n\r\nAfter Müller-Thurgau and Riesling, the most-planted grapes in Germany are Silvaner, Kerner, Scheurebe<i>,</i> and Ruländer (Pinot Gris). Among Germany’s red grapes, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is the most widely planted, mainly in the warmer parts of the country.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Germany’s wine regions</h2>\r\nThe most famous of Germany's 13 wine regions is the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, named for the Mosel River and two of its tributaries, along which the region’s vineyards lie; and the Rheingau region, along the Rhine River. The Rhine River lends its name to three other German wine regions, Rheinhessen, the Pfalz (formerly called the Rheinpfalz), and the tiny Mittelrhein region.\r\n<div class=\"imageBlock\" style=\"width: 299px;\">[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"299\"]<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/138369.image0.jpg\" alt=\"The wine regions of Germany. [Credit: © Akira Chiwaki]\" width=\"299\" height=\"400\" /> The wine regions of Germany <br />© Akira Chiwaki[/caption]</div>\r\nFollowing are descriptions of notable wine regions in Germany:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Mosel-Saar-Ruwer:</b> The Mosel-Saar-Ruwer vineyard rise steeply on the slopes of the twisting and turning Mosel River. The wines of the region are among the lightest in Germany (usually containing less than 10 percent alcohol); they’re generally delicate, fresh, and charming. Riesling dominates the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer with 57 percent of the plantings.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Rheingau:</b> The Rheingau is among Germany’s smaller wine regions. It, too, has some dramatically steep vineyards bordering a river, but here the river is Germany’s greatest wine river, the Rhine. The Riesling grape occupies more than 80 percent of the Rheingau’s vineyards, many of which are south-facing slopes that give the Riesling grapes an extra edge of ripeness.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Rheinhessen:</b> Rheinhessen is Germany’s largest wine region, producing huge quantities of simple wines for everyday enjoyment. Liebfraumilch originated here, and it’s still one of the most important wines of the region, commercially speaking. The Rheinhessen’s highest quality wines come from the Rheinterrasse, a vineyard area along the river.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Pfalz:</b> Almost as big as the Rheinhessen, the Pfalz has earned somewhat more respect from wine lovers for its fairly rich and full-bodied white wines and its very good reds — all of which owe their style to the region’s relatively warm climate. Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Silvaner, and Kerner are among the most planted grape varieties of the Pfalz, but qualitatively Scheurebe and Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) are important.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Nahe:</b> One other German region of importance for the quality of its wines is Nahe<i>,</i> named for the Nahe River and situated west of Rheinhessen. The Riesling wines produced here are relatively full and intense.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Riesling and other grape varieties","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Germany’s wine regions","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294958,"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294958"}},{"articleId":294670,"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294670"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b113cd49\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b113d7c8\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-12-23T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":195848},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2017-05-18T10:52:33+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-12-23T22:35:52+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:18:57+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"How to Get a Passport","strippedTitle":"how to get a passport","slug":"how-to-get-a-passport","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"If you want to travel internationally, you will need a passport. Passports are approved by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. In order to","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"If you want to travel internationally, you will need a passport. Passports are approved by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. In order to apply for a passport, you need to fill out the application, collect the appropriate documents for submission, prepare the fees, and submit your material to an acceptance facility.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/passport.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-239833 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/passport.jpg\" alt=\"passport\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n\r\nTo submit a non-expedited, first-time passport application, you will need:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Form DS-11: </strong>This and other forms necessary for passport applications or renewals are available at the <a href=\"https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/forms.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs Forms page</a>.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Identification documents:</strong> Your identification can be authenticated with a\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>U.S. passport (may be expired)</li>\r\n \t<li>Driver's license</li>\r\n \t<li>Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship</li>\r\n \t<li>Government employee ID</li>\r\n \t<li>U.S. military ID</li>\r\n \t<li>Valid foreign passport</li>\r\n \t<li>Matricula Consular (Mexican Consular Identification)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Proof of citizenship:</strong> This could include\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>A U.S. passport (may be expired)</li>\r\n \t<li>A U.S. birth certificate</li>\r\n \t<li>A Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth</li>\r\n \t<li>A Certificate of Naturalization</li>\r\n \t<li>A Certificate of Citizenship</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>A current photo:</strong> Some passport acceptance facilities will provide this photo for a charge. The photo must be 2 x 2. You should be facing the camera, wearing normal clothing, with no adornments on your head or face (including hats, glasses, or headphones). Check the <a href=\"https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/photos.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bureau of Consular Affairs website for more specific requirements regarding passport photos</a>.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>The required fees:</strong> Make sure you have separate payments prepared for the application fee and execution fee. This table outlines the fees associated with the regular six to eight-week processing period.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_239832\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"535\"]<a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/fee-table-passport.png\"><img class=\"wp-image-239832 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/fee-table-passport.png\" alt=\"fee-table-passport\" width=\"535\" height=\"191\" /></a> Source: <a href=\"https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/information/fees.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs</a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce you have collected all of the necessary documents and have the fees prepared, you will submit all material to a passport acceptance facility or at a passport agency (if you meet the requirements for expediting).\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >How long does it take to get a passport?</h2>\r\nThe normal processing period for a passport is six to eight weeks. However, if you are experiencing special circumstances, you can sometimes expedite the service so that you receive your passport more quickly. Certain situations may qualify for expedited service.\r\n\r\nWithout explanation, you can apply for expedited service with an additional fee of $60. In this case, you should receive your passport within two to three weeks. If you are experiencing special circumstances, you may be able to get a rush order. These situations include\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>A travel date within two weeks:</strong> In this case, you must make an appointment with a passport agency or center.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>A life or death emergency in your immediate family:</strong> If this situation should arise, you will need to make an emergency appointment with a passport agency or center. Find more information on the <a href=\"https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/life-or-death-emergencies.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs website</a>.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Where to get a passport</h2>\r\nThe Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Passport Services/Customer Service elects certain entities to accept passport applications as a representative. Typical places that accept passport applications include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Libraries</li>\r\n \t<li>Post offices</li>\r\n \t<li>Local government offices</li>\r\n \t<li>Clerks of court</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nVisit the U.S. Department of State’s website to find a representative in your area. Simply enter your zip code and adjust the distance requirements to find the passport acceptance agency nearest to you.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">If you need a passport within two weeks or less, you must visit an actual passport agency or center, rather than an elected passport acceptance facility.</p>","description":"If you want to travel internationally, you will need a passport. Passports are approved by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. In order to apply for a passport, you need to fill out the application, collect the appropriate documents for submission, prepare the fees, and submit your material to an acceptance facility.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/passport.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-239833 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/passport.jpg\" alt=\"passport\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n\r\nTo submit a non-expedited, first-time passport application, you will need:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Form DS-11: </strong>This and other forms necessary for passport applications or renewals are available at the <a href=\"https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/forms.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs Forms page</a>.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Identification documents:</strong> Your identification can be authenticated with a\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>U.S. passport (may be expired)</li>\r\n \t<li>Driver's license</li>\r\n \t<li>Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship</li>\r\n \t<li>Government employee ID</li>\r\n \t<li>U.S. military ID</li>\r\n \t<li>Valid foreign passport</li>\r\n \t<li>Matricula Consular (Mexican Consular Identification)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Proof of citizenship:</strong> This could include\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>A U.S. passport (may be expired)</li>\r\n \t<li>A U.S. birth certificate</li>\r\n \t<li>A Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth</li>\r\n \t<li>A Certificate of Naturalization</li>\r\n \t<li>A Certificate of Citizenship</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>A current photo:</strong> Some passport acceptance facilities will provide this photo for a charge. The photo must be 2 x 2. You should be facing the camera, wearing normal clothing, with no adornments on your head or face (including hats, glasses, or headphones). Check the <a href=\"https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/photos.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bureau of Consular Affairs website for more specific requirements regarding passport photos</a>.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>The required fees:</strong> Make sure you have separate payments prepared for the application fee and execution fee. This table outlines the fees associated with the regular six to eight-week processing period.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_239832\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"535\"]<a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/fee-table-passport.png\"><img class=\"wp-image-239832 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/fee-table-passport.png\" alt=\"fee-table-passport\" width=\"535\" height=\"191\" /></a> Source: <a href=\"https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/information/fees.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs</a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce you have collected all of the necessary documents and have the fees prepared, you will submit all material to a passport acceptance facility or at a passport agency (if you meet the requirements for expediting).\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >How long does it take to get a passport?</h2>\r\nThe normal processing period for a passport is six to eight weeks. However, if you are experiencing special circumstances, you can sometimes expedite the service so that you receive your passport more quickly. Certain situations may qualify for expedited service.\r\n\r\nWithout explanation, you can apply for expedited service with an additional fee of $60. In this case, you should receive your passport within two to three weeks. If you are experiencing special circumstances, you may be able to get a rush order. These situations include\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>A travel date within two weeks:</strong> In this case, you must make an appointment with a passport agency or center.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>A life or death emergency in your immediate family:</strong> If this situation should arise, you will need to make an emergency appointment with a passport agency or center. Find more information on the <a href=\"https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/life-or-death-emergencies.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs website</a>.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Where to get a passport</h2>\r\nThe Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Passport Services/Customer Service elects certain entities to accept passport applications as a representative. Typical places that accept passport applications include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Libraries</li>\r\n \t<li>Post offices</li>\r\n \t<li>Local government offices</li>\r\n \t<li>Clerks of court</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nVisit the U.S. Department of State’s website to find a representative in your area. Simply enter your zip code and adjust the distance requirements to find the passport acceptance agency nearest to you.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">If you need a passport within two weeks or less, you must visit an actual passport agency or center, rather than an elected passport acceptance facility.</p>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8941,"name":"Ashley Watters, Abshier House","slug":"ashley-watters-abshier-house","description":"","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8941"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"How long does it take to get a passport?","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Where to get a passport","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294958,"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294958"}},{"articleId":294670,"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294670"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b1135070\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b1135aef\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Solve","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-12-23T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":239831},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2020-06-08T01:27:19+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-12-23T22:30:05+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:18:57+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","strippedTitle":"10 ways to increase your airbnb revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Explore ten strategies that have helped Airbnb hosts to earn more while hosting. Why not get the most from your Airbnb hosting efforts?","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"If you’re already putting in the time and energy to hosting on <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/start-a-business/airbnb-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Airbnb</a>, why not get the most from your hosting efforts? This list has ten strategies that have helped hosts to earn more while hosting.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Put your best listing forward</h2>\r\nMost new hosts who complain about not earning as much as they want have low hanging fruits with their property listing, which can include having photos taken from their phones from the wrong angles with poor lighting at the wrong time of day. Or they have poorly written descriptions and boring titles. Unless you have the best listing profile you can have for your property, you won’t come close to earning your full potential as a host.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Ask guests to leave reviews</h2>\r\nAlthough Airbnb will send an email to guests, reminding them to leave a review after their check-outs, hosts who reach out to guests with a friendly reminder will get more guest reviews. Having more reviews, especially from happy guests raving about their wonderful stays, will lead to more bookings and profits by making your Airbnb listing more appealing to future guests. However, asking for more reviews when you’re not meeting guest expectations consistently is just asking for trouble.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Tailor amenities to your audience</h2>\r\nUnderstanding who your guests are can help you better cater to their specific needs. For instance, business travelers have very different needs than families with young children. Pay attention to the type of guests who stay at your listing and look for ways to add relevant amenities. For example, having family-friendly games can help attract family travelers while having a dedicated work station can appeal to the business travelers. The more you can make your listing an easy decision for your target traveler audience, the more bookings you’ll get.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Offer add-on goods and services</h2>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271284\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271284\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-breakfast-tray.jpg\" alt=\"breakfast tray\" width=\"556\" height=\"381\" /> ©Nitr/Shutterstock.com[/caption]\r\n\r\nAfter your guests book with you, you’ll have a captured audience during the length of their stay. Why do hotels offer minibars? Some guests want to drink. You can do the same by offering a menu of extras like alcohol or breakfast to earn extra income. Hosts can also provide services like pickup and drop-off, guided tours, home-cooked meals, or equipment rental to increase earning potential.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Use appropriate pricing</h2>\r\nCharge too much and you risk having more unoccupied nights. Charge too little and you miss out on profits you could have earned from guests who already chose your listing. Figuring out the right price to charge for your listing for any given night requires that you account for many factors that affect pricing, including your competitors’ pricing and availability, seasonality, and special events. Successful hosts understand they can’t do that manually and instead use a third-party pricing tool to set the ideal pricing for your listing automatically.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Host more listings</h2>\r\nYou can earn only so much from a single listing. After you’ve reached maximum occupancy charging the highest rates your market can support, there is little you can do to increase your earnings from that listing. But add another listing or two, and you can quickly grow your earnings on Airbnb. One of the best ways to do that is to offer your hosting services to a property owner who doesn’t want to host themselves. Doing so creates a win-win — hands-off profits for the owners and more earnings for you as a host without having the risk of buying or leasing another property.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab7\" >List an Airbnb experience</h2>\r\nRenting a property is not the only way to earn money on Airbnb. A recent but fast-growing opportunity on the platform is for hosts to list an activity rather than a property. Hosting an Experience over a property has many benefits and can help you grow your earnings substantially on the platform.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab8\" >Think long term</h2>\r\nWould you take $10 more now to lose $100 later? Probably not. Yet many new hosts make a similar trade-off by taking small short-term gains for bigger long-term losses. Yes, providing an extra supply of incidentals will mean higher costs per stay as guests use more of those items, but this small investment now prevents negative guest reviews that later lead to long-term losses from lost bookings. Similarly, hosts in hot or cold areas where energy costs can be very high for extended air conditioning or heater usage, can earn more in the long term by investing in solar panels that cut energy costs to zero while potentially adding value to their property.\r\n\r\nAlthough Airbnb is by far the most prominent example of the growth of sharing economy, it isn’t the only model. If you find that your listing isn’t getting enough bookings on Airbnb, you can look at alternatives like VRBO, HomeAway, FlipKey, and Bookings.com to just name a few.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Putting your listing on multiple platforms requires the use of vacation rental management tools to help you manage the multiple listings and calendars to avoid double bookings and scheduling confusion. These tools can be costly so the option isn’t ideal for properties in low demand markets.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab9\" >Rent something else</h2>\r\nIf you search online, you’ll quickly find Airbnb-like platforms targeting some other underutilized asset. Have a rarely used car you can rent? There’s an Airbnb for cars. A boat, backyard, garage, tools, gear, office, you name it. There’s an Airbnb for whatever <em>that </em>is. Some platforms could complement your hosting operation while others are an entirely separate operation.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab10\" >Avoid catastrophic losses</h2>\r\nGetting a huge fine from the city or having to make a costly replacement due to damage can wipe out an entire year’s worth of earnings. To avoid potential big losses, be sure to check and comply with local laws, keep all receipts and documentation if you need to make an insurance claim, and make timely repairs of all safety-related issues to limit liability risk. If you have assets greater than one million dollars, you should purchase additional insurance coverage on top of Airbnb’s insurance policy.","description":"If you’re already putting in the time and energy to hosting on <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/start-a-business/airbnb-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Airbnb</a>, why not get the most from your hosting efforts? This list has ten strategies that have helped hosts to earn more while hosting.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Put your best listing forward</h2>\r\nMost new hosts who complain about not earning as much as they want have low hanging fruits with their property listing, which can include having photos taken from their phones from the wrong angles with poor lighting at the wrong time of day. Or they have poorly written descriptions and boring titles. Unless you have the best listing profile you can have for your property, you won’t come close to earning your full potential as a host.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Ask guests to leave reviews</h2>\r\nAlthough Airbnb will send an email to guests, reminding them to leave a review after their check-outs, hosts who reach out to guests with a friendly reminder will get more guest reviews. Having more reviews, especially from happy guests raving about their wonderful stays, will lead to more bookings and profits by making your Airbnb listing more appealing to future guests. However, asking for more reviews when you’re not meeting guest expectations consistently is just asking for trouble.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Tailor amenities to your audience</h2>\r\nUnderstanding who your guests are can help you better cater to their specific needs. For instance, business travelers have very different needs than families with young children. Pay attention to the type of guests who stay at your listing and look for ways to add relevant amenities. For example, having family-friendly games can help attract family travelers while having a dedicated work station can appeal to the business travelers. The more you can make your listing an easy decision for your target traveler audience, the more bookings you’ll get.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Offer add-on goods and services</h2>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271284\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271284\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-breakfast-tray.jpg\" alt=\"breakfast tray\" width=\"556\" height=\"381\" /> ©Nitr/Shutterstock.com[/caption]\r\n\r\nAfter your guests book with you, you’ll have a captured audience during the length of their stay. Why do hotels offer minibars? Some guests want to drink. You can do the same by offering a menu of extras like alcohol or breakfast to earn extra income. Hosts can also provide services like pickup and drop-off, guided tours, home-cooked meals, or equipment rental to increase earning potential.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Use appropriate pricing</h2>\r\nCharge too much and you risk having more unoccupied nights. Charge too little and you miss out on profits you could have earned from guests who already chose your listing. Figuring out the right price to charge for your listing for any given night requires that you account for many factors that affect pricing, including your competitors’ pricing and availability, seasonality, and special events. Successful hosts understand they can’t do that manually and instead use a third-party pricing tool to set the ideal pricing for your listing automatically.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Host more listings</h2>\r\nYou can earn only so much from a single listing. After you’ve reached maximum occupancy charging the highest rates your market can support, there is little you can do to increase your earnings from that listing. But add another listing or two, and you can quickly grow your earnings on Airbnb. One of the best ways to do that is to offer your hosting services to a property owner who doesn’t want to host themselves. Doing so creates a win-win — hands-off profits for the owners and more earnings for you as a host without having the risk of buying or leasing another property.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab7\" >List an Airbnb experience</h2>\r\nRenting a property is not the only way to earn money on Airbnb. A recent but fast-growing opportunity on the platform is for hosts to list an activity rather than a property. Hosting an Experience over a property has many benefits and can help you grow your earnings substantially on the platform.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab8\" >Think long term</h2>\r\nWould you take $10 more now to lose $100 later? Probably not. Yet many new hosts make a similar trade-off by taking small short-term gains for bigger long-term losses. Yes, providing an extra supply of incidentals will mean higher costs per stay as guests use more of those items, but this small investment now prevents negative guest reviews that later lead to long-term losses from lost bookings. Similarly, hosts in hot or cold areas where energy costs can be very high for extended air conditioning or heater usage, can earn more in the long term by investing in solar panels that cut energy costs to zero while potentially adding value to their property.\r\n\r\nAlthough Airbnb is by far the most prominent example of the growth of sharing economy, it isn’t the only model. If you find that your listing isn’t getting enough bookings on Airbnb, you can look at alternatives like VRBO, HomeAway, FlipKey, and Bookings.com to just name a few.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Putting your listing on multiple platforms requires the use of vacation rental management tools to help you manage the multiple listings and calendars to avoid double bookings and scheduling confusion. These tools can be costly so the option isn’t ideal for properties in low demand markets.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab9\" >Rent something else</h2>\r\nIf you search online, you’ll quickly find Airbnb-like platforms targeting some other underutilized asset. Have a rarely used car you can rent? There’s an Airbnb for cars. A boat, backyard, garage, tools, gear, office, you name it. There’s an Airbnb for whatever <em>that </em>is. Some platforms could complement your hosting operation while others are an entirely separate operation.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab10\" >Avoid catastrophic losses</h2>\r\nGetting a huge fine from the city or having to make a costly replacement due to damage can wipe out an entire year’s worth of earnings. To avoid potential big losses, be sure to check and comply with local laws, keep all receipts and documentation if you need to make an insurance claim, and make timely repairs of all safety-related issues to limit liability risk. If you have assets greater than one million dollars, you should purchase additional insurance coverage on top of Airbnb’s insurance policy.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33356,"name":"James Svetec","slug":"james-svetec","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33356"}},{"authorId":33357,"name":"Symon He","slug":"symon-he","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33357"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Put your best listing forward","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Ask guests to leave reviews","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Tailor amenities to your audience","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Offer add-on goods and services","target":"#tab4"},{"label":"Use appropriate pricing","target":"#tab5"},{"label":"Host more listings","target":"#tab6"},{"label":"List an Airbnb experience","target":"#tab7"},{"label":"Think long term","target":"#tab8"},{"label":"Rent something else","target":"#tab9"},{"label":"Avoid catastrophic losses","target":"#tab10"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}},{"articleId":271347,"title":"What to Do After Airbnb Guests Leave","slug":"what-to-do-after-airbnb-guests-leave","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271347"}},{"articleId":271342,"title":"Communicating Check-In Information with Airbnb Guests","slug":"communicating-check-in-information-with-airbnb-guests","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271342"}},{"articleId":271339,"title":"The Fundamentals of Airbnb Guest Satisfaction","slug":"the-fundamentals-of-airbnb-guest-satisfaction","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271339"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294958,"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294958"}},{"articleId":294670,"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294670"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271350,"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271350"}},{"articleId":271347,"title":"What to Do After Airbnb Guests Leave","slug":"what-to-do-after-airbnb-guests-leave","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271347"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281936,"slug":"airbnb-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119626077","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119626072-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-for-dummies-cover-9781119626077-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Airbnb For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"33357\">Symon He</b>, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b><b data-author-id=\"33356\">James Svetec</b></b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":33357,"name":"Symon He","slug":"symon-he","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33357"}},{"authorId":33356,"name":"James Svetec","slug":"james-svetec","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33356"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119626077&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b112ce9e\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;home-auto-hobbies&quot;,&quot;travel&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119626077&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b112d783\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Six months","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-12-23T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":271353},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2020-06-08T01:22:31+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-12-23T22:23:03+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:18:57+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"},"slug":"travel","categoryId":34037}],"title":"10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host","strippedTitle":"10 tips for being a better airbnb host","slug":"10-tips-to-be-a-better-airbnb-host","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to be a better Airbnb host by exploring these ten helpful tips—from researching your market to disclosing negatives up front.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Even though both launching and maintaining a successful <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/start-a-business/airbnb-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Airbnb</a> listing takes planning and effort, as a host, doing some simple things can help you earn more, stress less, or both. Here are ten helpful tips for happy <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/start-a-business/common-questions-that-potential-airbnb-hosts-may-have/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hosting</a>.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271291\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271291\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-extra-supplies.jpg\" alt=\"Airbnb extra supplies\" width=\"556\" height=\"399\" /> ©Kostikova/Shutterstock.com[/caption]\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Research your market before hosting</h2>\r\nSmart hosts research their market before hosting to know exactly what to expect in their market. Some would-be hosts choose not to become Airbnb hosts after finding out that a traditional rental of their unit would perform better.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Become a guest first</h2>\r\nThe best hosts know what it’s like to be guests first. So, before you jump into hosting with both feet, book your stays on Airbnb for your next trips. Experience the entire process from start to finish as a guest — from searching on the platform and booking to checking in and checking out. Note all the moments you felt confused, irritated, relaxed, or elated. These moments can point to both things to replicate or avoid in your practice as a host. Even better, enjoy a few “staycations” by booking reservations at existing local listings in your city.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Invite but never impose</h2>\r\nGuests traveling from different places come stay at your listing for different reasons. Some come to relax. Some want to meet and hang out with strangers. Some want quiet time. Never assume you know the preference of any guests unless they tell you explicitly.\r\n\r\nFor example, if you’re hosting a dinner party with friends and family and want to extend an invitation to your guests, make sure they know it’s an open invitation with zero expectations. Come if they want. If not, no biggie. The more you host, the more you’ll develop intuition for how and whether to extend invitations with each specific guest.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Offer more than promised</h2>\r\nPromise the stars and deliver the moon? Disappointment. Successful hosts who wow their guests consistently know to properly manage expectations with their listing profile and their communications with potential guests.\r\nThis means having great but honest photos and descriptions and then offering little but unexpected extras for the guests. Offering killer home-baked cookies? A bottle of wine from a local vineyard? Fresh roasted coffee beans from a local roastery? Let your guests discover them as surprises when they arrive.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Touch base with your guests regularly</h2>\r\nFor every guest who reached out to you directly with a question or complaint, there probably were a few more with the same question or complaint who didn’t reach out to you. Some people are shy. Some don’t want to feel bothersome.\r\n\r\nSend a short and inviting message to your guests like, “Good morning! Just wanted to see if you had any questions or requests. Call/text me anytime. Here for you,” the day after check-in and at least once every three days. Doing so lets the guests know it’s more than okay to reach out to you if they need something.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Use tiny helpful labels</h2>\r\nChecking into a stranger’s home after a long day of travel, many guests will want to settle in and relax before the next day’s adventures. But that can be tough if they don’t even know which switch works for which light or if they have to open all the cabinets just to find the extra trash bags.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">One simple way to show your guests you’re thinking of them is to place small but conspicuous labels next to switches, cabinets, drawers, or doors in the house. Keep these small and visible only up close so they don’t show up on normal photos. Use a color scheme and a font that fits your overall decor, and they will look as intentional as they are useful.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab7\" >Always have extra supply</h2>\r\nNot having an extra supply of essentials like toilet paper, paper towels, soap, and all linens will ruin an otherwise great Airbnb experience for your guests. No one will enjoy having to make a trip out to the local store to get toilet paper because the host provided only a starter roll.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Being penny-wise and pound foolish may save you a few bucks in the short run, but unhappy guests will leave you scathing reviews that cost you bookings in the long run. Keep the extra supply out of sight to encourage more frugal use of supplies and provide it to guests happily when asked.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab8\" >Use action shots in your photos</h2>\r\nShowing guests what they could be doing in your listing is much better than telling. Yes, well-composed photos help, but putting people in some of the photos enjoying the space or showing the action will make for a more compelling pitch and result in more bookings.\r\n\r\nHave a hot tub in the backyard overlooking a picturesque sunset? Put a couple of friends in there and silhouette them against that sunset. Have a firepit in the back ideal for making marshmallow s’more sandwiches? Show the marshmallows roasting on the open fire. Have a billiards table for guests to enjoy?\r\n\r\nDon’t show an empty table but take a photo with the blurry moving cue ball just about to collide with another ball.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab9\" >Disclose and highlight potential negatives up front</h2>\r\nGetting long-term success for your listing is as much about avoiding the wrong kind of guests as it is attracting as many guests as possible. Have an extra friendly cat that likes to greet guests? Talk about Waffles and his nosy manners in the descriptions and add a photo. Yes, doing so will turn off many guests who don’t want to share their stay with a cat, however friendly. But it also will make your listing more appealing to guests who love cats.\r\n\r\nHonest disclosure enables you to both attract the right guests who would appreciate the listing as it is and discourage those who wouldn’t enjoy it from booking in the first place.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab10\" >Measure return on time</h2>\r\nCould earning more from your listing ever hurt? Yes, if it means having to put in a disproportionate amount of extra work. Would you rather earn $1,000 a month from two guest stays or $1,200 from 15 guest stays? Many will choose the more relaxed two guest stay with far less turnover work.\r\n\r\nAs you host, instead of only seeking ways to squeeze every dollar out of your listing, look instead on how you can free up your time by using automation tools to simplify pricing and communications or using smart locks to eliminate time-consuming in-person check-ins. Sometimes, profit per hour of input is more important than total profits.","description":"Even though both launching and maintaining a successful <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/start-a-business/airbnb-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Airbnb</a> listing takes planning and effort, as a host, doing some simple things can help you earn more, stress less, or both. Here are ten helpful tips for happy <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/start-a-business/common-questions-that-potential-airbnb-hosts-may-have/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hosting</a>.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271291\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271291\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-extra-supplies.jpg\" alt=\"Airbnb extra supplies\" width=\"556\" height=\"399\" /> ©Kostikova/Shutterstock.com[/caption]\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Research your market before hosting</h2>\r\nSmart hosts research their market before hosting to know exactly what to expect in their market. Some would-be hosts choose not to become Airbnb hosts after finding out that a traditional rental of their unit would perform better.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Become a guest first</h2>\r\nThe best hosts know what it’s like to be guests first. So, before you jump into hosting with both feet, book your stays on Airbnb for your next trips. Experience the entire process from start to finish as a guest — from searching on the platform and booking to checking in and checking out. Note all the moments you felt confused, irritated, relaxed, or elated. These moments can point to both things to replicate or avoid in your practice as a host. Even better, enjoy a few “staycations” by booking reservations at existing local listings in your city.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Invite but never impose</h2>\r\nGuests traveling from different places come stay at your listing for different reasons. Some come to relax. Some want to meet and hang out with strangers. Some want quiet time. Never assume you know the preference of any guests unless they tell you explicitly.\r\n\r\nFor example, if you’re hosting a dinner party with friends and family and want to extend an invitation to your guests, make sure they know it’s an open invitation with zero expectations. Come if they want. If not, no biggie. The more you host, the more you’ll develop intuition for how and whether to extend invitations with each specific guest.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Offer more than promised</h2>\r\nPromise the stars and deliver the moon? Disappointment. Successful hosts who wow their guests consistently know to properly manage expectations with their listing profile and their communications with potential guests.\r\nThis means having great but honest photos and descriptions and then offering little but unexpected extras for the guests. Offering killer home-baked cookies? A bottle of wine from a local vineyard? Fresh roasted coffee beans from a local roastery? Let your guests discover them as surprises when they arrive.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Touch base with your guests regularly</h2>\r\nFor every guest who reached out to you directly with a question or complaint, there probably were a few more with the same question or complaint who didn’t reach out to you. Some people are shy. Some don’t want to feel bothersome.\r\n\r\nSend a short and inviting message to your guests like, “Good morning! Just wanted to see if you had any questions or requests. Call/text me anytime. Here for you,” the day after check-in and at least once every three days. Doing so lets the guests know it’s more than okay to reach out to you if they need something.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Use tiny helpful labels</h2>\r\nChecking into a stranger’s home after a long day of travel, many guests will want to settle in and relax before the next day’s adventures. But that can be tough if they don’t even know which switch works for which light or if they have to open all the cabinets just to find the extra trash bags.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">One simple way to show your guests you’re thinking of them is to place small but conspicuous labels next to switches, cabinets, drawers, or doors in the house. Keep these small and visible only up close so they don’t show up on normal photos. Use a color scheme and a font that fits your overall decor, and they will look as intentional as they are useful.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab7\" >Always have extra supply</h2>\r\nNot having an extra supply of essentials like toilet paper, paper towels, soap, and all linens will ruin an otherwise great Airbnb experience for your guests. No one will enjoy having to make a trip out to the local store to get toilet paper because the host provided only a starter roll.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Being penny-wise and pound foolish may save you a few bucks in the short run, but unhappy guests will leave you scathing reviews that cost you bookings in the long run. Keep the extra supply out of sight to encourage more frugal use of supplies and provide it to guests happily when asked.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab8\" >Use action shots in your photos</h2>\r\nShowing guests what they could be doing in your listing is much better than telling. Yes, well-composed photos help, but putting people in some of the photos enjoying the space or showing the action will make for a more compelling pitch and result in more bookings.\r\n\r\nHave a hot tub in the backyard overlooking a picturesque sunset? Put a couple of friends in there and silhouette them against that sunset. Have a firepit in the back ideal for making marshmallow s’more sandwiches? Show the marshmallows roasting on the open fire. Have a billiards table for guests to enjoy?\r\n\r\nDon’t show an empty table but take a photo with the blurry moving cue ball just about to collide with another ball.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab9\" >Disclose and highlight potential negatives up front</h2>\r\nGetting long-term success for your listing is as much about avoiding the wrong kind of guests as it is attracting as many guests as possible. Have an extra friendly cat that likes to greet guests? Talk about Waffles and his nosy manners in the descriptions and add a photo. Yes, doing so will turn off many guests who don’t want to share their stay with a cat, however friendly. But it also will make your listing more appealing to guests who love cats.\r\n\r\nHonest disclosure enables you to both attract the right guests who would appreciate the listing as it is and discourage those who wouldn’t enjoy it from booking in the first place.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab10\" >Measure return on time</h2>\r\nCould earning more from your listing ever hurt? Yes, if it means having to put in a disproportionate amount of extra work. Would you rather earn $1,000 a month from two guest stays or $1,200 from 15 guest stays? Many will choose the more relaxed two guest stay with far less turnover work.\r\n\r\nAs you host, instead of only seeking ways to squeeze every dollar out of your listing, look instead on how you can free up your time by using automation tools to simplify pricing and communications or using smart locks to eliminate time-consuming in-person check-ins. Sometimes, profit per hour of input is more important than total profits.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33356,"name":"James Svetec","slug":"james-svetec","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33356"}},{"authorId":33357,"name":"Symon He","slug":"symon-he","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33357"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34037,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34037"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Research your market before hosting","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Become a guest first","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Invite but never impose","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Offer more than promised","target":"#tab4"},{"label":"Touch base with your guests regularly","target":"#tab5"},{"label":"Use tiny helpful labels","target":"#tab6"},{"label":"Always have extra supply","target":"#tab7"},{"label":"Use action shots in your photos","target":"#tab8"},{"label":"Disclose and highlight potential negatives up front","target":"#tab9"},{"label":"Measure return on time","target":"#tab10"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271347,"title":"What to Do After Airbnb Guests Leave","slug":"what-to-do-after-airbnb-guests-leave","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271347"}},{"articleId":271342,"title":"Communicating Check-In Information with Airbnb Guests","slug":"communicating-check-in-information-with-airbnb-guests","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271342"}},{"articleId":271339,"title":"The Fundamentals of Airbnb Guest Satisfaction","slug":"the-fundamentals-of-airbnb-guest-satisfaction","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271339"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":294958,"title":"Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"van-life-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294958"}},{"articleId":294670,"title":"Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"digital-nomads-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/294670"}},{"articleId":271356,"title":"10 Best Purchases for Airbnb Hosts","slug":"10-best-purchases-for-airbnb-hosts","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271356"}},{"articleId":271353,"title":"10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-airbnb-revenue","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271353"}},{"articleId":271347,"title":"What to Do After Airbnb Guests Leave","slug":"what-to-do-after-airbnb-guests-leave","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271347"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281936,"slug":"airbnb-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119626077","categoryList":["home-auto-hobbies","travel"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119626072-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119626072/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-for-dummies-cover-9781119626077-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Airbnb For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"33357\">Symon He</b>, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b><b data-author-id=\"33356\">James Svetec</b></b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":33357,"name":"Symon He","slug":"symon-he","description":" <p><b>Symon He, MBA,</b> and <b>James Svetec</b> are the experts behind LearnBNB.com. Symon is also a real estate investing instructor with Linkedin Learning, and Udemy, and James is the founder of BNB Mastery Program, the No. 1 expert in rapidly scaling an Airbnb business. 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Whether you're into the great outdoors or the big city, traveling the world is one of life's greatest pleasures. Learn all about how and where to go with articles written by our Dummies experts.

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Travel Van Life For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 10-21-2022

For many, the notion of traveling and exploring is a craving that can’t be ignored. And for vanlifers, there is no better way to see the world than to travel self-contained in a camper van that affords them the freedom to pick up and go whenever the mood strikes. Here are pointers on how to make sure your van life road trip is a success, how to level your van once you are parked for the night, and how to keep your van neat and tidy while you're on the road.

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Travel Digital Nomads For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 10-20-2022

There’s never been a better time to go remote! Living a life you’ve always dreamt of is well within reach when you become a digital nomad. If you’ve been thinking about trading your traditional job for a life of freedom and location independence, check out this cheat sheet with tips to help you get started.

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Travel Baseline Pricing for Your Airbnb

Article / Updated 10-19-2022

Determining a baseline pricing is finding the optimal amount you charge for your Airbnb listing under typical market conditions with average demand. Any adjustments you make to your pricing start from this baseline level. To establish the baseline pricing, you analyze comparable listings on Airbnb to create a pricing strategy that works for you. The following sections help you start pricing your listing so it’s competitive wherever you live. Study your competition: Gather comparable market data The best way to establish your baseline pricing is by looking at what your competition is charging in your market. You can think of your market as the tightest geographic radius that allows you to gather data for at least a dozen comparable and competitive listings. For example, in an ultrahigh-density urban market, this could be just a one block or even a minute walking radius. In the sparse country side, it could mean more than 10 miles or a 30-minute drive radius. In a typical suburban neighborhood, a safe starting point is three blocks or a 15-minute walking radius. You’ll need to adjust as needed for your specific area. Your competition includes the most similar Airbnb listings in your market — those similar in size (beds, bedrooms, bathrooms), amenities, and overall positioning in terms of pricing and target audience. For example, if your Airbnb listing is a one-bedroom unit targeting the budget-friendly traveler who doesn’t mind being a bit farther out from the main attractions, then your competition is similar, economy-focused one-bedroom Airbnb listings. However, if your Airbnb listing is a two-bedroom luxury condominium in a downtown luxury high-rise residence, your competition includes other two-bedroom luxury Airbnb listings. When studying the competition, gather at least a six (preferable a dozen or more) similar Airbnb listings and record the following information: Weekday rates: For each comparable Airbnb listing and hotel listing, collect the average weekday rates (Sundays to Thursdays) for four weeks, eight weeks, and 12 weeks into the future. Take the average of those five days for each of the three weeks for each comparable listing. Weekend rates: For each comparable Airbnb listing and hotel listing, collect the average weekend rates (Fridays and Saturdays only) for four weeks, eight weeks, and 12 weeks into the future. Take the average of those two days for each of the three weeks for each comparable listing. If you’re unable to find enough (at least six) comparable Airbnb listings in your market for your baseline pricing analysis, you can substitute with comparable hotel listings. For most Airbnb hosts, comparing to economy and midrange hotel offerings make the most sense. Identify the nearest two- and three-star hotels to your property and compare your studio or one-bedroom listing to their lowest priced offering. For larger properties of two- or three-bedrooms, compare to the lowest priced hotel suites. However, you may need to adjust your findings down by 15 to 30 percent because average hotel listings are often priced higher than their Airbnb counterparts in the same market. When you’re done collecting this information, you’ll have six data points for each of the listings you’ve identified for your comparison — three weekday averages and three weekend averages — resulting from 21 daily prices for each of the comps. Taking the average again of the average weekday and weekend rates for these similar listings gives you a good baseline pricing for your Airbnb listing in your market. The following figure shows an example with 12 comparable Airbnb listings and their corresponding data points for their weekday and weekend pricing. Tracking additional information for the comparable listings can help you understand the pricing dynamic in your market even better. Tracking additional information such as the listing URLs, property type, number of bedrooms, number of bedrooms, and number of bathrooms can assist you to fine-tune your baseline pricing analysis. Choose a baseline pricing strategy After you gather your data and have a baseline weekday and weekend pricing rate that you feel comfortable with, you need to figure out how to use that information. Here are three primary pricing strategies you can consider adopting to price your listing: Match market offering and charge less. If you intend to match the amenities and overall offering of your competition, you can gain an edge by charging slightly less than your competition. By offering the same amenities at a discount, you’ll be able to secure more bookings. Beat market offering and charge the same. If you intend to clearly beat the offering of your competition, you can gain an edge by charging the same overall pricing as your competition. By offering better amenities at the same price, you’ll also be able to secure more bookings. Make unique offering and charge premium. If your Airbnb listing offers something unique that guests value and the competition in your market can’t match, then you may be able to charge a premium. By offering something unique and valuable, you’ll be able to charge more than your competition. Depending on which strategy you find most fitting for your Airbnb listing, your baseline pricing will be lower than, about the same, or greater than the baseline pricing you found from the comparable listings. However, settling on your baseline pricing doesn’t mean you just set your pricing to these levels for the entire availability of your listing. At various times you want to purposely price lower or higher than your baseline pricing. We explore each of moments in the following discussions. Ramping Up to Baseline Pricing The first such scenario where you price differently from your baseline pricing is during your ramping-up period, typically the first two to four months after an Airbnb listing first goes live on the platform. During these first months on the platform, your objective is to build momentum for your listing as quickly as possible, not to maximize the profits of any individual bookings. To do so, get as many bookings and as many 5-star guest reviews as fast as possible. When a listing is fresh on the platform, it has no bookings and no reviews. All things equal, potential guests almost always book with listings that have more reviews than similar listings with no reviews. During your ramping-up period, follow this pricing schedule to build momentum for your listing: Start at 20 percent lower than your baseline pricing. Doing so underprices your listing relative to your competition right out of the gate. Wait for one week and check to see if your listing is mostly booked two weeks out. If mostly booked for the next two weeks, then stay the course until your listing is mostly booked four weeks out — aim for 80 percent plus occupancy. If not booked out, drop pricing by another 10 percent every week until you’re booked four weeks out. If more than four weeks are booked within the first week, then raise prices by 10 percent every week until you’re fully booked for the next four weeks or until reaching baseline pricing. After you reach the baseline pricing, sign up for third-party dynamic pricing software to monitor and adjust pricing going forward automatically. Be sure to note in your listing profile title and description that your listing is “NEW.” Doing so can help potential guests get comfortable with your lack of reviews and help them understand why your listing is priced so favorably versus competition — that it’s due to your newness and not some defect. Adjusting for seasonality When setting your pricing, sometimes you need to adjust for seasonality. Seasonality means the overall Airbnb demand — the occupancy and average nightly rates for Airbnb listings in the market — may be much higher or lower than their typical rates when travel is correspondingly much higher or lower than average. For example, Airbnb cabins by a popular ski resort may be booked almost every evening, even at much higher than average nightly rates during the high demand skiing season. However, these same cabins may have a hard time booking nights even at significantly discounted rates during low season when the snow has melted and far fewer guests want to spend their hot summer on these dry barren ski slopes. For some Airbnb markets with well-defined seasonal attractions, you can easily know whether there is seasonality in the market. But for many markets without obvious seasonal factors for travel demand, you can verify seasonality by obtaining the relevant market data for the prior 12 months (a full calendar year). The seasonality of your Airbnb market falls into one of these four categories: Flat seasonality: If the demand is the same all year around, then there is flat seasonality. In these rare markets, you can expect the occupancy and average nightly rates to stay about the same throughout the year. Often, flat seasonality is associated with low overall Airbnb travel demand for the market. High season only: If the demand spikes high for a part of the year but stays flat the rest of the year, then the seasonality is said to have a high season. In these markets, you can expect the occupancy and average nightly rates to spike higher only during the high season but stay relatively flat the rest of the time. Low season only: If the demand drops lower for a part of the year but stays flat the rest of the year, then the seasonality is said to have a low season. In these markets, you can expect the occupancy and average nightly rates to fall noticeably lower only during the low season but stay relatively flat the rest of the time. High low seasons: If the demand drops lower for a part of the year and spikes higher for a different part of the year compared to a middle level the rest of the year, then the seasonality has both a high and low season. In these markets, you can expect occupancy and average night rates both to drop during low season and spike during high season. The following figure shows what each of these four seasonality scenarios may look like if you plotted the average occupancy rates in these markets by month where 100 represents the annualized average occupancy rate. When you obtain the market data for a full calendar year for your market, you can notice that the average occupancy or nightly rates in your market will look like one of these scenarios. Fig. A shows a flat seasonality market, Fig. B a high season only seasonality market, Fig. C a low season only seasonality market, and Fig. D a high and low seasonality market. For all examples, the average occupancy rate during normal season is at 70 percent.

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Travel Airbnb For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

Becoming an Airbnb host can sometimes feel overwhelming with too much to do and too little time to do everything. But you don’t need to do everything all at once or at all to succeed. Often, in the mist of the mad dash to launch their listings and take on guests, new Airbnb hosts forget to take care of the basics. Focus on getting the basics right and you’ll be well on your way to Airbnb hosting success.

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Travel Common Driving Concerns in Spanish-Speaking Countries

Article / Updated 12-23-2021

Driving in a foreign country can be disconcerting. Addressing common driving concerns (like driver’s licenses and road signs) when planning your trip to a Spanish-speaking country is invaluable. That way, you won’t be caught off guard by the differences in driving customs between where you’re from and where you’re going. Make sure you have a valid driver’s license Some countries, including Mexico, accept a valid driver’s license from your home country. Other countries may require you to have an International Driver’s License. You can get one from the American and Canadian automobile drivers’ associations, whether or not you are a member. The association itself can tell you which countries require an International Driver’s License. Know the Spanish signs of the road Most road signs in Latin America are based on symbols rather than words. This system makes them very easy to understand, no matter what language you speak. In fact, most driving signs have become quite universal; they’re much the same everywhere: A do not enter sign is a circle in a red field, crossed by a diagonal line. A stop sign is always an octagonal red field with white borders. Inside is a word such as pare (pah-reh) or alto (ahl-toh), instead of the English word stop. On the highway, left turns and right turns are indicated with signs that have a diamond shape with an arrow bent in the direction of the turn. A turn sign with a diagonal across it means no turn. Ask at the car rental office whether you should expect any road signs that you don’t understand. Whether at the airport or on the street, these two questions can come in handy when you need to find transportation: ¿Dónde arriendan autos? (dohn-deh ah-rreeehn-dahn ahoo-tohs) (Where do they rent cars?) ¿Hay oficina de renta de autos? (ahy oh-fee-see-nah deh rehn-tah deh ahoo-tohs) (Is there a car rental office?)

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Travel Considering the Reasons to Study Abroad

Article / Updated 12-23-2021

After you've gotten through the first year at your home university, you probably feel like you finally know all the buildings on campus, can find your way around town, know which professors to avoid, which dining hall is busiest at lunch, and of course, have made plenty of friends. So why leave this cozy little environment you've created for yourself just to go back to being the new kid on the block? Because your experience abroad is definitely worth the few trials and tribulations of starting over! Think of study abroad as just an extension of your studies at your home university. Your time away should be an integrated part of your four-year undergraduate academic plan. When you go abroad, you will likely take courses that, in some way, build on or add to the courses you are taking at your home university. Study abroad is also a great time to begin independent research projects. Increasing numbers of students conduct research abroad and then work with faculty members when they return to convert their projects into senior theses. Ready, set, grow! Studying abroad definitely challenges you on a personal level. Whether you consciously realize it or not, you develop a greater self-confidence, independence, and self-reliance. By the time you return home, you may feel like a super hero: You can do anything! Studying abroad may be the first time you are truly away from home — all your familiar surroundings here in the U.S., as well as friends and family. While this isn't always easy, most students agree that the benefits of giving up your familiar environment for a short period of time far outweigh the reasons to stay at home. Believe it or not, if you immerse yourself in a new culture, experiment with new ways of thinking, or try a different way of living, you naturally experience some sort of personal growth. After you master your new culture and the abroad academic life, you will return home much wiser and probably slightly impressed with yourself for having had a successful time abroad. Changing your perspective If you go abroad with an open mind, then you're certain to return to the U.S. a more enlightened person. One of the major benefits of studying abroad is its ability to broaden your world understanding and perspective on just about anything. You gain a different view of international affairs, from politics to economics to social issues. You also return with a deeper understanding and respect for your host country, knowing how another culture approaches daily life and unusual challenges. You may also return with a new appreciation for the U.S. Living in another culture can help you understand your own on a deeper level. You may return grateful for the way of life in the U.S., its political system, or its foreign or domestic policies. Through your interactions with your abroad professors, your new peer group, and other foreign or U.S. students on your program, you can find out what others think about the U.S. (and this is usually both positive and negative). While abroad, a new academic interest or perspective on your major may emerge. Studying at an abroad university allows you to study subjects that aren't available at your home university. You also study familiar subjects but from a different cultural perspective. For example, if you study international relations in France, it will be from a European perspective. Alternatively, studying the U.S. and American history from a different country's point of view can be fun. And, of course, all your classroom learning is enhanced by living in your abroad location and interacting with host families, housemates, roommates, or friends who are native to your abroad country. Jump-starting your career Studying abroad typically gives your resume a nice boost and improves your post-graduate employment prospects, particularly if you're considering a career in business, international affairs, or government service. Nowadays, employers actively seek college graduates who have spent time studying abroad because they want employees with an international knowledge base as well as foreign language skills. The same international skills that make you more marketable for employment are also valued by graduate schools. These skills include cross-cultural communication skills, analytical skills, teamwork, flexibility, an understanding of cultural contexts, the ability to adapt to new circumstances and deal with differences, a developed view of the world outside the U.S., independence, and self-confidence. Experiencing a different education system Institutions of higher education outside the U.S. function differently than what you're accustomed to. Even if your program is directed by a U.S.-based school, your experience can still differ because U.S.-based programs often employ local professors. In the U.S., most students pay to go to college. It's kind of a pay-for-service model in which students pay for the education and in return expect their professors to conduct lectures, foster class discussion, hold office hours, and so on. This isn't usually the case in other parts of the world. If students don't pay for school or if the government (maybe through taxes) subsidizes tuition, then students don't feel as entitled. The tables are turned. Students have the privilege of going to school and therefore, it is up to them to take responsibility for their own learning. Abroad universities are much less focused on grades. They care more about learning to increase understanding and knowledge. Therefore, you can expect much more of a lecture format to your classes and not much (if any) class discussion or participation. You can also expect to have less one-on-one interaction with your professors. (Professors at your abroad university may not even be required to hold weekly office hours.) However, the flexibility of curriculums abroad often gives students at abroad universities more freedom to explore their own interests within a course than would be allowed or even feasible in the U.S. The difference in set ups between your home university and your host university doesn't mean you should assume that academics are easier abroad. All of these differences don't mean that the education you receive while you're abroad is better or worse than the education you get at your home university — it's just bound to be different. If you don't like your abroad classroom or learning style, chalk it up to a learning experience. Accept the challenge to learn in a different way, in a different cultural setting. Before you take the plunge, think about your own personal reasons for wanting to go abroad because when you return from studying abroad, you'll assess whether you achieved your goals or hopes for studying abroad. Whatever your reasons for studying abroad, make sure that they are not only attainable, but also positive. For example, learning a second language, studying about another culture, diversifying your studies, preparing for graduate school, or traveling to meet new people are all good reasons to study abroad.

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Travel Germany's Wines and Wine Regions

Article / Updated 12-23-2021

Germany has 13 wine regions — 11 regions in the west and 2 regions in the eastern part of the country. German wines are mostly white. They’re fruity in style, low in alcohol, rarely oaked, and often off-dry or sweet. Their labels carry grape names, which is an anomaly in Europe. Germany is the northernmost major wine-producing country in Europe — its climate is cool. Except in warmer pockets of Germany, red grapes don’t ripen adequately, which is the reason most German wines are white. The climate is also erratic from year to year, meaning that vintages do matter for fine German wines. Germany’s finest vineyards are situated along rivers such as the Rhine and the Mosel, and on steep, sunny slopes, to temper the extremes of the weather and help the grapes ripen. Riesling and other grape varieties In Germany’s cool climate, the noble Riesling grape finds true happiness. Riesling represents little more than 20 percent of Germany’s vineyard plantings. Another major, but less distinguished, German variety is Müller-Thurgau, a crossing between the Riesling and Silvaner (or possibly Chasselas) grapes. Its wines are softer than Riesling’s with less character and little potential for greatness. After Müller-Thurgau and Riesling, the most-planted grapes in Germany are Silvaner, Kerner, Scheurebe, and Ruländer (Pinot Gris). Among Germany’s red grapes, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is the most widely planted, mainly in the warmer parts of the country. Germany’s wine regions The most famous of Germany's 13 wine regions is the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, named for the Mosel River and two of its tributaries, along which the region’s vineyards lie; and the Rheingau region, along the Rhine River. The Rhine River lends its name to three other German wine regions, Rheinhessen, the Pfalz (formerly called the Rheinpfalz), and the tiny Mittelrhein region. Following are descriptions of notable wine regions in Germany: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer: The Mosel-Saar-Ruwer vineyard rise steeply on the slopes of the twisting and turning Mosel River. The wines of the region are among the lightest in Germany (usually containing less than 10 percent alcohol); they’re generally delicate, fresh, and charming. Riesling dominates the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer with 57 percent of the plantings. Rheingau: The Rheingau is among Germany’s smaller wine regions. It, too, has some dramatically steep vineyards bordering a river, but here the river is Germany’s greatest wine river, the Rhine. The Riesling grape occupies more than 80 percent of the Rheingau’s vineyards, many of which are south-facing slopes that give the Riesling grapes an extra edge of ripeness. Rheinhessen: Rheinhessen is Germany’s largest wine region, producing huge quantities of simple wines for everyday enjoyment. Liebfraumilch originated here, and it’s still one of the most important wines of the region, commercially speaking. The Rheinhessen’s highest quality wines come from the Rheinterrasse, a vineyard area along the river. Pfalz: Almost as big as the Rheinhessen, the Pfalz has earned somewhat more respect from wine lovers for its fairly rich and full-bodied white wines and its very good reds — all of which owe their style to the region’s relatively warm climate. Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Silvaner, and Kerner are among the most planted grape varieties of the Pfalz, but qualitatively Scheurebe and Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) are important. Nahe: One other German region of importance for the quality of its wines is Nahe, named for the Nahe River and situated west of Rheinhessen. The Riesling wines produced here are relatively full and intense.

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Travel How to Get a Passport

Article / Updated 12-23-2021

If you want to travel internationally, you will need a passport. Passports are approved by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. In order to apply for a passport, you need to fill out the application, collect the appropriate documents for submission, prepare the fees, and submit your material to an acceptance facility. To submit a non-expedited, first-time passport application, you will need: Form DS-11: This and other forms necessary for passport applications or renewals are available at the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs Forms page. Identification documents: Your identification can be authenticated with a U.S. passport (may be expired) Driver's license Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship Government employee ID U.S. military ID Valid foreign passport Matricula Consular (Mexican Consular Identification) Proof of citizenship: This could include A U.S. passport (may be expired) A U.S. birth certificate A Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth A Certificate of Naturalization A Certificate of Citizenship A current photo: Some passport acceptance facilities will provide this photo for a charge. The photo must be 2 x 2. You should be facing the camera, wearing normal clothing, with no adornments on your head or face (including hats, glasses, or headphones). Check the Bureau of Consular Affairs website for more specific requirements regarding passport photos. The required fees: Make sure you have separate payments prepared for the application fee and execution fee. This table outlines the fees associated with the regular six to eight-week processing period. Once you have collected all of the necessary documents and have the fees prepared, you will submit all material to a passport acceptance facility or at a passport agency (if you meet the requirements for expediting). How long does it take to get a passport? The normal processing period for a passport is six to eight weeks. However, if you are experiencing special circumstances, you can sometimes expedite the service so that you receive your passport more quickly. Certain situations may qualify for expedited service. Without explanation, you can apply for expedited service with an additional fee of $60. In this case, you should receive your passport within two to three weeks. If you are experiencing special circumstances, you may be able to get a rush order. These situations include A travel date within two weeks: In this case, you must make an appointment with a passport agency or center. A life or death emergency in your immediate family: If this situation should arise, you will need to make an emergency appointment with a passport agency or center. Find more information on the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs website. Where to get a passport The Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Passport Services/Customer Service elects certain entities to accept passport applications as a representative. Typical places that accept passport applications include: Libraries Post offices Local government offices Clerks of court Visit the U.S. Department of State’s website to find a representative in your area. Simply enter your zip code and adjust the distance requirements to find the passport acceptance agency nearest to you. If you need a passport within two weeks or less, you must visit an actual passport agency or center, rather than an elected passport acceptance facility.

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Travel 10 Ways to Increase Your Airbnb Revenue

Article / Updated 12-23-2021

If you’re already putting in the time and energy to hosting on Airbnb, why not get the most from your hosting efforts? This list has ten strategies that have helped hosts to earn more while hosting. Put your best listing forward Most new hosts who complain about not earning as much as they want have low hanging fruits with their property listing, which can include having photos taken from their phones from the wrong angles with poor lighting at the wrong time of day. Or they have poorly written descriptions and boring titles. Unless you have the best listing profile you can have for your property, you won’t come close to earning your full potential as a host. Ask guests to leave reviews Although Airbnb will send an email to guests, reminding them to leave a review after their check-outs, hosts who reach out to guests with a friendly reminder will get more guest reviews. Having more reviews, especially from happy guests raving about their wonderful stays, will lead to more bookings and profits by making your Airbnb listing more appealing to future guests. However, asking for more reviews when you’re not meeting guest expectations consistently is just asking for trouble. Tailor amenities to your audience Understanding who your guests are can help you better cater to their specific needs. For instance, business travelers have very different needs than families with young children. Pay attention to the type of guests who stay at your listing and look for ways to add relevant amenities. For example, having family-friendly games can help attract family travelers while having a dedicated work station can appeal to the business travelers. The more you can make your listing an easy decision for your target traveler audience, the more bookings you’ll get. Offer add-on goods and services After your guests book with you, you’ll have a captured audience during the length of their stay. Why do hotels offer minibars? Some guests want to drink. You can do the same by offering a menu of extras like alcohol or breakfast to earn extra income. Hosts can also provide services like pickup and drop-off, guided tours, home-cooked meals, or equipment rental to increase earning potential. Use appropriate pricing Charge too much and you risk having more unoccupied nights. Charge too little and you miss out on profits you could have earned from guests who already chose your listing. Figuring out the right price to charge for your listing for any given night requires that you account for many factors that affect pricing, including your competitors’ pricing and availability, seasonality, and special events. Successful hosts understand they can’t do that manually and instead use a third-party pricing tool to set the ideal pricing for your listing automatically. Host more listings You can earn only so much from a single listing. After you’ve reached maximum occupancy charging the highest rates your market can support, there is little you can do to increase your earnings from that listing. But add another listing or two, and you can quickly grow your earnings on Airbnb. One of the best ways to do that is to offer your hosting services to a property owner who doesn’t want to host themselves. Doing so creates a win-win — hands-off profits for the owners and more earnings for you as a host without having the risk of buying or leasing another property. List an Airbnb experience Renting a property is not the only way to earn money on Airbnb. A recent but fast-growing opportunity on the platform is for hosts to list an activity rather than a property. Hosting an Experience over a property has many benefits and can help you grow your earnings substantially on the platform. Think long term Would you take $10 more now to lose $100 later? Probably not. Yet many new hosts make a similar trade-off by taking small short-term gains for bigger long-term losses. Yes, providing an extra supply of incidentals will mean higher costs per stay as guests use more of those items, but this small investment now prevents negative guest reviews that later lead to long-term losses from lost bookings. Similarly, hosts in hot or cold areas where energy costs can be very high for extended air conditioning or heater usage, can earn more in the long term by investing in solar panels that cut energy costs to zero while potentially adding value to their property. Although Airbnb is by far the most prominent example of the growth of sharing economy, it isn’t the only model. If you find that your listing isn’t getting enough bookings on Airbnb, you can look at alternatives like VRBO, HomeAway, FlipKey, and Bookings.com to just name a few. Putting your listing on multiple platforms requires the use of vacation rental management tools to help you manage the multiple listings and calendars to avoid double bookings and scheduling confusion. These tools can be costly so the option isn’t ideal for properties in low demand markets. Rent something else If you search online, you’ll quickly find Airbnb-like platforms targeting some other underutilized asset. Have a rarely used car you can rent? There’s an Airbnb for cars. A boat, backyard, garage, tools, gear, office, you name it. There’s an Airbnb for whatever that is. Some platforms could complement your hosting operation while others are an entirely separate operation. Avoid catastrophic losses Getting a huge fine from the city or having to make a costly replacement due to damage can wipe out an entire year’s worth of earnings. To avoid potential big losses, be sure to check and comply with local laws, keep all receipts and documentation if you need to make an insurance claim, and make timely repairs of all safety-related issues to limit liability risk. If you have assets greater than one million dollars, you should purchase additional insurance coverage on top of Airbnb’s insurance policy.

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Travel 10 Tips for Being a Better Airbnb Host

Article / Updated 12-23-2021

Even though both launching and maintaining a successful Airbnb listing takes planning and effort, as a host, doing some simple things can help you earn more, stress less, or both. Here are ten helpful tips for happy hosting. Research your market before hosting Smart hosts research their market before hosting to know exactly what to expect in their market. Some would-be hosts choose not to become Airbnb hosts after finding out that a traditional rental of their unit would perform better. Become a guest first The best hosts know what it’s like to be guests first. So, before you jump into hosting with both feet, book your stays on Airbnb for your next trips. Experience the entire process from start to finish as a guest — from searching on the platform and booking to checking in and checking out. Note all the moments you felt confused, irritated, relaxed, or elated. These moments can point to both things to replicate or avoid in your practice as a host. Even better, enjoy a few “staycations” by booking reservations at existing local listings in your city. Invite but never impose Guests traveling from different places come stay at your listing for different reasons. Some come to relax. Some want to meet and hang out with strangers. Some want quiet time. Never assume you know the preference of any guests unless they tell you explicitly. For example, if you’re hosting a dinner party with friends and family and want to extend an invitation to your guests, make sure they know it’s an open invitation with zero expectations. Come if they want. If not, no biggie. The more you host, the more you’ll develop intuition for how and whether to extend invitations with each specific guest. Offer more than promised Promise the stars and deliver the moon? Disappointment. Successful hosts who wow their guests consistently know to properly manage expectations with their listing profile and their communications with potential guests. This means having great but honest photos and descriptions and then offering little but unexpected extras for the guests. Offering killer home-baked cookies? A bottle of wine from a local vineyard? Fresh roasted coffee beans from a local roastery? Let your guests discover them as surprises when they arrive. Touch base with your guests regularly For every guest who reached out to you directly with a question or complaint, there probably were a few more with the same question or complaint who didn’t reach out to you. Some people are shy. Some don’t want to feel bothersome. Send a short and inviting message to your guests like, “Good morning! Just wanted to see if you had any questions or requests. Call/text me anytime. Here for you,” the day after check-in and at least once every three days. Doing so lets the guests know it’s more than okay to reach out to you if they need something. Use tiny helpful labels Checking into a stranger’s home after a long day of travel, many guests will want to settle in and relax before the next day’s adventures. But that can be tough if they don’t even know which switch works for which light or if they have to open all the cabinets just to find the extra trash bags. One simple way to show your guests you’re thinking of them is to place small but conspicuous labels next to switches, cabinets, drawers, or doors in the house. Keep these small and visible only up close so they don’t show up on normal photos. Use a color scheme and a font that fits your overall decor, and they will look as intentional as they are useful. Always have extra supply Not having an extra supply of essentials like toilet paper, paper towels, soap, and all linens will ruin an otherwise great Airbnb experience for your guests. No one will enjoy having to make a trip out to the local store to get toilet paper because the host provided only a starter roll. Being penny-wise and pound foolish may save you a few bucks in the short run, but unhappy guests will leave you scathing reviews that cost you bookings in the long run. Keep the extra supply out of sight to encourage more frugal use of supplies and provide it to guests happily when asked. Use action shots in your photos Showing guests what they could be doing in your listing is much better than telling. Yes, well-composed photos help, but putting people in some of the photos enjoying the space or showing the action will make for a more compelling pitch and result in more bookings. Have a hot tub in the backyard overlooking a picturesque sunset? Put a couple of friends in there and silhouette them against that sunset. Have a firepit in the back ideal for making marshmallow s’more sandwiches? Show the marshmallows roasting on the open fire. Have a billiards table for guests to enjoy? Don’t show an empty table but take a photo with the blurry moving cue ball just about to collide with another ball. Disclose and highlight potential negatives up front Getting long-term success for your listing is as much about avoiding the wrong kind of guests as it is attracting as many guests as possible. Have an extra friendly cat that likes to greet guests? Talk about Waffles and his nosy manners in the descriptions and add a photo. Yes, doing so will turn off many guests who don’t want to share their stay with a cat, however friendly. But it also will make your listing more appealing to guests who love cats. Honest disclosure enables you to both attract the right guests who would appreciate the listing as it is and discourage those who wouldn’t enjoy it from booking in the first place. Measure return on time Could earning more from your listing ever hurt? Yes, if it means having to put in a disproportionate amount of extra work. Would you rather earn $1,000 a month from two guest stays or $1,200 from 15 guest stays? Many will choose the more relaxed two guest stay with far less turnover work. As you host, instead of only seeking ways to squeeze every dollar out of your listing, look instead on how you can free up your time by using automation tools to simplify pricing and communications or using smart locks to eliminate time-consuming in-person check-ins. Sometimes, profit per hour of input is more important than total profits.

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