Living in Airbnbs for a full year changed how the author budgets for housing and plans travel. In September 2024 she and her partner sold most of their furniture, packed into a single Samsonite suitcase, and set out for 365 days on the road. Over the year they drove more than 16,000 miles and stayed across 30 states and cities, visiting places from Gatlinburg and Destin to New Orleans, Lexington, Austin, Santa Fe, Flagstaff, and Los Angeles.
The Story in Pictures
The experiment became a practical education in picking rentals. The writer relied on Airbnb because it offered the widest range of property types and the easiest way to compare listings, from farmhouses and A-frames to waterfront condos and tree houses. She recommends starting any search by locking in non-negotiable needs, for example a dishwasher and in-unit laundry, then layering on desired amenities like a bathtub, pool, or a scenic view.
Filters are the primary time-saver. Toggling features such as Guest Favorite and accessibility options helped surface well-reviewed and visitable properties, and selecting specific neighborhoods steered stays toward the parts of a city the travelers wanted to experience. Reading guest reviews was another essential step, revealing recurring problems that photos and descriptions can hide, such as malfunctioning hot tubs or unexpected noise.
For cost control, the most reliable lever was length of stay. Airbnb applies a monthly-stay discount to reservations of 28 nights or more; across the trip the couple saved a minimum of 15% in every city, with savings closer to 25% in New Orleans and Austin. Booking windows matter too: turning on flexible dates expands available neighborhoods and price points, and clicking Reserve Now shows the full total including taxes and fees. The writer also recommends messaging hosts directly to ask about price flexibility before committing.
Beyond cost and features, the trip shaped how the author encountered places. A visit to Flagstaff during International Dark Sky Week stood out, where she experienced unusually clear stargazing and learned about the city’s dark-sky protections. The year on the road inspired her to repeat the experiment next month, this time hunting for more imaginative stays, perhaps a glass dome in the mountains.
