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Craigslist Provides Different Avenue for Booking Accommodations
I'm a daydreamer, and my favorite daydreams always include traveling. When I lived in a town with a bookstore, I loved to spend a rainy afternoon there with a guidebook. I'd pick a random place, like Fiji or South Korea, and research what transportation I'd take from the airport. Then I'd examine the hostels and pick one within my budget that was centrally located. After spending a couple of hours with the guidebook, I'd go home and look up photos of the destinations on the internet. Finally, I'd research flights, picking when I thought was the best time to go. When I was finished I loved thinking, "Today I went to South Korea." It was always satisfying and stimulating to daydream a possible trip. Now that I don't live in a town with a bookstore, I've satisfied my daydreams by doing all my planning online. In the process, I've discovered that Craigslist.org is an excellent location for finding possible accommodation. Almost every country is represented, but Europe has the most representation outside the U.S. Check out some of my findings today: There's this apartment in Paris. Also this one in Florence. In Tuscany there's this farmhouse. And these examples are just a small sampling of what you can find on Craigslist. I've already got a fake surprise weekend in Provence planned for me and my husband.
So what exactly is Craigslist.org? It's a free (except for job postings in 7 U.S. cities) online text-based classified forum, started by a San Franciscan (named Craig!). Users self-publish and self-regulate, which means that improper posts or known scams can be "flagged" for removal. This community moderation ought to add some security to anyone booking vacation lodging online, but it seems as though there's probably a risk of misrepresentation at the least and outright theft at the worst.
I haven't used Craigslist to book accommodation. But I'm curious, so I'll put it out to you readers: has anyone booked vacation rentals through Craigslist? What was your experience? Post a comment and let us know!
Filed under: Europe, North America, United States, Hotels and Accommodations
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
toml Aug 17th 2007 1:18PM
I listed my vacation rental home on the New Jersey shore and 3/4's of my tenants came from that craigslist listing. People are definitely using craigslist to find their vacation rentals.
ps. here is what our listing looks like: http://southjersey.craigslist.org/vac/394533427.html
Marilyn Terrell Aug 17th 2007 5:08PM
Last summer my family and I rented two vacation houses through Craigslist, one in the Finger Lakes (a disaster!) and one in the Catskills (a delight!), and I wrote about them on National Geographic Traveler's blog.
The Good:
http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com/it/2006/10/chilling_in_the.html
And The Bad: http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com/it/2006/07/sojourn_in_squa_1.html
Kelley Aug 23rd 2007 8:34AM
I use Craigslist to advertise my vacation rental.
I've gotten some responses to it, so I think it’s worth the effort. Craigslist doesn’t provide any availability calendar or reservation features, so you typically want to link it to your own website with availability information.
Craigslist entry (expires in 45 days): http://atlanta.craigslist.org/vac/403908929.html
In addition to the entries on Craigslist I created a website with pictures, directions, attractions and so forth. This is important information and people really seem to appreciate it: http://www.namaste-florida.com/.
I hope to add a blog in future.
Teresa Sep 25th 2007 2:35PM
I recently booked a room/condo in Kauai Hawaii using Craigslist. I was very very happy. however, you need to do your research like anything else to make sure your not getting ripped off. you can't just take people at their word (unfortunate)but true.