Woman Shares 'Genius' Airbnb Hack That Can Save You Hundreds On Holiday Bookings

With the winter now fast approaching, a lot of people are either looking to get away for some late autumn sunshine (check out our top tips for cheap autumn getaways) or a little treat in the new year. 

And of course, here at TOTUM we’re always looking to bring you savings on your travels - check out all our great travel discounts here - but we’re also here to bring you other money-saving tips that we come across on our travels, which is why this Airbnb hack caught our eye… 

You’re probably aware that while the initial fee may seem reasonable on the booking website, once you add on cleaning fees, booking fees and various other charges, the price can start to spiral. 

However, one woman has shared a hack that has the potential to save you hundreds of pounds on your accommodation bookings.

Travel influencer Kristen Glazer (@expeditionkristen) shared a video of her tips - advising people try it out on the Chrome browser rather than Safari.

Kristen shows an Airbnb in Minnesota, US, which is priced at $666 (£543.88) a night, however that number quickly rises as hundreds in Airbnb service fees, cleaning fees and taxes, are added totalling at $2,549.40 (£2,081.94) for three nights an extra £150. 

“Let’s see if we can do better,” says Kristen. “We go back, right click, search image with Google.”

Running a reverse image search, Kristen finds other sites listing the same property from the photo, and when she visits the original booking site for the property, the same dates and length of stay comes in at a price of $1,886.44 (£1,540.54) - over £500 cheaper than on Airbnb. 

Other Instagram users were quick to hail the ‘great tip’, thanking Kristen  ‘for not gatekeeping this’.

One person said: “This hack changed my life,” with others adding: “You are amazing. It works.”

Plenty call the hack ‘genius’ with person adding: “I wish we knew about this hack months ago. We learned about the fees on the sites while on vacay & the ways to avoid them, after we were already paying them.”

Another person simply put: “This is gold,” while one property owner said: “As a vacation rental owner, I love when my guests figure out how to book directly with me, and feel like this strategy is a win-win for the owners and the guests!”

If you’re the kind of person for whom travel, meeting new people and having exciting new experiences is your dream, The Explorers section of the brand new TOTUM Talks hub is the place for you! 

Check out our Travel section for tips, discounts and all the inspo you need for your next adventure!