How We Stay Safe in Airbnbs and Hotels (12 Tips From 37,000+ Miles on the Road)

When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. See our Affiliate Policy. After working long hours, careful budgeting and detailed trip planning, your vacation is finally here! Time to relax, explore and, for us, get hiking. Safety might not be the most exciting thing to think about (especially if the place you’re staying at is just to crash at after an adventure), but it will let you actually relax and enjoy the trip once you’re there. We’ve learned things the practical way. We’ve spent over 36,500 miles on the road and have stayed at over 40 different Airbnbs. We’ve seen how small oversights made our stays more stressful and also learned what made things easier. Especially since we travel with our two dogs a lot. While this article focuses on Airbnb safety tips, nearly all of these tips apply to Vrbo, short term rentals, and hotels, too. Whether you’re staying for one night or over a week, being proactive both before and after arriving can make things easier. These are the 12 safety tips we use to stay both physically and digitally safe while road tripping across the country. Before Your Arrival 1. Read the Listing Carefully and the Reviews Even More Carefully By cottonbro studio | Pexels The photos can be beautiful. The descriptions can list everything you’re looking for. But the reviews are where reality shows up. Before booking an Airbnb, we thoroughly read the full listing (rules, amenities, cancellation policy, additional pet fees), but we spend most of our time reading the reviews. We scan over the five stars, but we specifically read the negative guest experience ones. A single bad experience isn’t necessarily a big deal, but if an issue shows up in a couple different reviews, then it’s probably a real problem. Airbnb does a good job breaking down reviews into categories like cleanliness, accuracy, communication, and check-in. We pay the most attention to Accuracy, since that tells us if the place actually matches the listing. And, if something feels unclear, we message the host before booking. Their response (or lack of one) can tell you a lot. 2. Check How Responsive the Host Really Is By cottonbro studio | Pexels Airbnb shows how responsive a host typically is. But it’s the reviews where you get the whole picture. A slow response might not matter until it really matters (i.e. you’re locked out late at night or can’t get access to the property). You can filter Airbnb reviews for reviews that mention fast, helpful communication. In our experience, responsive hosts are one of the biggest indicators of a smooth stay. 3. When in Doubt, Filter for Superhosts By Pixabay | Pexels Staying in someone else’s space always comes with a bit of uncertainty. Booking with a Superhost doesn’t eliminate the risk, but it has consistently given us a high quality experience. To earn and keep Superhost status, hosts need strong reviews, high response rates, and very few cancellations. They are reviewed multiple times a year, too, which helps keep standards from slipping. We still read Superhost reviews carefully, but we’ve found they are better cared for and feel safer more often. 4. Research the Neighborhood (Even Without an Exact Address) By Pixabay | Pexels Airbnb won’t show you the exact address before you book, but you can usually tell where the listing generally is. We check nearby grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and public transport options on Google Maps. We also look into local crime reports, any recent news, and anything in reviews mentioning break-ins or noise issues. Some of our road trips have us arriving late at night. Or sometimes we’re arriving back after a late adventure. A place can be great on the inside and still be stressful at night. 5. Look Closely at Safety Features By Jaycee300s | Pexels Listings often say they have locks, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers, but we make sure to verify this by looking at their photos. Entry doors, windows, stairs, sliding glass doors (especially on the ground floor) can reveal potential issues. If anything seems off or questionable, we ask the hosts. We’ve even confirmed with hosts that locks were changed between guests. None of those conversations have been awkward, but it has kept us feeling safer. 6. Bring a Portable Door Lock By Pixabay | Pexels Many Airbnbs started as spare rooms, and some still are. When we’re staying in shared spaces (or anywhere that just feels a little too accessible) we bring a portable door lock. They’re small, easy to pack, and give you control over your own space. Doorstops, latches, or travel locks all work. We consider it cheap insurance. 7. Keep Communication and Payments on Airbnb By Pixabay | Pexels With rare exceptions for emergencies, we keep all communication inside the Airbnb platform. And the same goes for payments. If a host asks to move the conversation off platform, we consider that a red flag. We also try to keep details minimal and only what’s necessary for the stay (arrival & departure times, traveling with pets, etc). We like to keep the amount of personal information floating around to a minimum. 8. Share Your Trip Details With Someone You Trust By Mihis Alex | Pexels Especially when traveling solo or returning late, we make sure someone knows where we are. That might mean live location sharing through Google Maps, Find My on iPhones, paid options like Life360, or just sending trip details (where we’re staying, when we expect to arrive, and a quick check-in once we’re settled). After Your Arrival 9. Do a Quick Check for Hidden Cameras By Free Stock | Pexels Airbnb banned indoor security cameras in April 2024, which is a good step. But policies don’t always stop bad behavior. We still do a quick check when we arrive, especially in bedrooms and bathrooms. If you point your smartphone camera at a TV remote when you press a button, you’ll see a flash of infrared (IR) light, the same kind used by some night vision cameras. You can use this same trick when in a dark room to spot any potential IR cameras. There are also network-scanner apps like Network Scanner or iNet that can sometimes detect connected devices on the same Wi-Fi network. But this isn’t foolproof. Some hosts use guest networks or settings (like AP Isolation) that prevent device discovery. If you ever find something suspicious, document it immediately with photos or video and report it through Airbnb. Depending on where you’re staying, hidden cameras may also be a criminal offense worth reporting locally. This isn’t something we usually stress over. But it’s a quick check that takes less than a minute and gives us peace of mind. 10. Secure Your Internet Connection By Pixabay | Pexels Free Wi-Fi is convenient, but it isn’t always private. Depending on how a network is configured, someone with access could potentially see browsing activity or redirect traffic through man-in-the-middle attacks. To reduce that risk, we use a virtual private network (VPN) whenever we connect to networks we don’t control (like those at Airbnbs, hotels, coffee shops, work, etc). We personally run our own WireGuard VPN setup, but any reputable VPN (free options like Proton or paid options like NordVPN or Private Internet Access) or travel router (like GL-iNet) with VPN capability adds an extra layer of protection when you’re logging into accounts or handling sensitive information. Using a VPN is one of those habits that eventually became automatic for us even when we aren’t traveling. 11. Bring Your Own Camera (Especially if You Travel with Pets) By Jakub Zerdzicki | Pexels If we’re leaving valuables (like our dogs) in the room while out hiking, we like having eyes on the space while we’re gone. We bring a small internet-connected camera so we can check in remotely. For us, this is mostly about Toby and Lily. New environments can be stressful for pets, and being able to see how they’re doing (or talk to them) gives us peace of mind. We use subscription-free cameras from Eufy with local storage (microSD card) so we’re not adding another monthly fee. Whatever you choose, we think that reliability matters more than saving a few dollars (and avoiding Wyze is probably best due to their numerous issues). A camera you can’t depend on isn’t doing you any favors. 12. Trust Your Instincts By lalesh aldarwish | Pexels You know when something feels off. If the property, the access situation, or the surrounding area doesn’t feel safe when you arrive, listen to that instinct. It’s always easier to change plans early than to spend a night somewhere you’re uncomfortable. No booking is worth your safety. We hope this checklist helps you stay a little safer (and a lot more relaxed) during your trips. If you’ve picked up any habits or tips from your own trips, we’d love to hear them!