Tips to Book Airbnbs in Colombia - We Have Lived Out of Airbnbs for 15+ Months - Digital Nomad Tips

It’s true! - We’ve lived out of Airbnb’s for an entire year across Colombia… And, the journey continues.
In the process of making Airbnb our housing option of choice, we’ve learned to always look for and verify some deal breakers. That’s exactly what we’re discussing in this video.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and if you’re a digital nomad yourself what you process is for finding short or long term housing.
Chapters:
00:00 - The Trail Again
00:24 - 15+ Months in Airbnbs
01:34 - Money & Cost Perspective
03:08 - Our 3 Questions
03:58 - Question 1 + Story + Why
06:04 - Question 2 + Story + Why
07:56 - Question 3 + 4 Reasons Why
11:05 - Final Thoughts
12:12 - Bicycle Smoothy?!?!
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Follow us on Instagram:
⮕ / lifetheorycouple
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PURPOSE OF CHANNEL 👇
There is so much more to life than the conventional guidelines we're often led to believe, rather than making a career the center piece of our lives, buying a house, and pursuing the excess of material things, we see other options that must be explored. Quite literally in some cases. - This is why we're the Life Theory Couple. There's not one cookie cutter way to building a quality life and there are sooo many other unconventional options that lead to an equally if not more fulfilling life.
#colombia #travelcolombia #expatsincolombia #liveabroad #takerisks #lifetheorycouple #airbnb #airbnbcolombia #airbnbtips #digitalnomad #digitalnomadtips #villavicencio #bogota #armeniacolombia #manizales #costs #costperspective #airbnbbudget

[@johnpratt1829]

I have not seen you for several months. I am glad to see you back!!!

[@lifetheorycouple]

We were spending lots of the time with the family in December and January... So our posting kind of came to a halt. - But, we're planning to continue our posting into 2023. :-)

[@rosaglem1905]

Great tips, I would add depending on the floor the apt is located on, is there an elevator or at least what floor is the airbnb on. I almost rented a nice little place that was located on the 6th floor and no elevator. Good thing I caught that little detail and then inquired about the elevator. I notice when searching other airbnbs others must be asking as well and the place hasn't been rented yet. Anyway, I have been enjoying your videos.

[@lifetheorycouple]

That's a good one. We're very active so the elevator is one we don't think of often. But, if we were renting long-term and getting our own furniture, I might think differently.

[@rosmiramckenna6859]

Love you guys

[@lifetheorycouple]

Love you! 😘

[@AnaLopez-id6dd]

Good life !!¡!

[@lifetheorycouple]

Thank you and we agree! We are more than grateful!

[@CumbiaDancer5678]

The "fully equipped kitchen" thing really sets me off when I arrive and find a kitchen with the bare minimum. Pasta pots, strainers, cutting boards, sharp knives etc. are sadly lacking in most units. Grrr...

[@lifetheorycouple]

What gets me more than anything are the kitchen towels... Or should I say that singular? TOWEL. There's like only one towel... And I need a hand towel, a dish towel, an counter/excess water towel... So that's 3... And then double the number because you have to wait for things to dry here. So 6 towels.... Needless to say, we bought our own kitchen towels and have started to travel with them. XD

[@DaveG-qd6ug]

Good stuff, I also lived in Airbnb's for a 3 yrs. I always look for a washer in the pictures, but that is a good idea to ask. Often I find hosts will not disclose the address ahead of time (here in Florida) but I can usually find it on google maps street view if they have a photo of the exterior. I agree a real busy street is a deal breaker. Sometimes the host will not map the place accurately on the app, so if they do not cooperate I just move to the next listing. Just sub'ed thanks,.

[@lifetheorycouple]

I'm glad we're not the only ones looking closely for these few items... Quite, if possible... And washer, especially for longer stays... We have found that most guests don't really care about sharing the building location in Colombia. - Plus, Airbnb shows them how long of a time period and what it will pay... So, I think that incentivizes them to provide that info.

[@DaveG-qd6ug]

​@@lifetheorycouple That is true money talks and longer stays give you more negotiating power.

[@spanish_fly10]

These tips are excellent to know! I am planning a trip to Bucaramanga in the near future and I am looking for an Airbnb with those three specific amenities: high speed Internet, safe location, and washer and dryer!! Great information 😊

[@lifetheorycouple]

This is great to hear! - Finding a dryer is very rare. So you might want to consider sacrificing that. Most apartments have a dedicated utility room where you can hang you cloths however. And Bucaramanga is warm enough that your clothes will dry in one day, unlike Bogota.

[@DaveG-qd6ug]

@@lifetheorycouple I think snowstorms are more common than dryers in Colombia 😅. Good news is your clothes will last long air drying them.

[@rosaglem1905]

@@lifetheorycouple So true, very few have a dryer, thankfully I have found some listings that include a dryer. Where I am now, it is a shared washer dryer situation, but, it works for now since I'm only here for a few days; my clothing are in the dryer as I write this. lol. I am not all that fond of this location, but, making it work till tomorrow 3/7/2023.

[@danieldinverno8732]

Hi, great video😊. I've never used an airbnb yet and your tips are excellent. My wife is from Mexico and we spend a lot of time there. SmartFit exist there and would be able to use Smartfit in both countries. Is smartfit as good as biofit? Is it prominent in most locations in Colombia?

[@lifetheorycouple]

Do you mean Bodytech? - Some of Widny's family subscribe to SmartFit and what they have told us is... It's cheaper than Bodytech, has newer machines, there are more locations than Bodytech, but... they are way more crowded. - We've seen it in nearly every large and mid-sized city we've been to... I would just google maps locations and verify that you current subscription status permits you to use the facility.

[@danieldinverno8732]

​@@lifetheorycouple Yes I meant. Bodytech. I dont currently have a membership at Smartfit but would be nice that I could use the membership in both countries. Again great video!!

[@sebastianquintana3248]

It’s cool y’all both can work from “home” in 23, are these still the same jobs before covid?

[@lifetheorycouple]

We are very lucky with our current employers to allow us to do so. We are quite grateful for it everyday. And yes, same companies from prior to pandemic.

[@rolandcanacolo6870]

Colombian airbnbs is hit and miss and my worst experience ever during the pandemic 2020 - 2021 The standards of Colombian majority is very low compared to North American standards Some are Very Cheap with furniture and fixtures , the truth is not always in the pictures and some apartments are very dirty I do not stay in airbnbs any more in Colombia the biggest reason is because the hosts are rarely there to address the problems they designate cleaners and co hosts to take care of matters, Good help is hard to get in Colombia , you get what I am saying There are way better options if you know Colombia like I do, apartment hotels is my choice because you can check out any time, airbnb you dont like you leave and dont get a refund I have spent 6 years and traveled over 80 thousand kms on my Motorcycle in every department except San Andres Islas Live and learn at a price of course., Colombia doesn't have any quiet places Noise is the first thing a Colombian learns then they learn how to Dance Always ask how long have you been renting the apartment or always check if they have had many guests and how many reviews, , airbnb can be deceptive is a because some apartments have just been put on the platform and they had no money to furnish properly. I had a bad experience in Cucuta The tv was broken air conditioner noisy the picture of the balcony was blurred and confusing, So when I walked onto the balcony I found out why, there was a wall from another apartment building Wow What a view, the bathroom did not have a mirror and no seats for the dinning room table and of course we were tired and hot from traveling and did not want to find another place at night I was glad I only paid for 3 days of Misery

[@lifetheorycouple]

That's a lot of experience! We've noticed some of the same things in our shorter amount of time living abroad. - However, at this time, we still find Airbnb to be viable option of us. But, we'll see how things change in the future.