I’ve rented a handful of furnished apartments/condos on a month-to-month basis over the past couple years. India, Thailand, Panama, Poland, Chicago, Austin.
But it’s still a bit of an ordeal finding a place to live. Actually, the only rental search that wasn’t stressful was my Austin residence. It came together in 3 days and I moved in sight unseen. I don’t think there was enough time for stress.
It would be nice if all of us long term travelers created a member’s only database of where we stayed, including price, amenities, pros/cons, and proprietor’s contact information.
I’d pay $100/year for an up-to-date database that had even just 100 rentable furnished month-to-month locations worldwide. 100 members at $100/year = $10k/year for whoever puts it together and keeps the database current. A nice side hustle that could easily turn into a full time business.
Note: There are a few website that do this, but they mostly list apartments that cost hundreds of dollars per night for short term vacation rentals. That’s not going to work for most people. I like to keep my housing costs at $50/night or less.
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Hey Karol,
Would you be willing to give me contact information for the places in Chicago and Austin?
Thank you for the Free Idea! =)
Austin: she’s selling the place. Chicago: sure, if you launch this I’ll contribute.
What do you think of AirBnB.com?
Cool site.
I should have been more clear.
I’m finding decent-looking apartments on AirBnB that cost anywhere between $30 and $50 in places like LA and Manhattan – they have wi-fi, fully furnished, lots of reviews, and you can stay there for long periods of time. (Some places ask for a minimum length-of-stay, in fact, which seems to usually be a little less than a month.)
What does this site not offer that you would like another site to offer?
Thank you for your time, good sir.
The idea is free. It’s your job to take it from there. ;)
Hint: airbnb is meant for a) the masses and b) landlords who know how to use the internet.
(I like you, trust you and most of all respect your knowledge so I feel comfortable pushing just a little bit.
You’re honest – please tell me if my questions are irritating you. I will not cry.)
I believe I understand what you’re saying with a). The second is irking me in the way of a Zen koan.
Question:
By b) do you mean that ‘your’ website would target landlords who are unfamiliar with the internet, or that ‘your’ website would target renters who are familiar with the internet? [The latter falls into your first hint]
Karol,
Not a techie, ok I have no clue how this internet thing really works, yet but if you could give me ideas of where to look and how to to it…I would be willing to do it as long as it could be done a few hours a day, the price of $100. a yr sounds reasonable especially as it grows.
Let me know if you would be willing to teach me how to get your idea up and running…
Midge
No. Sorry. That’s not how this works.
You’re right. Thank you for helping me to get over a bad habit.
Thanks for prompting me to update the Free Ideas explanation page: http://karol.gajda.com/free-ideas/ :)
If you can’t see it it’s not for you.
Hi Karol.
I appreciate you trying to cull from the world, and that’s the point. I would prefer quality over quantity, and I would prefer properties centered around people like *me*, which is AirBnB’s problem.
I would prefer furnished properties that fit a specific standard – they have wi-fi, they’re in a convenient or interesting location, they’re less than $50 a night, the owners are friendly. They’re quality, and they’ve been culled from the masses – only certain landlords are allowed in.
(This quality, which saves our time and makes interesting/happy/good experiences more likely, justifies the $100-per-year.)
This website would appeal to a specific community of people, people like you and I – long-term travelers who like going to interesting places and doing interesting things. Not only that – we also like reviewing what we’ve done, and reading reviews to find the best of the best. Instead of 598 options in Chicago, I want 5, and I want them to be *great*, and I want to hear about them from fellow travelers: people I know and like.
How about it?
Doesn’t matter what I think. Kinda the point here. Ideas should be released into the wild. Good ideas will spread.
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