5 Lessons from Airbnbs

Our family has been staying in Airbnbs, VRBOs, vacation rentals for awhile now. While I love a good hotel pool, Airbnbs just work better for our season of life with four young kids. Today I’m sharing some lessons I’ve learned from staying in Airbnbs when it comes to living with less. Every time we are away these lessons are at the forefront of my mind and remind me why we choose to pursue a simpler way of life. Here are my 5 Lessons from Airbnbs.

5 Lessons from Airbnbs

Lesson 1: Less clutter equals more freedom.

Each time we stay at an Airbnb there is less to care for. Less stuff to put away, less clothes to launder, less mess to pick up. Less to clean, scrub, declutter, organize, hide, etc. Most Airbnbs are sparsly decorated to leave room for the renter’s belongings. The essentials are there: things to cook with, soap and paper towels and toilet paper, furniture for watching movies and sleeping, rugs to make it cozy, and plants to liven up the space. There aren’t a million decorative signs or plates or trinkets lying around on the counters or desks. Those are left out to make room for the things needed to live life.

Every time we stay at an Airbnb, I come home wanting to declutter. Why? Because when I stay in someone else’s home with only the essentials I feel light and there is freedom in it. I want more freedom and I know that means less stuff.

Lesson 2: Keep the best.

There are almost never ratty towels in the bathroom of an Airbnb. Nor are there a million pens in the junk drawer or broken toys in the toy bin or old, forgotten trinkets on the counter. What if we decided we didn’t need those things either? What if we kept only the best towels, the pens we enjoyed using, the usable toys (see a post about toys here), the treasured trinkets on the counter? Keeping the best, the wanted, the valuable makes life a little more special, don’t you think?

Lesson 3: Use what we have.

At the beginning of a trip, we always stop at the grocery store to grab food for our stay. Bacon, eggs, butter, bread, fruit, coffee. My goal is to use up all we have before we leave. What if we did the same at home? Instead of buying more at the store or popping into Target for one or two things, what if we took a week or a month to use what we have? Use up the leftovers, thaw and use the frozen meat, eat up the snacks in the pantry before buying more. This is something I have been working on and will continue to challenge myself to use what we have.

Lesson 4: One is enough.

One good knife for cutting veggies. One television to cozy up and watch a movie together. One good skillet for frying up bacon. In an Airbnb many times one is enough. Of course there are categories where one isn’t enough. Silverware and towels and paper towels. However, I think we can make our lives simpler when we decide one is enough when it comes to certain things. Keep in mind, this will change and evolve over time.

In our current season, one television is enough for our family. In the future, that could change. Our family also lives with one set of sheets per bed. That could change as well. Where one is enough for our family, it might not be enough for your’s. Think through if there are areas in your home where one is enough.

Lesson 5: Explore and enjoy more.

Whenever we stay in an Airbnb, we are motivated and excited to get out and explore the destination. Our family goes to parks, the beach, museums. We take walks, enjoy new restaurants, and make it a priority to spend time together as a family. We don’t need to go to an Airbnb to do that. Yes, there is more work to do at home. Yes, we have commitments and priorities and schedules. But what if we also took the time to explore our communities more as a family? What if we made life more enjoyable by doing things together? Life is meant to be enjoyed so let’s take the time and enjoy more of it.

Pursuing an intentional life with less is a journey. What is one way you could live with less today?