The benefits of staying in a furnished apartment when traveling are innumerable – including lots of space, local insider knowledge, and the ability to stay in less touristy, more authentic neighborhoods.

However, finding a good apartment can feel overwhelming.

There are a lot of variables to consider, including price, location, cleanliness, and convenience.

This is where we come in.

We’ve rented apartments in Paris, Berlin, NYC, Tuscany, Venice, Rome, Florence, Split, and throughout Thailand.

So, if you are wondering how we managed to find great apartments and amazing experiences in all of these places, then read on for all of our insider secrets!

Best Sites to Find Furnished Apartments

There are a lot of sites for finding furnished apartments. These days, however, our number one recommendation is Airbnb. The site has a great selection of apartments, an easy-to-use interface, and makes it easy to see reviews from other travelers.

And if you ever run into an issue with your place, Airbnb has a customer support team available to help you 24/7.

While Airbnb is our first choice for furnished apartment rentals, sometimes it won’t be available in your destination or won’t have a property that fits your needs. In that case, here are a few other sites to consider:

HomeAway

HomeAway is a vacation rental site that includes lots of condos and apartments across the world. HomeAway tends to be a bit pricier than Airbnb since it targets people on vacation, but it’s still possible to find some good deals.

TripAdvisor

Most people know TripAdvisor as a site for finding things to do while traveling, but the site also has an extensive selection of vacation rentals. Many of these are furnished apartments, and there are options to suit a variety of budgets.

Craigslist

While it can require more legwork than a vacation rental site, you can find some great furnished apartment deals on Craigslist. The main advantage is that you can cut out the middleman and rent directly from the owner, potentially saving you a lot of money.

Expat Facebook Groups

If you’re planning to stay in a place for more than a month, it’s worth checking local ex-pat Facebook groups. These are great places for finding apartments for rent from locals.

Just use common sense and never send money without meeting the owner in person and touring the property.

To find these Facebook groups, just Google “ex-pat Facebook group” + the name of the city you’ll be visiting.

How to Find Furnished Apartments While Traveling

Now that you know where to look, the next step is weeding through the listings. Here are some tips to ensure that you find an apartment that meets your needs and avoid getting scammed.

1. Look Early

The best apartments tend to be swept up first. The earlier you look, the more options you have. How early you should look depends on where you’re going and the time of year you’re visiting.

For instance, if you’re looking for a furnished apartment in Europe during the busy summer travel season, you might need to book up to a year in advance to score one of the best places. If you’re traveling during the off-season, you can afford to start your search a little later, but earlier is still better.

2. Check the Pictures Carefully

Make sure you can see good angles on the bedroom, bathroom, and layout in general. A lot of apartments that look beautiful in photos can be deceiving.

For instance, a bed that is actually a pullout couch. One picture shows a bed. The next picture shows a couch. So you think there’s both a bedroom and a living room, but when you show up it turns out they’re one and the same.

More broadly, don’t book a place that only has a couple of photos. If the owner can’t be bothered to take photos of every room in the property, then imagine what other details they’ve probably neglected.

3. Read the Reviews

When booking a property in a city you’ve never been to from a person you’ve never met, reviews are your friend. Be sure to read them carefully to look for any potential issues with the property.

Of course, you should take reviews with a grain of salt — some people just like to complain about minor things. But if you see reviews noting more serious issues such as an inaccurate description or unpleasant host, steer clear.

Finally, never book a property with no reviews. The host could be a perfectly lovely person, but you don’t want to be the guinea pig for their new rental operation. Let someone else take that risk.

4. Read the Description Carefully

Reading the description closely helps you avoid any nasty surprises when you arrive. Pay special attention to the following:

• Does the property include WiFi? Don’t assume it does.
• Is there a bathroom in the unit, or is it shared with other apartments in the building?
• Are there quiet hours?
• How can you contact the owner if you have issues?
• If you’re traveling with your family, are children allowed?
• Does the unit have laundry, or will you need to go to a local laundromat?

And of course, if anything is unclear, don’t hesitate to message the owner and ask for clarification. A good host will be happy to answer your questions.

5. Check the Map

Airbnb and most other apartment rental sites show the apartment location on a map. Be sure to check this against Google Maps and your own research to be sure that you’re staying in a great location.

You don’t want to rent an apartment and arrive only to find that it’s located out in the suburbs far from the things you wanted to see during your visit.

How to Get a Good Deal on Furnished Apartments

Once you’ve found an apartment you like, your next step is to get the best deal possible. These tips will help you find a price that fits your budget.

1. Check the Calendar

If the apartment is available for a long length of time, this can give you some leeway when you negotiate a lower price (see the next tip). Most booking sites make it easy to see how long the place is available with just a few clicks.

2. Negotiate

Our motto is that it never hurts to ask.

If an apartment is not booked for a while and you’re staying for an extended length of time (1-2 weeks instead of a few days), it’s completely acceptable to ask for some type of discounted rate.

We usually start the negotiation at 50% of the asking price and go from there. There have been plenty of times when they’ve even accepted our first offer, meaning we’ve scored a place for half price with very little hassle.

3. Contact Multiple Owners

The more options, the better.

Airbnb will save your sent messages so you can refer back to the properties you have contacted, which makes it very easy to negotiate with a few places and see which one will give you the best deal.

4. Offer Something

Do you have something to offer? If so, you might be able to get a discount on the property. Here are a few examples:

• A review or social media shout out – Many travelers are still unaware that they can rent furnished apartments. So spreading the word could be a great benefit, especially for an owner who’s getting their rental business off the ground.
• Photography skills – If you know how to take great pictures, you could offer to take beautiful photos of the unit for the owner to use in their listing.
• Native English skills – You could offer to rewrite the owner’s description to be more compelling and readable to a native English speaker. This could be a huge boost to their business.

And this list is by no means exhaustive. Don’t afraid to get creative and offer your skills. At worst, the owner will just say, “No.”

Things to Consider When Renting a Furnished Apartment

In this last section, we have some tips for getting the most out of your stay and avoid any issues with your host. This way, you’ll have a positive apartment rental experience.

1. You Get What You Pay For

Renting a furnished apartment is almost always cheaper than a hotel. However, it’s important to take into account the city you are staying in.

For example, we stayed in an NYC Airbnb with two other friends and rented a really small, really cheap apartment.

It was perfect for what we needed, but we didn’t have any expectations that it would be an amazing place to stay. It served a purpose.

Another time we decided to “splurge” when we were staying in Berlin with another couple. We spent about $100/couple to stay in a large, beautiful apartment in the best neighborhood.

While this is still a fairly reasonable price, it’s more than we usually prefer to pay per night. However, it was well worth it because it made our experience so much more enjoyable.

There’s no “right” type of furnished apartment to stay in, but make sure that the place you pick fits your expectations (and the expectations of anyone traveling with you).

2. Understand the Check-In Process

One downside to renting an apartment can be meeting the host to get into the property.

It’s not as easy as rolling up to a hotel or hostel with a 24-hour reception desk.

To avoid any frustrations, make sure to arrange a time to meet with your host to get the keys and find your unit. And keep your host updated if your plans change and you’ll be arriving earlier or later than you expected.

Finally, look for rentals that have keyless entry via a code or app. This is becoming increasingly common, and it’s a lot more convenient for both you and your host.

3. Be Respectful of the Property

An apartment is not a hotel and there is not an account for incidentals. Make sure you are taking care of the property and respecting the owners’ possessions. They’re placing a lot of trust in you, so make sure you respect that.

4. Know the Rules

If you are sharing a space with other people, make sure you know the requirements of comings and goings.

Also, be aware of other common rules:

• How to dispose of trash, recycling, or compost
• When/how to use the shower/hot water (in many places these are more expensive and restricted than in the U.S.)
• Quiet hours
• Check out procedures. For instance, are you required to clean the unit before you leave?

Most properties will clearly state their rules in the listing, but be sure to ask the owner if you have any additional questions.

5. Ask Your Host for Recommendations

This is one of the best reason’s to rent an apartment – firsthand, local knowledge of an area.

Most hosts want to ensure that you enjoy your time in an area, as this ensures great reviews.

All the hosts we have come in contact with have given us the best recommendations for places to eat and other things to do, including my favorite pizza in the whole world (recommended to us by our lovely hosts in Rome).

Furnished Apartments Enhance Your Travel Experience

We absolutely love renting apartments when we travel, and it’s easily one of our favorite ways to book accommodations.

It provides a more authentic and memorable experience than a regular hotel would, and oftentimes, it’s much cheaper.

So if you’re looking for an interesting alternative to a hotel for your next trip, try renting a furnished apartment.

Looking for a furnished place to stay for free? Check out our guide to housesitting.