Signed up, reserved and confirmed a room, stayed with the lovely Dario & Lorenzo in Florence on my way to and back from La Tosca. It couldn’t have been easier.
Once you create a Facebook light style profile, to give everyone an idea of who you are and whether they’d like to welcome you into their home or rent you their flat for a day or more, you are asked to get your friends to write recommendations of character. It sounds a bit serious but actually it’s all reinforcing the personal nature of the philosophy behind airbnb. After all if you’re more comfortable blending into the background rather than soaking up the local way of life, book a hotel!
Besides the fact that the flats and rooms on the site all look like something out of an interiors magazine invoking a serious bout of decorating envy, I spent a bag of time looking at places and feeding my property surfing habit. If you already enjoy travelling with Tango, AirBnB adds something more to your stay connecting you with non-Tango people (unless you meet one by coincidence) and another view of your destination that doesn’t solely involve the commute to and from a milonga. Here’s a link to sign up as one of my friends and get some money off your first booking.
