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If you’re a new Airbnb host who loves to travel like me, you’ve probably wondered how to keep everything running smoothly and manage your Airbnb while traveling. As someone who owns and self-manages multiple rental properties, travels often, and has hosted thousands of stays with a 4.98 rating, I’ve learned that the key is having great systems in place long before you pack your suitcase.
I have hosted Airbnb guests at our rentals on 30A, Florida, from all over the world, including far-off destinations like Fiji and several trips to Europe every year. With proactive communication, anticipation of guest needs, trusted people, and a clear plan, you can run a successful Airbnb without being physically on-site at all times.
In fact, over the past year alone, I have spent 9+ weeks in Europe on several trips, all while seamlessly managing my own Airbnbs. Here’s exactly how I manage my Airbnbs while traveling — and how you can do the same!
How To Manage Your Airbnb When Traveling
If you are already a remote Airbnb host like me, it won’t be much different. You likely already have systems in place, and making a few proactive adjustments should be easy. And that is primarily what I will be talking about in this Airbnb hosting blog post.
On the other hand, if you are a very hands-on Airbnb host, someone who cleans their own rentals or personally checks guests in, it will be much more difficult. In those situations, it may be easier to simply block your rental for the dates you will be traveling.
And if you want the future ability to scale your rental business without being tethered to your rental properties, I honestly recommend figuring out a way to outsource and/or streamline. For me, the goal is always to work smarter, not harder, so that I can scale up and expand on my other income streams.
My Streamlined Airbnb Workflow That I Use At All Times
If you have been following me for any length of time, you’ll know how much I value my peace. This is why I set expectations from the start that we only communicate in the Airbnb app.
In fact, I only host on Airbnb, and my mindset is to do one thing REALLY WELL vs a bunch of things average. We don’t offer direct bookings because it creates a lot more work and risk for me, while saving guests approximately 10-12% when it’s all said and done. It’s just not worth it for me!
That said, doing things this way means I only ever have to check one place – my Airbnb app. This allows me to stay on top of things with minimal effort and without distractions from phone calls, texts, emails, and DMs.
RELATED POST: Protecting Your Peace, Property & Profits
5 Ways I Prepare Before A Trip
However, there are a handful of things I do before and during all of my international trips that help ensure I provide a seamless guest experience and keep earning those 5-star reviews!
My main concern when it comes to managing my Airbnb while traveling is being accessible. With the exception of some shorter domestic flights, most airplanes now offer Wi-Fi. That said, it doesn’t always work. So, I have to plan for that scenario and then breathe a sigh of relief when it’s working. I am sure you know this feeling!
Other than that, the other main issue is the time change. Oftentimes, while traveling in Europe, I have to stay up until 10 pm or 11 pm waiting for my cleaners to tell me it’s ready and then send my door codes. Yes, I could just schedule a message or send the code early. However, these two minutes, when I learn it’s ready and then send the code, are a key failsafe in my workflow that I won’t give up.
The following action items help solve those two problems for me on my longer trips, or at least minimize their impact!
#1 Updating My Airbnb Calendar
So, the first thing I do when I book a trip is decide what changes I want to make to my Airbnb calendar. Typically, on the day of a long-haul flight, I set a rule to prevent check-ins that day. You can read my post about pricing strategies to maximize profits to see exactly how I do that.
I will also often require a longer length of stay well in advance. For example, we spend the first 2-3 weeks of the summer in Europe as a family. So, right now I have a 5-day minimum over that window and have already booked a couple of weeklong stays. These are so much less work for me. As we get closer, sometimes I decrease it, but what I don’t want is a bunch of 3-night stays this far out that prevent those much easier, longer stays from being booked!
Since we have four Airbnb rentals, I try to avoid check-ins every day while traveling overseas. So, once bookings start coming in, I apply rule sets (not allowing check-ins on particular days) to try to ensure check-ins happen on the same days.
You could also block a day before and after stays so that you don’t have to stay up late and manage same-day check-ins. That said, these are often peak travel windows for our rentals, and I don’t want to waste days and lose income! But, it’s up to you how you want to manage your Airbnb calendar!
#2 What I Do Before Leaving On A Trip
Before really long trips or back-to-back travel, I make it a point to visit our rentals about a week before and make sure they are 100% ready to go, especially if we are heading into a peak period like summer or spring break. This is a great time to deep clean and refresh my Airbnbs.
In the week before a trip, I make sure I have sent all reccomendations, and follow up with guests who never respond. My goal, as always, is to ensure they have access to all the information they need well in advance to avoid unnecessary questions during their stay. I always copy and paste my Airbnb House Manual into our messages so they can easily access the info.
A few days before our international trips, I reach out to the owner of my cleaning company and kindly ask her to prioritize my units so they are ready earlier in the day, allowing me to send codes sooner. And she almost always helps me here!
I also have a backup person in place. If I am traveling for work and my husband is home, he is that backup person. A couple of years ago, we actually adjusted our workflow and added him as a co-host on our rentals. I also added him to my text thread with my cleaner. He rarely looks at it, but it ensures he can access all the info and catch up if he ever needs to!
When our whole family is traveling together, I ask someone else to be my backup. In the past, this has been another owner at our complex or even my cleaner. And over the years, guests have reached out to them only once or twice. Next, I will share exactly how I share their contact info!
#3 How I Communicate With Guests
Most of my future guests who send booking inquiries or messages have no idea I am traveling. And on shorter trips or ones without long flights or time changes, I don’t worry about sending anything.
But when I am going to be on a flight for more than a couple of hours, I always send a message to let my current guests know. They are also traveling and travel lovers. Therefore, most are easygoing and excited for our trips!
Here are some messaging examples to help you manage your Airbnb while traveling!
Message Examples
For a shorter flight, I just say something along the lines of:
Good morning, NAME! I hope that you are enjoying your stay! I just wanted to let you know that my family is traveling today as well. Our plane should have WIFI, so please keep using the Airbnb app to communicate with me, as I would hate to miss a call or text from you. And, on the off chance that it’s broken, I will reply as soon as we land!
For the longer flights and international trips, I add a little more context, sending a message like this:
Good morning, NAME! I just wanted to let you know that my family is traveling overseas today. We always have access to WIFI so please keep using the Airbnb app to communicate with me, as I would hate to miss a call or text from you. And, on the off chance that the Wi-Fi is broken on our long-haul flight, I will reply as soon as we land. Please try me first, but if you can’t reach me and it’s an emergency, please call or text NAME at PHONE NUMBER.
Nine times out of ten, the Wi-Fi works, and I can see and reply to all messages in real time. But the second message also sets the tone for the time change, and that we are real people living our lives, too. And maybe makes them think twice before bothering you with silly questions like, “Which ice cream shop is better?”
Note that I always pay for Wi-Fi on flights and do everything I can to stay connected. This is a cost of doing business and something you can write off.
#4 AT&T International Day Pass
In addition to paying for Wi-Fi on planes, I always pay for AT&T’s International Day Pass, so I have service at all times. This is again a cost of doing business and how you manage your Airbnb. Relying on public Wi-Fi while traveling isn’t a good strategy. Most cell service providers have similar international plans.
Remember, one of the basic truths about Airbnb Hosting is that you need to be accessible at all times. If you are planning a trip where you want to truly unplug, you should probably just block your calendar and enjoy yourself!
#5 Using World Clock to Manage Time Zones
Another Airbnb hosting hack I use in these situations is the World Clock app. It allows me to easily see what time it is at home. My teenage daughter also helped me add a widget to my homescreen that always shows the time at our rentals (CDT) below the current time zone wherever I am!
The photo on the left shows how it looks on my screen. I am at home now, so the times are the same. But when we travel, the current time will be at the top, with the CST in the circle below. This is so helpful for timing check-ins, check-outs, and messages. You will really appreciate how this helps you manage your Airbnb from any timezone!
Lastly, I always have my Apple Watch on so I can see my notifications as soon as they come through, without having to constantly check my phone.
Read how I use my Apple Watch as an Airbnb host for more great tips. It makes it so much easier to manage your Airbnb!
Having A Great Team At Your Airbnb
All of this hinges on having a great team and boots on the ground at your rental. This is no different from managing your Airbnb from home and is essential to any successful remote Airbnb host!
Your cleaners are the most critical piece of this puzzle, and how you manage your Airbnb. So, having good people whom you can count on is a game-changer. That said, make sure you have a short list of other service providers who can come quickly if needed. This includes a maintenance person or handyman, plumber, locksmith, etc.
Handling Airbnb Issues Remotely
If issues arise while you are traveling, handle them calmly as you would when hosting from home. The goal is to solve the problem as quickly as possible. In many cases, the issue is that something is missing or broken. You should always have backups of key items at your Airbnb, but even if you don’t, it’s very easy to have something delivered within an hour or two!
I use Walmart and Target’s same-day delivery for many items. And I have even used Home Depot’s same-day delivery for things like toilet seats and a new router. I can have these delivered, call my handyman, and have them tackle the project quickly and effectively.
Tasks I Never Outsource When Traveling
I never want to seem unaccessible to my Airbnb guests. So, while I let them know that I am traveling, not much else changes. I still send the door code to them when it’s ready. I personally send a message the day after arrival to make sure they got settled in.
And, when my husband Matt has to step in and send the messages, it’s seamless because he is already a co-host and on all communication threads.
I do not recommend having a random person handle these touchpoints while you are away. They likely aren’t up to speed, and your guests don’t want to feel pawned off on someone else, especially if that person isn’t as friendly or helpful as you are. Unless they regularly manage your Airbnb, it may do more harm than good.
Remember, your guests are travelers, too. So, they are often very understanding, knowing you are traveling as well. The key is proactive communication to help you manage your Airbnb from anywhere!
When An Airbnb Co-Host Might Make Sense
If you travel frequently and aren’t always available, you may be better off with a co-host. That said, it would usually be a more full-time arrangement because that person will need to be familiar with your property and workflow.
A co-host is different from a property management company because you can still manage everything yourself, just with extra help. Most property management companies take 25%+, and most co-hosts charge in the 10%-20% range. So, this service comes at a cost, and for me, this eats up too much of my profits, which is why I just deal with it and manage my Airbnb from wherever I am!
Can You Manage Your Airbnb When Traveling?
I think you can successfully manage your Airbnb while traveling. The key is to be the same friendly Airbnb host you always are and just add some proactive communication and strategies.
That said, running a profitable Airbnb is a job. You still need to be available to guests, even if that means getting woken up at 2 am Paris time with a question. But being able to do your job anywhere in the world is an incredible luxury!
More Airbnb Hosting Resources
If you found this post on how to manage your Airbnb while traveling helpful, you will love all my other first-hand Airbnb hosting blog posts. They cover everything from detailed Airbnb buying guides to FAQs on handling early check-in requests and responding to Airbnb guest feedback.
If you are a new Airbnb host, the best place to start is my FREE 5-Star Airbnb Hosting Guide, organized into easy-to-follow categories.
You can also browse all of my Airbnb hosting blog posts here. And remember to use the search bar whenever you’re looking for specific topics or Airbnb essentials!
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