Preface

Hi everyone! As a travel blogger who's constantly on the road, I've really learned things the hard way and fallen into quite a few traps. Accommodation safety, in particular, is incredibly important! After all, where we stay is our most important safety barrier in an unfamiliar environment. Today, I'll share with you the lessons learned and practical experiences I've accumulated over the years staying in places around the world, hoping to help you avoid some pitfalls.

Choosing Accommodation

When it comes to choosing accommodation, there's really a lot to consider. I remember last year in Barcelona, I almost fell into a major trap. I saw a super cheap guesthouse on a social media platform, with beautiful photos, priced almost 40% lower than surrounding options. But I thought this was suspiciously cheap, so there must be a catch. After thorough investigation, I discovered it was indeed a scam. This shows why we need to be extremely careful when choosing accommodation.

These days, major booking platforms are very reliable, like Booking and Airbnb, which have very high safety standards. According to recent statistics, by early 2024, the fraud rate on these major platforms had dropped below 0.01%, making them essentially very safe. However, be careful with independent websites or social media accommodation ads, which have a shocking fraud rate of 15%! I have a friend who booked accommodation through social media, only to find the place didn't exist when they arrived, and their money was lost.

When choosing accommodation, reviews are crucial. But don't just look at positive reviews - negative reviews often contain key information. For instance, if you see several reviews mentioning "very remote location," "surrounding area is very dark at night," or "20-minute walk to the subway station," you should pay special attention. In my experience, if a place has more than 5% negative reviews, and they're all complaining about the same issues, there's probably something wrong with that place.

Beyond reviews, location is extremely important. Cheap accommodation often means remote locations or poor security. I once experienced this in Mexico City, booking a cheap guesthouse only to find the surrounding area completely deserted at night, without a soul in sight - it really scared me. Later I discovered that area was actually a local security concern zone, so I had to rush back before dark every day for the rest of my stay.

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