My First Time Using Airbnb

This past trip to New Orleans, LA I did something I have never done, I stayed in an Airbnb. I must say while I was really nervous, I am so glad I made the decision to stay in an Airbnb over a hotel. Here are some tips that I learned during my experience and while researching other blogs.

Our Shotgun House in New Orleans

Look into locations: You will have the choice between entire place, private room or shared room. When we were booking we wanted to stay somewhere safe and easy access to the French Quarters. Look into public transportation near your place or if it is in walking distance of where you will be spending most of your time.

Read reviews: The reviews will tell you more details about the place and how the host is. This is a good place to see who easy it was to get around town and if the photos are really true.

Contact hosts: If you are planning to go during high time or months in advance it would be a good idea to send a message the host before booking. We ran into a situation where the hosts did not update their prices for Mardi Gras or they did not have their place available at that time. Make sure that your place of interest is available, and keep places as back up just in case they do deny your request.

Choose the required amenities: There is a long list of different amenities that different Airbnb's offer. Such as air-conditioning, dryer, full kitchen, gym, indoor fireplace, parking, self check-in, washing machine,Wi-Fi amoung other amenities. During my trip we needed access to Wi-Fi because half of us were taking classes at the time. So to have easy access to the internet was necessary. A full kitchen was also important because there were times where we didn't want to go out to eat, we just wanted to cook a quick meal or snack. Make sure to look into all the amenities that you need.

Research the house rules: Before booking make sure to look through the house rules and see if they are something you can follow. If you do not feel comfortable with the house rules, just move on to the next available place.

Get tips from host: No one knows the area better than your host. Ask questions about where to eat, go grocery shopping or about public transit. They will be honest with you and tell where to go and how to get around easily.

I would definitely do another Airbnb, I had such a wonderful experience and had a wonderful host. It came out much cheaper than staying at a hotel during that time. A basic hotel would have cost us $1,000 a night but we got a deal of $391 per night for the whole house. This is definitely the way to go when trying to save money when wanting to travel.

I hope you find these tips helpful and give Airbnb a chance to see for yourself that this can be a great way to travel differently and to save money!

Con Amor,

Adriana 💕

How to do Mardi Gras right!

Mardi Gras are one of those things that we all hear about and we hope to experience once in our lives. Well 2018 was the year for me to experience one of the biggest celebrations on Earth. I will be going through tips that will help you enjoy Mardi Gras to the fullest.

Ladders for children up and down the street.

One thing that surprised me the most is that Mardi Gras is truly a family friendly event in New Orleans, Louisiana. Generations of families come out and enjoy the multiple parades that occur during the wonderful celebration. Sometimes we see on TV or Movies that ladies have to flash in order to get beads, that's false. I got about 15 pounds of beads from 5 parades without having to show any skin. If you end up taking the little ones, just keep them away Bourbon Street in the French Quarters. There should not be any children on that street to begin with, but even less during Mardi Gras. You will see people camping out and BBQ-ing the day before to save their spots, be courteous of their spots. You will also see these ladders with a seat on top of it, those are made for the children so they can catch more things. Trust me, you will get so much stuff no need to worry that you won't get anything.

The app to track all of the Mardi Gras parades. 

If you are trying to catch as many parades as possible you should download the WWL Mardi Gras Parade Tracker, my boyfriend was the one who found this helpful tool. This app gives you a schedule of all the parades going on, the path of the parade and minute by minute update on where the parade is. You can plan your parade watching around this app. If you are a fan of Popeyes Chicken like I am, they tell you where the nearest locations are for that too.

Beads and goodies from our first parade

With it being winter in New Orleans, make sure you have a rain coat with you. The rain during this season is very on and off. If you will be attending the night parades it will be a good idea to dress in layers, when it gets cold in New Orleans it is a bone chilling cold. Make sure to keep your valuables close to you, during times like these pickpockets are trying to get everything they can. There are these wonderful little things called athletic fanny packs or running belts, they stay really close to your body and it will be harder for a pickpocket to get to you. I personally kept everything in my bra, because I did not trust having anything in a small purse.

Our delicious cream cheese Kings Cake!

Eat King Cake! It is absolutely delicious, I do not have much of a sweet tooth but this has to be one of my favorite treats. It is a tradition in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Everyone takes a turn to cut the cake and there is a baby inside. If you end up with the baby you will have good luck for the entire year, you will also become the King or Queen of the party. Since you got the baby you will also have the responsibility to buy the cake next year and throw the Mardi Gras Party.

My coconut from the Zulu parade.

One of my favorite parades was the Zulu parade, I promise you it is the best one, do not miss it! Get close to the floats and make sure you get a coconut. If you get one, you get good luck for the entire year. If you get two, give one away. Giving one away gets you two years of good luck. 

If you ever get the lucky chance to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans enjoy it to the fullest! Make sure to plan a year ahead to get the best options and prices. I hope these tips help you along the way.

Con Amor,

Adriana💕