Why You Should Use Misterbnb On Your Next Gay Trip Away!

It is a sad fact that travel is more difficult for LGBTQ people than for cishet ones, and gay people are some of the worse off. Thankfully Misterbnb is here to make every queer traveller’s life easier…

While some members of the queer community may present or be assumed straight or cis-gendered (and so may not face so much hate and discrimination if they do decide to travel), many in our rainbow community are unable to or refuse to conform to societal pressure and therefore tend to stand out. This makes travel difficult and even deadly.

There are dozens of countries that gay people cannot even dream of going to because of certain laws – religious or otherwise – basically criminalizing their existence. In some countries, homosexuality is punishable by death, and they hardly hesitate to carry out the sentence. No matter how scenic or pleasurable these countries claim to be, gay people do not have the option of paying them a visit safely.

Even with their options greatly reduced, gay people still face countless dangers in countries where being gay is not illegal. Because laws do not regulate peoples’ personal reactions to queerness or homosexuality, it is still possible to be a victim of a hate crime in places like the US or the UK.

Gay travelers and tourists in those countries still have to be extremely vigilant, regardless of what the law says. The authorities may apprehend and punish perpetrators of the hate crime, but depending on how severe the crime was, it may be of no benefit to you.

The best thing to do as a gay traveler in any country is to take precautions to ensure your safety and security as much as you can. Some of these precautions may include dressing in a way that does not indicate your identity, avoiding public displays of affection with a partner, staying away from certain areas of the country, etc. All of these steps can go a long way toward reducing the risk of an unfortunate encounter.

Another extremely important precaution gay tourists can take is carefully selecting accommodation. Any tourist, gay or straight, knows how to be watchful and careful when they’re outside. They are reminded over and over to keep a tight hold of their belongings and to avoid moving around alone, and most tourists follow this advice. However, once they get to their lodgings or hotels, there’s a high chance that they will no longer be on their guard.

As a result, it is more likely that any serious attacks will take place in their hotel rooms or whatever accommodations they’re in at that time.

But don’t be alarmed, dear reader. You don’t need to reconsider that vacation you’ve been dreaming of taking, either.

All you have to do is look for accommodations that are friendly to gay people or generally LGBTQ friendly. Of course, the problem now becomes how to tell which organization’s take allyship seriously. Just because a hotel hangs a rainbow flag and makes claims on its webpage does not mean that it’s actually gay-friendly. On the other hand, a hotel or motel might not announce their allyship, but they may end up going above and beyond to make sure their gay customers feel comfortable.

Doing all this research and gathering all this information may seem like a daunting prospect to a tourist or would-be tourist who just wants to sit back and sip some cocktails. If you’re one of these people, then you’ll be pleased to find that a company has already done all the work for you. There’s actually a place where you can go to book a hotel, rental or apartment and not have to worry about whether the owner or manager is homophobic because it’s guaranteed that they are not.

Call it an Airbnb for LGBT people, and you’ll be right on the money. Does such a service actually exist? Yes, it sure does.

Introducing MisterBNB…

Misterbnb is a travel and social networking website that provides rented lodging and accommodations primarily to gay men.

It was founded in Paris, France, by a group of people, including the CEO, Matthieu Jost, who had previously used services like Airbnb with varying results. After a series of unpleasant experiences, he reasoned that he was going through all this because there was no way to actually tell if potential hosts were welcoming of LGBTQ people. He then decided to start his own alternative, and the website was formally launched in the spring of 2014.

The site works by providing a searchable database of short-term rentals of homes, rooms, apartments and LGBT+-friendly hotels/motels like Axel. The website operates all over the world. It has grown from offering thousands of rooms available in about 65 countries to over 300,000 hosts in more than 135 countries as of 2019. It has also received more than 335000 reviews from LGBTQ users.

Matthieu Jost, who is the CEO, has been ranked one of the top 100 most inspirational and influential LGBTQ+ leaders in the world by Out Magazine, a popular magazine read by gay men.

As it turned out, a lot more people needed the service than he’d actually expected, and since then has witnessed rapid growth.

This service offers gauge travelers the chance to enjoy the homestay experience without fearing for the right safety or worrying about offending their host just by exiting and being who they are. Misterbnb provides options not just for private rooms and hotels but for villas, resorts, beaches, spas, guest houses, etc. It also shows you which ones are for adult use.

The wide range of beautiful properties available on the website means that you’ll be spoilt for choice. There’s also a community of fellow users that offer you travel tips and help you know what a particular location is like before you decide to choose it.

If you’ve ever had a harrowing experience with Airbnb hosts as a result of your sexuality or gender identity, Misterbnb is the platform you need to get on.

The company has been constantly involved in helping the LGBTQ+ community, as some of its profits go towards nonprofit organizations serving the needs of queer people. Misterbnb also has a loyalty program to provide encouragement to customers via rewards like travel credit vouchers and cashback offers. In addition to providing accommodation options, Misterbnb also has a blog providing gay travel news and events to its readers.

Gay people all around the world can contribute to the good work Misterbnb is doing. All they need to do is become a host by following the procedure to list their lace on the website offering up their home as a safe haven to any gay travelers who may be coming their way. There are usually options in a wide range of prices, so it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a humble room or a whole apartment to rent out.

Gay people are encouraged to make any spare space they have available, especially during major events like Pride festivals in cities like Sitges or Amsterdam, which may lead to all the queer-friendly spaces being filled up.

How does Misterbnb work?

By virtue of its function, misterbnb also acts as a social networking service, travel guide, and community for gay travelers throughout the world.

There is no charge for posting – also known as listing – a room or an apartment for rent on misterbnb. To make its profits, the site charges about 17% of the room fare from the host and 17% of the final bill from the guest. The rest of the money goes to the host, so it can actually be a tidy source of side income for queer people or even allies.

Once you’ve decided on the country and city you will set to travel to for your vacation; it is also important to map out the sights you want to see and the experiences you want to have. This is to enable you to have some idea of the general area you will be exploring. Having this knowledge serves several purposes.

First, you can actually confirm that the area you plan to stay and play in has no problems with foreign visitors or gay people, for that matter. Second, it will enable you to choose a hotel, apartment or room that will have easy access to all the places you plan to visit. They don’t have to be within walking distance from each other, but transportation must be reliable and available.

After you’ve got these detail sorted out and preferably written down, you can head over to the website to search.

Remember, this is where you’re going to stay for the whole of your vacation, and it can make a difference in whether it’s a delightful experience you want to repeat as soon as you can or one you bitterly regret. The search bar has filters you can use to narrow down your options. It also provides curated hotels on the platform and tools to help members stay safe such as misterbnb gift cards.

Users can also search using a number of parameters in the city of their choice. Some of these parameters include the willingness to accept pets, the choice between gay or simply gay-friendly hosts, and an option for seeking out “unusual” apartments or rooms.

For every city on the site, there is also a ‘Top Rentals’ list. This list contains a list of the best hosts and rooms in this city. Ratings, comments and reviews are also available, so you can form your own opinions. As a result of its effectiveness, studies have shown that 60 percent of its hosts in Paris do not use any other accommodation-sharing websites.

While there are few rules in using misterbnb, there are certainly best practices, so to speak, that apply to both host and guest. These best practices make for a hitch-free transaction and prevent misunderstandings from occurring. For hosts, this leads to high ratings and great reviews, while the guest gets an enjoyable vacation as a result. Some of the tips for great misterbnb etiquette that applies to the guest are listed below.

1. Read the instructions

A great host will likely have a list of rules or instructions communicated to you by message, email, etc. Take your time to go through them. There are few things more awkward than breaking a rule you didn’t know existed.

Go over the points carefully and ask questions about any that aren’t clear to you. If there’s any rule – such as a curfew or a no-guest rule – you disagree with or want an exception for, you should talk this over with the host and reach an ahead of time.

2. Communicate With The Host

Keep an open flow of information between the host and yourself. Uptake them about your time of arrival and alert them about any changes to your itinerary that relates to them. Tell them about any allergens you need to avoid or other special accommodations you may need during your stay.

While you’re on their property, keep the communications lines open in case you need to reach them or vice versa.

3. Be Considerate

Just in case something isn’t written down, as a rule, doesn’t mean it’s a good thing to do. Keep noise levels as low as possible, especially if you’re renting a room on the host’s property. Certain, ahem, bedroom activities should be carried out quietly in such a situation.

The fact that you’ll likely be charged a cleaning fee doesn’t mean you must leave the property looking like a hurricane blew through it. Pick up your trash, at the very least. If you’re allowed guests, make sure they are aware of and follow the host’s rules.

4. Be Punctual

Arrive and leave on time. The hotel will likely have to direct you or even pick you up, so stick to the agreed arrival time to avoid complications. Once you’ve departed, the host needs time to clean the room and put things in order before the next guest arrives, so being targeted can mess up their schedule.

If you’re unavoidably late on either arrival or departure, message them as soon as you’re able to explain the situation. If possible, offer to compensate for any inconvenience caused.

5. Leave Reviews And Ratings

Reviews and ratings are important to the host, guest and even the website itself. It’s good practice to take a few minutes to leave them. Be fair in your review. If there’s a certain aspect of the service that you didn’t like, you can mention it instead of generally condemning the whole service because of a single flaw.

Mention the good points as well, and leave some advice for both the host and potential guests, or they’ll have a more pleasurable experience.

It’ll be easy to take a website like misterbnb for granted, but when you think about it, it’s actually incredible. This website provides an opportunity to stay in a place where you don’t have to be afraid of who you are. You can scream your identity to the rooftops (not literally, though, remember what we said about noise?), and no one would care.

That freedom from having to hide your sexuality and even your partner will definitely make your vacation much more enjoyable. If you choose to stay in a gay-friendly hotel or resort, you will have the opportunity to connect with other gay travelers and maybe even build genuine friendships and relationships. Interesting the short-term, you can even plan group activities without worrying about how they’ll react if they discover your sexuality.

Your whole vacation experience will be majorly upgraded, of that we’re certain. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Give misterbnb a try on your next world trip and see how it goes.