I still browse AirBnb's listings on occasion, but the last few trips have ended up booking directly with hotels, Lodges/Inns/BnBs, or vacation rental companies. When taking a look at the true prices, inclusive of fees, and what level of property I get for them today, Airbnb often comes out much more expensive for comparative properties. I might still have better experiences in less touristy locations than the ones I travel to. Not to mention the ridiculously strict long-term cancellation policies Airbnb allows hosts to apply that wouldn't fly in any other style of vacation housing.

I loved the service back in the early twenty-teens, but I had a strikingly bad experience with a home I tried to book in Boston.

The owner found out her home listing had rats a few days prior to check-in, and admitted to not being able to get rid of them fully before the date, leaving the possibility of rats getting poisoned/killed by the traps she set up. All of the communication was via @airbnb.com emails I had responded to, but Airbnb's support couldn't find any records of these messages. It took multiple calls and entirely too much effort to get an eventual refund plus a tiny credit on their site -- not nearly enough to book a replacement property that close to the date anywhere within city limits.

Meanwhile, like I mentioned, the prices of properly licensed and managed vacation options have become competitive with Airbnb while offering more reliable and flexible wrt date changes and cancellations.