Airbnb - Lap of Luxury in Phuket

Just because you are backpacking, doesn't mean you have to slum it. If you can gather a big enough group of people, either friends that come with you on your journey or other trustworthy backpackers. Then there are short term rental houses available in most parts of Thailand. I have linked an example of one that actually was down the road from where I stayed in Phuket. I was staying in a hotel with 7 others. If we had pooled our money, we could have stayed here for US$350, which would have worked out US$10 cheaper per night each.

A beautiful 4 bedroom villa, that sleeps eight, with your own pool! 

Airbnb

 Good morning,

I just thought I would share a site that I found. Airbnb.com is very interesting concept, I actually found it a couple of days after I arrived back in Auckland. I wish I had used it for my trip, but I guess there is always next time.

Airbnb is essentially a couch surfing accommodation community. You specify which city you are visiting and pick how much you would like to pay per night, then get shown rooms / apartments that meet you specified criteria.

I found the site very easy to use and will definitely be using it on my next vacation. They even have an iphone app to booking your room on the go, very handy for a backpacker. I guess the only real issue is other than the major cities in South East Asia, there is not a lot of choice on the site, but as I mentioned the previous post, this will at least give you a starting point.