Let me set the stage. It had been years since we booked a trip. Literally. Years.

We went into the covid-19 pandemic as a travel loving couple on the road so much that our neighbors were skeptical we actually lived at our legal address. At the other end of the pandemic tunnel, we emerged as parents of an adorable little chickadee who, thanks to the historical circumstances of her birth, had no concept of travel (or restaurants for that matter) until she was well over a year old.

Which is to say, that when we pressed send on our very first Airbnb booking request in 30+ months, we were pumped. This was a couple’s retreat. We had meticulously arranged the weekend babysitting and puppy sitting with family. We had scoured the Airbnb getaways in a three hour driving radius of home. And we had carefully selected what looked like the perfect place to reconnect in our first solitary weekend on the road in years.

Then we had our first interaction with our host. Like a needle pricking a balloon, her text popped all of our excitement. To our upbeat booking request, the host responded:

“If the rules have been read and will be followed we are good to go and can’t wait to host you guys for a weekend away.”

It felt as if we had somehow managed to offend the host and disrespect her space by sending a single, ten-word text. Trepidation set in. We even discussed just canceling and booking a different place. That might sound like overreacting, but we’ve had our fair share of bad Airbnb stays.

We’ve spent several trips with overbearing, combative hosts who spend each stay waiting in the wings for guests to mess up and prove their worst fears right. Needless to say, walking on eggshells while carrying a preemptive sense of guilt is not a relaxing way to spend a vacation. Especially if it’s your first one in years.