Gotskaya Tatiana, an exchange student from Russia. [Photo provided to China Daily]

I use Airbnb often as it helps me to find comparatively cheaper accommodation, which, in turn, generates leads to good friends. But people should be careful and read terms and conditions of hosts and be clear about the charges, to avoid disputes and negative experiences. When a friend from Zhejiang province visited me, I found a room in a Beijing hutong (traditional Chinese houses in narrow lanes). That helped a lot because the hutong oozed history everywhere, making us feel as if we were part of an era gone by.