You never really know what your Airbnb rental is going to be like until you actually get inside. A couple specializing in travel TikTok content found out the hard way they’d booked the upstairs bedroom in someone’s house—to the delight of many viewers.
The video comes courtesy of Meg and Rhys, who post content on @theordinaryadventurers TikTok account, promising “Travel Anyone Can Do” for site visitors. This particular video has brought in more than 1.5 million views in a single day on the platform.
In it, Rhys and Meg show themselves making an effort to be quiet given the setting—in this case, the upstairs bedroom of an occupied house in New Zealand. The short video highlights the awkwardness to entertaining effect, with Rhys setting down a glass carefully, Meg wincing as she flushes a toilet, and Rhys grimacing while slowly closing a door.
@theordinaryadventurers The stress levels to keep quiet are HIGH #airbnb#comedy#relatable#sketch#fyp#viral#trend#travel#travel#couple#airbnbreality#travelaesthetic#newzealand#nztravel ♬ Black panther siren song thingy – Jesiah🧨🐋
As they noted in the caption: “The stress levels to keep quiet are HIGH.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creators via email for comment.
The video led some viewers to go into the comments with their own Airbnb horror stories. “I booked an Airbnb that literally lied about having the whole place to myself,” one shared. “There were two other rooms that had strangers in them and one bathroom.”
“That’s when you complain to them and actual air bnb and take pics for evidence,” someone advised in response.
“I booked an Airbnb in Miami during RL,” another commenter shared, ironically referring to the Rolling Loud music festival, “And the owner was staying there too!! Told us to be quiet bc she had to work on the morning. Girrrlll.”
Yet another commenter told of a different brand of awkward with, “Someone I know rented a place but the family owners left everything in sight. Credit card, bills, etc. — all personal information.”
The arrangement led some people to assert “nah” regarding Airbnb.
“More reasons I’m a hotel girl,” one asserted, “I wouldn’t even stay.”
Another concurred, advising the couple, “I’d just get a hotel.”
They responded by noting, “We travel full time – hotels are not an option or we’d be fully broke.”
That person, missing the point of “Travel Anyone Can Do,” retorted, “Sounds like you can’t really afford to travel.”
One commenter quipped, “Checking out at 5 am”—a comment led the couple to post a follow-up TikTok that gave another glimpse at their awkward stay.
@theordinaryadventurers Replying to @Blacc Slim Discalimer: it was a lovely AirBnB, we just felt so awkward about making noise (and about waking the dog) – we also weren’t escaping, we had a ferry to catch 😅 #airbnb#comedy#relatable#travel#budgettravel#budgetaccom#nztravel#awkward#viral#trend#newzealand#fyp#travelcouple#travel @airbnb @New Zealand ♬ Funny – Gold-Tiger
As the on-screen caption put it, “Awkardly tiptoeing [out] of someone’s house at 5 a.m. when the AirBnB is just their upstairs bedroom.”
And as they added in a caption, “Discalimer: it was a lovely AirBnB, we just felt so awkward about making noise (and about waking the dog) – we also weren’t escaping, we had a ferry to catch.”
Update: March 22, 4:10 p.m. CT: An Airbnb representative, responding to a request for comment, said, “If an Airbnb listing is not as advertised, guests should contact Airbnb right away. Our Aircover policy covers issues of misrepresented listings.”