Traveling as an EMF sensitive person can be complicated. Airplanes, subways or trains can be painful and dangerous with pumped in WiFi and hundreds of users on their microwave transceivers (cell phones). Finding a low EMF place to stay is next to impossible unless you rent a shack in the country or set up a tent in the forest. Now days most hotels and Airbnbs are all set up to provide full wireless coverage. Sensitive people need more EMF safe options.

Over the last several years I’ve stayed mainly in Airbnbs. It takes time and effort to determine if a place can be potentially safe from RFR (radio frequency radiation) – WiFi and cellular. I start by using Google maps to find an address in the vicinity of the rental and then antennasearch.com to identify the locations of the cellular towers. This has saved my brain several times. Then I contact the hosts to ask if the wireless can be turned off and the location of the router in relation to the sleeping area. Most of the time the host can answer my questions, but are not willing to make any changes. Sometimes it does not register what I’m asking and I get answers like “there is nothing wrong with our WiFi!”. I have been lucky a couple of times and the on-site hosts pulled the plug on the router at night. There was much rejoicing. And better sleep. I do travel with PPE (personal protective equipment) and if necessary wrap myself up like a burrito in bed. I’m also the guy on the airplane with a bag over my head. More on that later.

From my Airbnb experiences, the hosts put a lot of effort into making sure everything is just right and offer personal touches aligned with the prices they are charging. If more hosts were aware of the needs of sensitive people and were willing to make a few changes, they could increase their bookings and better serve the community. We’re talking mainly about people with Electromagnetic Hyper Sensitivity (EHS) and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). People with allergic reactions to different forms of electrical fields and people allergic to chemicals used in household products. These are serious conditions and in a lot of cases, debilitating. Since EMFs are my specialty, I’m focusing on the electromagnetic hygiene.

As a EMF sensitive, Building Biologists, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist (EMRS), I’m always aware of the immediate environment and thinking about solutions for my personal preservation and the well-being of others. I identify sources, measure and document the levels to be compared to the Building Biology precautionary guidelines for sleeping areas. I then create prioritized, mitigation solutions based on what I discover. More on my services here.

I find the highest priority EMF in Airbnbs today is the RF from WiFi routers. These are POWERFUL!! In clients’ homes I usually measure 20,000 μW/m² or more close to the source. Even if they are in another part of the home/building they can seriously impact a sensitive person. For this reason, when I do home assessments, the RF measurements are taken first and then anything broadcasting is powered OFF before I can continue.

Airbnb hosts could implement solutions to accommodate guests that require either WiFi or No WiFi internet access.
1. Have an Ethernet cable installed from the router into the rental space (if it’s in another area). Install a small multi-port switch so sensitive users can jack in directly to access the internet access without using WiFi. There are adapters that will let you use a phone or tablet on the wire.
2. With the Ethernet and switch in place, hard-wire anything that needs to be connected to the internet such as Smart TVs, Apple TV, Roku, etc. and turn off the wireless in the settings.
3. If the router is physically located in the rental, purchase one that has a WiFi ON/OFF button.
4. Learn how to log into the Administrator page of your router and become familiar with Enable/Disable of both 2.4 and 5 GHz wireless antennas. You can create a bookmark on the local computers for easy access. This turns off WiFi only, leaving everything wired fully connected to the internet. I’ve created a document with instructions here. On some routers, you can even do this remotely if necessary.
5. If the router is physically located in the rental and the guest needs the WiFi, do them a favor and cage or bag it to reduce the exposure without disabling.

Controlling the internet access and reducing RFR is a solid first step, however,
there are other sources of RFR to be aware of including Smart meters and external sources.

Going the distance to create and list a space as EMF Safe.
1. Engage a certified Building Biologist to do a full EMF assessment for RFR, magnetic fields, electric fields and dirty electricity.  This will include both internal and external sources. These other forms of EMFs can be just as dangerous and biologically disruptive.
2. Then have the BB measure YOUR home!
3. Have the BB provide the specific measurements and strategies to reduce as much as possible. Every situation if different.
4. Work with the BB and third party vendors if necessary to implement solutions.
5. Have the BB remeasure and provide the new, reduced numbers.
6. Proudly include the new measured numbers in your Airbnb listing and proclaim you had it evaluated and certified!!

I recently read a thread on the Airbnb community center talking about the special accommodations hosts were offering that were not showing up in search results. They can fully explain what they offer in their descriptions, but Airbnb is not providing specific boxes to be checked for Eco-Friendly or EMF/MCS Reduced space. Hopefully Airbnb is reading the posts and listening to the requests of their hosts and guests. This is important!!

For a MUCH more comprehensive explanation, view About EMFs on my website.
I’ve created a document listing common EMF generating sources and reduction suggestions. Safer_Technology_Tips

For consulting or on-site assessments, contact me.

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