How to find free accommodation as a traveler? This guide will give you all the options on how to stay somewhere for free while traveling!
It’s been your dream to take a few months off and hit the road for a long-term trip but you don’t have much money and you want your budget to last as long as possible.
Or maybe you’re (almost) broke – been there, done that – and you’re looking into options on finding a great travel job or making money online.
In either situation, you’re probably looking into ways of saving as much money as you can while still being able to have an awesome experience in a foreign country.
If you can relate to this, keep reading…
After almost 10 years of traveling on a tight budget, I learned how to save money on the one thing that costs me the most while I’m on the road: accommodation.
In this article, I’ll share with you all the options on how to find free accommodation so you can save tons of money!
I would like to emphasize here that most options are only possible thanks to the great communities of hospitable people.
If the people I met through these platforms wouldn’t have opened their doors for me, life on the road would have been a lot harder (like literally, because sleeping on the street isn’t very comfy).
So keep in mind, this list isn’t just a way of finding free accommodation but most importantly a way of meeting awesome people with whom you can exchange stories, interests, and who can teach you about their culture.
If you don’t like to interact with people, there might be a few options for you, but just a few…
1. Housesitting
House-sitting gives you the opportunity to live rent-free in the home of people while they are on holiday. In exchange, you take care of the house and their pet(s) for a few weeks or even a few months.
House-sitting is an ideal option if you want to work online (just make sure they have wi-fi) and/or want to stay in one place for a longer time and experience daily life in this area.
There are many house-sitting websites on which you can make a profile, pay a membership fee, and connect with people from all around the world who are in need of a house-sitter.
You can read everything about house sitting, how to become a house sitter, how to find a fantastic house sitting job, and a list of the best house sitting websites in:
My tips for house-sitting: make sure you have an awesome-looking profile, give enough details about yourself, and have a few references to show.
The owners want to make sure they don’t leave their house and pets in the hands of a psychopath who wants to use their home to hold use crazy voodoo parties, hide dead bodies, or burn it down…
Care for the house as if it would be your own!! And if you’re not an animal lover, don’t even bother applying because most houses will come with some furry and/or feathery companions!
2. Home-Exchange
If you happen to own a house or apartment, you could also consider swapping homes with a house-owner from another country.
I don’t own a house and I don’t think anyone would like to exchange their home for my little tent (in case you are, please let me know…) but it sounds like a fun and interesting way to live abroad for free!
Here are some home-exchange platforms you should check out:
3. Hospitality Exchange – Spend the night with a Local
Yeah, I know how that last part sounds but that’s not what I’m aiming at (although, I wouldn’t judge you if you meet an attractive local).
Many websites will connect you with people from all around the world who offer travelers a free bed or couch for one or more nights in their house.
I’ve used some of those websites during my past and present travels and have met great people who are now good friends.
It’s also a fun way to learn more about the culture of a country by staying with locals and they might even show you places in their city or region that can’t be found in a travel guide!
3.1 How do those websites work?
Firstly you’ll have to make a profile. Give a detailed description of yourself and upload a few lovely photos. Better not show any pictures in which you’re half-naked, wearing a bikini (girls, you really don’t want to get that kind of attention), drunk at a party, or killing a puppy. First impressions are important here (unless you’re looking for like-minded puppy-haters).
After you made yourself a profile, you can start searching for hosts.
Most websites have a search engine where you can type the name of the country and city that you want to visit and you’ll get a list of all the people who would like to host you.
Click on their profile and send them a request. Always mention when and how long you want to stay and why you choose them as your host (“only because you have a free bed” won’t probably convince them to take you in).
A few remarks we would like to make here:
- Always read the profile of the people you want to stay with.
Get to know who they are, what they like, and what you have in common…
Be aware, some hosts might see these websites as dating sites. Sometimes it’s quite obvious as some male hosts will only open their home to female travelers (and vice versa) so ALWAYS read the references that other travelers wrote about the host, to avoid unpleasant surprises.
- Don’t see the hosts as a cheap way of visiting the city.
We only recommend these websites if you are genuinely interested in meeting people.
How would you feel if you opened your home to a stranger who barely speaks to you and uses your spare room as if it was a hotel room?
If you’re not the social type or you want a room where you can be alone for a few days (we hear you, we sometimes need some personal space too), you can always stay in a private hostel room or book a cheap apartment on AirB&B!
- Be interested in your hosts.
Get to know them, ask where they would recommend you to go, explore the city together, make conversation over a few beers,…
And always thank them for their hospitality (buy them chocolate, offer to cook them a meal,…)
3.2 Hospitality Exchange Websites
Here’s a list of websites where you can contact people from all over the world who will open their homes for you:
Couchsurfing is the most known and popular platform that connects travelers with hosts.
You can become a verified member for $20 per year but it’s not mandatory. If you’re not verified, you can only contact a limited amount of people per week. I discovered this website in 2010 and always had good experiences with it.
However, more and more people have been complaining about Couchsurfing, stating that it’s not the same like it used to be, that it became more of a social media profit platform with fewer real travelers and more people looking for an exotic date.
I’ve even heard a few horror stories about guys harassing girls, expecting sex in exchange for the free stay,… Despite all the negativity, I still think Couchsurfing is a good and well-functioning platform. Niko and I used it not so long ago and never had any bad or weird experiences.
My tips: read the profile thoroughly (especially the references), be picky, exchange a few messages, maybe connect on Facebook to stalk them a little (now who’s the creep here) or contact the travelers that left a reference to your potential host, follow your feeling and if you are a solo female traveler, you might feel safer to only connect with female hosts.
If you don’t want to use CouchSurfing or you want to have more options, here’s a list of alternative platforms where you can also connect with fellow travelers and locals:
Travel Ladies is a new Couchsurfing platform designed exclusively for female travelers seeking safe and enriching cultural exchange around the world.
Through the Travel Ladies app, you can stay for free with local women, find female travel buddies and meet up with nearby women. I would definitely recommend this platform for solo female travelers!
This website is the younger brother of Couchsurfing and is a non-profit open-source to connect travelers and hosts.
It doesn’t have as many members as Couchsurfing but so far I haven’t come across any bad reviews. I think it’s definitely worth checking out!
This non-profit website was developed by a small team of activists who also created Hitchwiki, Trashwikiand Nomadwiki.
They created Trustroots as an alternative to Couchsurfing, where travelers and nomads can connect with the genuine intention of helping other travelers – especially hitchhikers – by offering them a free bed for the night and exchange hitchhiking/travel stories.
The community isn’t very big but is definitely trustworthy!
The Warmshowers community is a free worldwide hospitality exchange for touring cyclists.
It connects hosts who are happy to offer traveling cyclists a warm shower and a bed in exchange for great cycling/travel tales. So far, I’ve only heard positive stories about Warmshowers.
Staydu is a new social site on which you can find three types of hosts.
The hosts with the red dot will offer you free accommodation in exchange for help (this can be painting a room, looking after the kids, or teaching them your language), the hosts with the yellow dot will ask you to pay some money for the room and the hosts with the blue dot offer you free accommodation in their house.
It’s like HelpX meets AirBnB meets Couchsurfing on Staydu. Hosts can sign up for free, travelers need to pay a small membership fee.
Sounds like a great platform to me, I’ll definitely try this one out in the near future!
Lesbian & Gay Hospitality Exchange International is a network for lesbians and gay men from around the world who offer their hospitality to other community members at no charge.
The annual membership fee is €25. There are currently more than 500 listings in over 30 countries.
4. Volunteering in exchange for food and a bed
Another fun and mind-opening way of traveling and saving your budget is to work in exchange for food and accommodation.
There are four main organizations you can become a member of and where you find many interesting places to stay for a few weeks, learn great new skills, meet interesting people and experience a different way of living in exchange for a few hours of work per day.
I worked for food and board many times in different countries. A few times I stayed in a hostel for free, in exchange for two and a half hours of daily work. It was easy: preparing breakfast, cleaning rooms, doing laundry, checking in guests…
I also got a free breakfast and certain hostel-owners even gave me weekly pocket money, which I used for buying food.
The small number of hours I had to work gave me a lot of free time, which was a great opportunity to find an extra-paid job on the side or explore the area I was living in.
I also worked on farms and in home-stays where I gained a lot of new skills.
I learned how to train llamas in New Zealand, take care of horses and other animals in Australia and England, landscape gardens in Ireland, build little sheds, make fires, chop wood, cook, …
Just be aware of one thing when you volunteer: not all the hosts are genuine.
Some of them will see you as cheap labor and will barely provide basic accommodation. If you end up in a place like that, get the hell out of there and leave a report on the website.
This happened to me a few times. I had to work 8 to 9 hours a day for a small amount of food, slept in a bed full of fleas, got verbally abused by my host,… Always check the references of the people with whom you want to stay! If they have more than three negative references, don’t even bother contacting them.
It’s also good to look at how many people the hosts want. In our experience, the more people they need, the more likely it is you’ll be used as a cheap workforce. But this is luckily not always the case.
If you know of any website, platform, or other ways of finding free accommodation that I haven’t mentioned in this list, please let m know in the comments or send me an email!
I would also love to hear about your experiences with any of the communities, websites, and other options I’ve mentioned!
You might also like to read:
The Ultimate List of 23 Countries with Digital Nomad Visas (for remote workers)
What is the best Affordable Travel Insurance for Backpackers? The 3 Best Backpacker Travel Insurance Companies Compared
Travel and volunteer abroad for free with these 4 work exchange programs
The Complete Guide to Teach English Online with 37 Online Teaching schools and Platforms
How to Make Money While Traveling the World including the 12 Best Travel Jobs
16 Things to Prepare for a Long trip – International Travel Checklist
How to become a House Sitter – The Complete Guide to House Sitting
A New Way to Travel : Becoming a Ski Instructor in Japan
I started to write a list of places, one can survive a night for free. Some of them are little bit hardcore, but it’s for those in a real emergency. Check out and also add more ideas! 🙂 http://vandorful.blog.hu/2016/12/11/where_to_sleep_for_free
Hi Daniel, we just checked out your list and yes, some are a little hardcore 😀 but if the need for shelter is high, every indoor place is welcome 🙂 Great list!
We have used AirBnB and booked for longer than 28 days. It varies by location but you can get some amazing rates for longer term rentals.
Thanks for the tip Elizabeth!
That are pretty cool tips. I think I would go and do housesitting. 🙂
If you like to have some privacy and lots of time for yourself, then housesitting is a great option!
Great tips and definitely would like to try Woofing some places!
Liked the training of llamas best!
We have been house sitting full time now for a year, it has saved us huge on accommodation costs, plus we love having pets again for a short while. We have yet to use any of the other methods, but have looked into workaways, we just haven’t felt it was time to purchase the membership yet.
House sitting is great! We love it too, like you say, it’s nice to have pets for a while! We combine it with Helpx if we want to learn something new or be involved in a project or save money on food 🙂 It’s a good life 😉
Hi, do not hesitate use Workaway. I has been living this way since December 2016 and I still don’t have enough 🙂 I Love spend time with locals and become a part of the family. 😉 Isn’t it housesitting little bit sad ?
I wouldn’t say that housesitting is sad 🙂 It’s a different way of experiencing the local life. I’ve been volunteering with HelpX since 2010 and, with two exceptions, always loved it. I started with housesitting last year and had a great experience. I met a lot of people, made some great friends and it was nice to have ‘a place for myself’ for a little while. Housesitting is a great option when you need more time to work on your own projects, which isn’t always possible with Helpx, Wwoofing or Workaway. It really depends on the way you want to travel and every way is good, as long as you love it 😉
We are big WWoofing fans and are starting our first international house sit tomorrow in SW France.
Oh waw! Good luck! Are you also looking after pets? Enjoy France!!