How to Stay with Locals ALL Over the World: 13 of the Best Booking Sites
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If you’ve clicked on this post, then you’re probably someone who is interested in booking a vacation with the hopes to stay with a local or in locally-owned accommodations.
Or maybe you’re just here to read something while you sit on the toilet.
Either way, WELCOME! Let’s find some accommodations that will help you stay with locals from all over the world!
Table of Contents
Stay with Locals Abroad: Pros
There are a lot of advantages when you stay with a local while traveling. First, they are usually less crowded and more low-key. When compared to a resort, for example, a locally-owned boutique hotel will have fewer rooms, and thus fewer guests, so the hotel might be quieter and feel less busy. On that same hand, with less guests, the staff that are able to spare more time for you and make your experience more personal.
Plus, when you stay with locals abroad, you are able to see a different perspective of the place you are visiting. Even if you have visited a specific place before, if you stay with a local, whether a boutique hotel or someone’s house, your experience will be vastly different. Viewing a country from a local’s perspective and having the opportunity to ask a community member questions about the region’s culture and history is a vital aspect of decolonizing travel and your global view.
What’s cooler than having an authentic cultural exchange and furthering your intercultural understanding? And boom – you can head in that direction when you stay with a local!
Stay with Locals: Cons
Although there are incredible pros when you stay with locals while traveling, depending on your situation, there may also be cons.
- Losing out on “loyalty points” by staying at chain hotels
- Potentially less accessible than chain hotels
Now, these might not personally affect you or be a drawback for you, I still do want to address them and maybe help you find a solution to that obstacle.
Since I am now a very loyal customer of Hilton hotels, I run into the first con a lot. Do I book Hilton and maximize my points and perks, or do I book a stay with locals for that extra experience? Personally, I opt for the points, but there are a lot of places I travel where there aren’t Hiltons, like when I visited Teotitlan del Valle in Oaxaca, Mexico. So I am still able to get that experience, but it depends on the destination.
I’ve also noticed that, again depending on destination, sometimes boutique hotels may be less accessible. Big hotels have the resources to equip their rooms with visual or auditory signals for deaf or blind travelers. It is also pretty standard for them to have ramps for people who travel with wheelchairs and walkers. Big hotels are generally more central and easier to find as well. BUT, you can always contact your local host or the boutique hotel if their accommodations can…well, accommodate you!
The Breakdown of HOW You Can Stay with Locals!
So you know the pros and cons for when you choose to stay with locals while traveling, and you’ve decided you’d like to give it a try! Well…how do you do that? Where do you find the locals to stay with??
Luckily for you, I’ve put together a list of websites that will facilitate your stay with locals and help you find a host wherever you want to travel in the world! However, there are 3 categories to this list.
- Free Accommodations
- Work for Accommodation
- Paid Accommodations
Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages for both, depending on your budget and travel style, but hopefully you’ll find at least one site that works for you!
That said, since I personally suck at creating profiles, my good friend Lena from Social Travel Experiment volunteered to let me share pictures of her profiles for different local accommodation sites!
FREE ACCOMMODATIONS
Every budget traveler’s favorite method to stay with locals. Free accommodations free up your travel budget for other fun things. Like food. And tours! But free accommodations usually also require you to be a bit more flexible in terms of accommodation expectations.
Since there is no monetary compensation for these hosts, you have to have something else of interest for them. This can be a common interest, or an offer to cook for them, clean for them, or teach them something they might be interested in. Really, this is all about conveying a personal connection. WHY should they offer YOU accommodation? Since all of the following platforms are built on trust, it is crucial that you are your best self and are as open as possible.
COUCHSURFING
Hands down, the biggest website for free accommodations to stay with locals is Couchsurfing. The whole concept here is about sharing your life with strangers, being open-minded, and making the world a better place. So, as a Couchsurfing host, they are looking for people that would be interesting and vibe with them the best.
On the other hand, as a Couchsurfing guest, you would be looking for hosts that provide the same qualities for you as well.
The Couchsurfing website is intuitive, and there is also an app available to send or read messages on the go. Many hosts love to hang out with their guests and show them around town. So if that’s something you’re looking for, Couchsurfing would be a great option for you!
TRUSTROOTS
Trustroots is a fairly new site, founded in 2015, but in only a few years it has grown to immensely. While the main principle is similar the Couchsurfing, the distinguishing feature is that you can find hosts based on certain interests by joining those interest groups. For example, if you are a musician or cyclists, you can join (or form!) a group together and search for hosts within said group (the map and interface is amazing!) when you decide to travel.
Another key difference from Couchsurfing is that Trustroots is a non-profit foundation, and funds the platform based on donations. That means no ads, no selling your data, and no fees in an attempt to monetize a website based on compassion (a big criticism of Couchsurfing users).
However, Trustroots is an invite-only community. Therefore, you can only sign-up if you have an invitation code from another member. This way only people who are a good fit and are recommended by someone else in the community are able to join.
BEWELCOME
BeWelcome is a sub-organization by the French non-profit called BeVolunteer. Similar to Trustroots, it is completely run by volunteers and is funded by donations. BeWelcome wants to promote “friendship and better understanding across boundaries” by offering a platform that allows travelers to stay with locals. However, unlike Trustroots, BeWelcome is not invite-only.
One cool feature is that you can create your profile in multiple languages! It can really help when you want to stay with locals who may not speak English (or whatever language either of you speak). If you want to practice some of your language skills, it may also help you connect with someone who speaks that language as well.
HORIZON
The Horizon website follows a very simple concept. You join – or are invited to – groups with similar interests to yours. The members of these groups become the pool of possible hosts or guest to choose from. Pretty straightforward.
Though, one key distinction between Horizon and other hospitality networks that allow you to stay with locals is that at after your stay, you are asked if you would like to make a donation to charity. It is part of their “Pay it Forward” philosophy.
There are three charities that Horizon is partnered with: Kiva, an organization that acts as a “bank” (funded by microloaners – aka you) to offer loans at 0% interest to entrepreneurs that are unable to get loans otherwise; Pencils of Promise, a non-profit organization that builds schools and increases educational opportunities in recovering countries; and Mary’s Place, a nonprofit organization that provides safe, inclusive shelter and services for women, children, and families.
GLOBAL FREELOADERS : CURRENTLY OFFLINE/HAITUS
Global Freeloaders is a community for travelers who are looking for a free place to sleep. But the catch – if you want to stay somewhere for free, you will have to also offer a free place for someone at your home. This means if you are a permanent travelers or your home is for whatever reason not fit to receive guests, Global Freeloaders is not an option for you.
That said, there isn’t really a strict regulation or enforcing of this rule, especially since there is no time-limit in which you will be required to host someone. It’s very much an honor code system of give-and-take.
WARM SHOWERS
Warm Showers is a hospitality network for cyclists specifically. So if you are planning a vacation by bicycle, this is the community for you. The basic principle is no different from other site where you can stay with locals, but all of you just happen to have a common passion. Cycling.
I actually can’t tell you much about this site because I am not signed up nor do I enjoy cycling. But if you do, I would love to hear all about your experience! Let me know in the comments below!
SERVAS
Servas is a hospitality network with a long history. Founded in 1948 after the Second World War, its goal was to promote peace between nations by encouraging visitors to stay with locals and learn about their culture. Although there is no direct monetary exchange between guests and hosts, you do need to pay a sign-up fee and yearly membership. Sooo…not exactly free, BUT it can work out to be a very good deal depending on how much you travel, especially for full-time travelers!
Sign-up to Servas is much stricter compared to other websites, but for good reason. To ensure greater security and trust between users, there is a vetting process before someone can become a member. Anyone who wants to join has to go through an interview with a local representative of the organization after submitting their application to the site.
Servas International currently has around 15000 hosts in over 100 countries.
Work for Accommodation
Also known as a Work Stay: Working in exchange for a free stay with locals and food can take on many forms. Luckily, there are multiple platforms that offer that experience.
HELPX
HelpX (Help Exchange) is a platform that connects farms, B&Bs, hostels and other similar organizations with volunteers. In exchange for an average of 4 hours of work per day, the volunteers will receive free meals and an accommodation stay with locals. While living with someone, you will get to know their lifestyle, work, and culture. Plus, you will even be able to learn some new skills.
While signing up as a helper is free, in order to contact hosts yourself, you will need to pay a fee of 20 Euros for 2 years. If you do not want to pay that fee, you can sit back and hope that organizations reach out to you instead.
WORK AWAY
Same idea, different platform; Work Away connects travelers with work opportunities given by families, individuals, or organizations. In exchange for a couple of hours of work per day, the traveler will get to stay with locals and meals. And of course, the opportunity to get to know a place in-depth and what it is like to live in that region
Work opportunities on Work Away include planting, babysitting, building, or volunteering at local schools. In fact, there’s a whole bunch of interesting activities you can get into!
WWOOF
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, WWOOF, will let you experience working on organic farms in 210 countries all over the world. As a volunteer, you will be able to learn about life in rural areas of the country in addition to being taught how to grow food organically and how to protect the planet doing it. In exchange for 5 to 6 hours of work per day, a WWOOFer will receive free accommodation and food. Learn about farming AND staying with locals? Sign me up.
That said, WWOOF is organized on country level, each with a separate website. The biggest WWOOF organization is the one in Australia with 2600 hosts.
Paid Accommodations
The last option, if you weren’t able to find someone to take you in for free and/or if you don’t want to spend your RTW trip working, is to just pay and stay with locals.
Local residents who offer their private homes in exchange for money usually don’t SOLELY do it for the money (err, most of the time), so if you choose an option that allows shared bedroom/private bedroom instead of having the whole house to yourself, you still have that opportunity to make a connection.
AIRBNB
You have probably heard about Airbnb right? The basic principle is that someone lists their house/apartment, room, or place to sleep on the website for a nightly price. A potential guest can then look for hosts around their destination and take them up on their offer or not. Airbnb will take a small cut of the hosts earnings.
Depending on how you use Airbnb, it can be a social accommodation or not. Airbnb gives you the opportunity to stay with locals at their homes, you just have to set the filter of your search to “Own Room” or “Shared Room” and you are good to go! There are many amazing hosts around the world who would love to invite you into their homes…with the benefit of a little monetary compensation haha. Hey – we all gotta pay bills okay?
HOMESTAY
Homestay is a generalized word to describe staying at a persons local home. The website is actually the biggest in providing the service of matching potential homestay hosts with guests wanting to stay with locals.
The website navigation is super easy. You sign up with your email, create a very simple profile, like the one you can see above and you are good to go. Searching for a host is very similar to the search on a hotel booking site or even Airbnb. Enter your location, how many nights you will stay and how many people are traveling with you. You can choose your host from a list of hosts. Every hosts has a profile with pictures of the place and what to expect.
BOOKING.COM
And last but CERTAINLY not least – Booking dot com.
Yes, you can also stay with locals using Booking. It’s surprisingly not JUST a hotel booking site. You can find guest houses, apartments, or even hostels that are locally owned and operated. They are often cheaper than a hotel room and much more homely. Most of the time, the hosts are on premise and can help you with your questions.
That said, sometimes it can be difficult to determine whether or not a property is locally owned. Definitely take a look at the reviews and contact the host directly via Booking if you do not see a clear answer.
Traveling to Stay with Locals: Conclusion
Whew, that was a lot of information at once! Congrats for getting through all of it! Hopefully you’ve found at least one or two websites that you would like to use in your quest to stay with locals from around the world!
I do want to point out, however, that unfortunately, there are hosts with biases against people of color, religions, gender, and sexual orientation. Another travel blogger I know, Jade from Travel and Blossom, had an absolutely terrible experience with WorkAway. And other stories of Black travelers having issues finding Couchsurfing hosts. So…just be aware.
Did I miss any from the list? Let me know some of your favorites in the comments below!
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