How to Get Free Accommodation

Accommodation can be one of the single biggest travel expenses you'll face. It can also have a major impact on your enjoyment of a trip - particularly for long-term travellers who are more prone to bouts of boredom (yes, even travel can get boring), loneliness, isolation and travel fatigue.

Budget accommodation is often very basic

I remember meeting a very worldly traveller in Cambodia who described needing to "take a holiday from travelling" and splash out on a nice hotel, as she'd simply had enough of budget rooms and basic amenities (and in South East Asia basic can mean basic - as in no flushing toilet, cold showers, a single lightbulb and a mat on the floor). 

Certainly nothing recharges those wanderlust batteries quite like a night of luxury - as I experienced first-hand this week when my partner surprised me with a gorgeous room in The Circus Hotel in Mitte for my birthday. 

The Circus Hotel in Mitte, Berlin

Although we haven't exactly been slumming it in our apartment in Friedrichshain, it was still wonderful to feel like holidaymakers instead of travellers for 24 blissful hours. We relaxed and sipped wine from our chic suite overlooking the courtyard; watched movies on the big plasma TV from the confines of our king-size bed and washed away the frosty Berlin winter (and our hangovers) with a lengthy hot rain shower in our serene en-suite bathroom... 

Whilst such luxury is definitely not going to be cost-effective over the long term, you can still treat yourself every now and again - particularly if you can get some of your other accommodation absolutely free.

How? 

It's not as difficult as it sounds...

1. Extended Network

I'll begin by stating the obvious - consider whether anyone you know may be living in the cities you're planning to visit and subtly (or not so subtly) enquire about whether they could let you stay for a few nights. 

I generally only take this path with people I am really comfortable with, or when I'm certain that such an arrangement won't have a detrimental impact on the future of our friendship. Unfortunately I've had some not-so-pleasant experiences in the past (jealous partners who aren't entirely comfortable with 'another woman' sleeping over; hosts that have turned out to enjoy a drink or twenty each and every night...) so more often than not I'll pay for the autonomy/privacy of my own place and simply ask friends or acquaintances to play tour guide instead. 

Ask within your extended network for recommendations
and potential hosts

However, if you think it's safe and could save you significant $$ it never hurts to ask. Just be sure to repay their generosity - friend or otherwise, I always like to cook a nice meal or do their laundry for them or simply buy them a bottle of wine... anything that lets them know I appreciate their hospitality.

And ALWAYS clean up after yourself!!

In addition it doesn't hurt to ask friends and family if there's anyone within their extended network who might consider hosting a  polite and well-behaved traveller... Although there's a greater risk associated with this (particularly for the friend who is recommending you), it can also be a great way to meet people - in Sienna a friend hooked me up with another expat and I spent a fabulous night with her going to music gigs and parties and frolicking in the snow (a much-needed interlude between months of travelling solo and drinking vino by myself).

2. Couchsurfing

This is really an extension of the above, just between two (or more) strangers via a formal website like Couchsurfing.org. 

How it works: wannabe couchsurfers register with the site and create an online profile, much like a Facebook profile or an internet dating profile or any other such online profile where you project your best self to the world and share your most flattering photographs. You then simply search for the city you plan to visit and peruse the list of hosts with couches available. If you see one you like, you send them a 'Couchrequest' for the dates you want, which they can either accept or deny. There's also regular Couchsurfing events that happen all over the world, where travellers and their potential hosts can meet and network and flirt. 

Couchsurfing can be a great for solo travellers

Personally I've never needed to Couchsurf in the past thanks to the generosity of my friends and family (or I've simply buddied up with other travellers on the road).
We haven't utilised Couchsurfing on this trip yet either, primarily because it's harder for couples to find hosts willing to take two people but also because we've been able to split costs, or stay for free via other means...

But I can definitely see the appeal for solo travellers wanting to meet friendly locals who can get them off the tourist trail for a while. Many say they've met people they otherwise wouldn't meet via Couchsurfing, or had unique and unforgettable experiences, or gone on to become hosts themselves. 

However it's not without it's risks - whilst the Couchsurfing website is full of safety tips, you just need to Google 'Couchsurfing horror stories' to see how things can go terribly, terribly wrong...   

3. House Sitting

House sitting (the practice where a home owner goes away for a period of time and entrusts their property and/or pets to a house sitter to take care of) is nothing new, however like most forms of human interaction it has exploded in recent years thanks to the internet. A simple Google search will produce hundreds of house sitting websites, not to mention all of the other online classifieds such as Craigslist, Gumtree, etc.

And despite every other travel blogger boasting about how they "travelled the world for FREE thanks to house sitting!" it's a tough gig to get, as there's always far more house sitters than home owners needing their properties looked after.

Also - many of the reputable house sitting websites charge aspiring house sitters to join, but there's no guarantee you'll have any success. And I've found many of the properties advertising for a house sitter are in remote locations (although this can certainly be a positive thing if it's the peace and tranquility of a small village you're after).

Retirees are often popular with home owners, as are mature single women (read into that what you will). Unfortunately young backpackers may find it harder to get a home owner to hand over their keys - at least initially. Like any peer review website, once the glowing endorsements start being published and home owners see that you're trustworthy it's far easier to sell yourself.

Your best bet is to spread the word via your extended network and try placing your own advertisement in the relevant online classifieds. You should scan the free websites as often as you can for any suitable opportunities, but be aware that many home owners won't list their property until a month or a few weeks beforehand, and when they do you'd best be quick as they will have plenty of takers!

House sitting will often involve taking care of pets

If you do pay to join a house sitting website, be sure to do your research on whether the site is reputable and check how many current listings they have. When writing your profile be sure to emphasise how trustworthy, responsible and reliable you are - I always offer character references from previous landlords and emphasise relevant experience (e.g. anything that involved housekeeping or looking after animals or babysitting works well). Being as flexible as possible with dates, being a non-smoker and actually enjoying taking care of animals helps too!

If you do secure a gig, make sure to thoroughly discuss everything beforehand with the home owner - e.g. Emergency numbers, distance to shops/amenities, available transport, particulars of the property (Pool need cleaning? Plants need watering?), daily routines for the animals, utility costs etc. A formal agreement is recommended too, so that both parties are clearly aware of what is expected and to avoid potential problems down the road.

4. Work Exchanges

Easily one of our favourite ways to get accommodation for free is to offer something in return. Why? Because while it's great to enjoy the hospitality of others, it also feels good to bring something to the table (in addition to your charismatic personality). You can have experiences you otherwise wouldn't have, see places you otherwise wouldn't see, make some friends, learn something new... And if you're travelling for any significant length of time, it can feel good to put those hard-earned skills to use and flex those intellectual muscles again.

The hostel in Slovakia where we worked
in exchange for food and accommodation

Over the last 5 months we've completed 4 work exchanges, the longest being 1 month and the rest 1-2 weeks. But that's meant over 2 months of accommodation absolutely free. The money saved has allowed us to treat ourselves on other occasions - e.g. a 3 day blue cruise; a few days hiring a Jeep; a few more nights out partying than we really needed...

It's included working a mere 2-3 hours a day in a backpacker hostel in Slovakia in exchange for a double room, all meals and even free beer (so we basically lived for free, as our only spending was when we chose to go out somewhere).

We've done marketing and graphic design for a windsurfing business in Turkey, in exchange for free sailing/windsurfing, food and our own apartment 150m from the beach. In Romania we helped another host with his online business, and not only did he cover all food and give us a double room but he took us hiking in the mountains and drove us to nearby towns to go sightseeing.

A host's property in Romania

Some of these opportunities have simply come about because we were in the right place at the right time, or got talking to business owners who could utilise our skills. Others we've found advertised online via websites such as workaway.info or helpx.net.

I'll admit, it hasn't always been smooth sailing (I'll go into the pros and cons of work exchanges in
another post). However if you're planning on spending any significant time abroad, I highly recommend giving it a try. You don't need solid business or media skills either (although it helps) as there's plenty of hosts looking for wait staff, general labourers, gardeners, housekeepers, help with child minding or dog walking, help with computers... Even just speaking English can be enough.

However the one thing I will say about work exchanges is don't just do it for a free bed. Because even if you're only working a few hours a day, in a picturesque location with free meals and beers provided... You're still 'working' for the equivalent of  a few measly dollars per hour. You need another incentive, such as a genuine desire to help or use your skills or learn something new. There's easier ways to get a free roof over your head!

Whatever method you choose, just remember - be a gracious guest. It can make all the difference between leaving with pleasant memories or unpleasant ones.

Be a gracious guest and you'll make friends - not enemies!