Couchsurfing and Workaway: magic words for travelers open to new experiences, perhaps a little penniless. How many times do we give up on a trip, or a vacation, after doing the math? The plane, the train, or the petrol and the highway. And then… the hotel. Or, to attempt to save something, an apartment of those offered on the increasingly numerous websites for short-term rentals. No way. Turning and turning the apartment or hotel is too often the largest part of the expenditure. Budget is what it is.
But if we told you that for traveling not only no need to book (and pay for) a hotel and that you can find accommodation even for free using the web? Of course, you need a little adaptability and a lot of flexibility. But especially for those who are young, the experience can give not only sure savings but also unexpected horizons, not only on our travel destinations but also in the knowledge of habits, customs and cultures different from ours.
Daydreaming? Not at all. Here's how to travel free way thanks to the web without booking any hotel. Thanks, in fact, to the use of two tools from the 2.0 era such as Couchsurfing and Workaway.
Couchsurfing: a sofa swap
Yes, it is an excellent and very famous one hospitality platform: couchsurfing, literally “surfing on the couch”, in simple terms it means sleeping on strangers sofa (free of course, meals not included)
But let's get to the heart of the matter, couchsurfing is by no means just a website with which you can travel for free but rather one community of travelers where everyone helps each other each other, (once I host you, once you host me and so the chain continues).
How do I create a profile?
It's very simple, just insert 2 or 3 images that make it clear that you are a sociable person and travel lover, all accompanied by a nice personal description, brief but not tiny, exhaustive but not redundant.
How does it work?
The best way to be hosted goes without saying that it is to have previously hosted, anyone will be more willing to host you seeing that you have already hosted yourself and are not using the site solely for your personal benefit.
1- Send hospitality requests neither too early nor too late, perhaps a week earlier that would be ideal.
2 – Try to send a minimum of 10 requests, at least a third of the hosts should give you good news.
3 – Do not copy-paste but write a unique message to each person you request hospitality from, this will significantly increase your chances of finding a place to stay.
How to travel safely?
Yes, because it is true that people on this platform are usually available and reliable but we are still talking about relying completely on unknown, so there are some rules to be respected to avoid unpleasant surprises.
1 – Read the whole profile of the unknown person you are going to host/who is going to host you, beware of profiles with a Description hasty or too short.
2 – Read i Comments that other members have previously left to this person if available.
3 – Talk to him/her before meeting him/her, try to establish a friendly relationship even before the meeting and see if it is easy and pleasant to hold a conversation.
You could even make one short call to better understand if you will be comfortable with him / her or not, in this case trust your instincts, sometimes some things feel skin.
Ps: The last thing to keep in mind when using couchsurfing is that you will actually travel without hotels e for free, therefore you will not be able to request standards appropriate to an accommodation facility while finding yourself in owned homes, you will have to be ready to travel with some less comfort, otherwise there is always the hotel.
It is recommended to download the mobile application, which is comfortable and functional.
Workaway: volunteer work in exchange for room and board
The tasks can be the most varied: from babysitting, to work on the farm, to looking after the house, to work in a hostel, and much more (it will also be possible to come across situations of lightly paid work and not pure voluntary work).
Literally "work away", this network allows you to enjoy room and board working 4 to 5 hours a day. At the base is the ideal of bartering labor in exchange for food and the opportunity to be able to stay wherever you want because yes, workaway it is operational on every continent.
How do I create a profile?
Also in this case the procedure is really simple, it is essential to upload 2 or 3 images that will have the function of "resume photo“, write a captivating personal description and, very important detail, select your own from a list personal skills (that is, what we will be able to offer to the owners of a farm, campsite or winery).
How does it work?
Clearly here too, having some references will make it easier to be accepted at any home/company, but this is not predominant since it is more complicated in this case to have previous experience.
1 – Send hospitality requests well in advance, a month before or even more, few users on workaway check their profile frequently.
2 – Again try to send a minimum of 10 requests, at least a third of the hosts should give you good news.
3 – Write a personalized message to each person you address, based on skills and skills required by the individual work situation.
4 – Send hospitality requests by minimum one week, no one will want to start a "job plan" with one person arriving and leaving in a matter of days.
How to travel safely?
The issue with workaway is a little different as we are now talking about “job performance” and whenever it comes to paid or voluntary work, anyone who takes it a little more seriously, here are our advice.
1 – Here too read the whole profile of the unknown person you are about to host/who is about to host you, be wary of profiles with a cursory or too short description and read the comments that other members have previously left to this person, if available.
2 – The most important thing is to talk to your contact person e immediately agree on working hours, by the book you shouldn't exceed 4-5 hours, if you are offered to lend labor for 6 hours or more, run away.
3 - Treat yourself to one trial week and if you feel comfortable, continue to stay where you have chosen, otherwise, if the right chemistry doesn't click, change places. It's not at all easy to be in one place 24 hours a day and not get along with the people you'll have to live with for weeks, better to change the air in a similar case.
Ps Using workaway you will have to put yourself in the order of ideas of being traveling thanks to some sort of part time job, clearly the standards of the lazy holiday enjoyed from the bottom of a deck chair by the sea are far gone, but for adventurous travel keeping the hotel away it will work great.
Also for this hospitality platform there is an excellent application for smartphones, we suggest you not to miss this one either.
