5 Creative Alternatives to Hotels While Traveling
Calling all wanderers, free spirits and boho babes: The open road is beckoning, and adventure is the only true destination. Maybe it’s just summer excitement and #vanlife that’s got us obsessively looking at Instagram vacays, but these overnight travel options have got us breaking all of our workday productivity tips to surf the web. We’re completely ditching hotels to stay local and have an authentic experience. Scroll on to discover how you can too.
1. Overnight: This is the latest (and possibly greatest) app to hit the anti-hotel rolodex. It’s for procrastinators and spontaneous people alike, as it allows you to easily book last-minute accommodations. It connects you with a local in real time with in-app messaging and takes care of billing as well.
2. WWOOF: Wake up in Italy, pick some grapes and taste the literal fruits of your labor (AKA wine) with your host family. WWOOF connects you with organic farmers who trade room and board for a few hours of work each day. It stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and is by far one of the coolest, most conscious ways to travel.
3. Airbnb: Even your grandma knows about Airbnb, but we couldn’t have this kind of list without it. Its reliability, easy-to-use app and ever-growing listings have made this the top dog for wanderlusty travel.
4. Couchsurfing: For the true bohemian, couchsurfing is the equivalent of old school hitchhiking. It’s completely free, but works on a pay-it-forward system that encourages you to be both guest and host. The community is global and stays can range from an actual couch all the way to a swanky private room.
5. Workaway: Similar to WWOOFing, Workaway offers room and board for a few hours of help in whatever area the accommodation requests. It could be checking in guests to the hippest hostel in Amsterdam or teaching a morning yoga class in India. The application process is straightforward, and the local experience is well worth it.
Which one of these local stay options gives you the travel bug? Let us know @BritandCo.
(Photos via Getty)