Staying with locals on a bicycle tour – Warmshowers, Couchsurfing and alternatives

One of my favourite parts of solo bicycle touring is staying with locals. The human connection and the kindness of strangers make travelling solo enriching and unique. But how to find a local host on your tour? What are the best alternatives to Couchsurfing and Warmshowers?

Why should you stay with locals on your bicycle tour?

Let’s start with reasons why you should stay with a stranger instead of booking a hotel room or sleeping in your own tent.

Many people are sceptical towards using platforms like CouchSurfing or WarmShowers. I rather have my own room and stay independent. I don’t want to bother anyone. Why would I expect someone to host me for free? I don’t know this person at all: what if he is a creep? What if it’s awkward?

Those are all valid concerns. But the vast majority of my experiences staying with locals were positive. Let me tell you a few reasons why you should at least stay with locals from time to time. 

You get to know a place from a different perspective

You get to have genuine conversations about life, school, work and politics in a country you’re visiting. Tourist attractions are only one side of travelling. And to me, the other side is much more exciting! Using Couchsurfing, Warmshowers or their alternatives, you get to see the less-known corners of a city, visit the small local pubs and hangout spots and find fascinating places not mentioned in any guidebook. It also gives you the unique opportunity to see how people live and what their houses look like.

You make friends

After spending the whole day alone on your bike, day after day, even the biggest introvert craves some social interactions. Staying with locals will recharge your social batteries. And who knows – maybe your host and you have more in common than you could imagine. I am still in touch with some people I met through Couchsurfing or Workaway. Of course, there are also some I never talked to after visiting, but it doesn’t make the time spent with them any less valuable!

You experience selfless human kindness

If you watch TV news, you probably know that the world is a horrible place. Travelling and interacting with locals can prove you otherwise! People in all parts of the globe want to share their homes, show you around and learn more about visitors to their country. 

You save money

Of course, you shouldn’t treat your hosts like free accommodation but having a few more pennies in your pocket is a nice byproduct of staying with locals.

Different platforms for finding local hosts

There are different websites where you can find a local who wants to host travellers. Some of them are free, some use a subscription model, and others allow the hosts to charge a reasonable fee for letting you stay with them.

Members of WarmShowers or CouchSurfing usually host guests in their house, while Welcome To My Garden, Campspace or OneNiteTent gather folks who have enough space in their garden for the travellers to pitch a tent (especially useful in countries where wild camping is not allowed and public campsites are expensive, like most Western European countries).

There are also platforms like Workaway, where you can volunteer in return for a place to stay and something to eat. It is a perfect solution for a break during a multiple-month cycling tour. 

Websites where you can find local hosts

Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is the biggest and most famous hospitality community in the world. It has over 14 million users, so there is a big chance that you will find a host, whether you travel to Mumbai, Buenos Aires, or through the sands of the Sahara.

👍Pros:

• A large community in more than 200 000 cities worldwide allows you to find a host almost everywhere
• A user-friendly app
• Detailed profiles to see if you and your host are a good match
• Reviews and trust and safety team allow minimising the risks of unpleasant or dangerous situations
• Hangouts and events are a great way to meet new people even if you don’t want to stay at a stranger’s house

👎Cons:

• some take advantage of Couchsurfing and treat it like another Tinder
• it’s hard to find a host in the most popular destinations

💸Cost: CouchSurfing subscription costs $2.39 per month or $14.29 per year. 

Workaway 

Workaway is one of the largest databases for volunteer travellers. Why do I even include it on this list? Most Workaway hosts are families, small local organisations or small farms where you feel like joining the daily life of the locals. If you plan to travel by bike for many months, you will eventually hit the point when you don’t feel like packing your panniers again and spending another 8 hours in the saddle. Living on the road is cool, but everybody needs a break. 

👍Pros:

• Workaway allows you to stay with locals for longer than 1-3 nights
• By volunteering, you can learn something new and contribute to some really cool projects
• Reviews and verification systems ensure the safety

👎Cons:

• There are (rare) stories of Workaway hosts exploiting volunteers as cheap labour

💸Cost: 49 euros/per year for a single person, 59 euros/per year for a couple/two friends

Welcometomygarden

Welcome to my Garden is a small community of people offering free camp spots in their gardens. It is for slow travellers (cyclists and hikers). The idea originated in Belgium, where you will find the most hosts. It is slowly gaining popularity in other countries, especially in The Netherlands, France, Germany, UK, and Switzerland. Welcome to my Garden is a great way to safely sleep in your tent in countries where wild camping is illegal.

👍Pros: 

• easy-to-navigate website
• growing community
• the map on the website shows cycling and hiking routes

👎Cons: 

• it’s popular only in Western-Europe
• the host profiles have limited information compared to WarmShowers and CouchSurfing, and there is little verification
• there are no reviews for hosts and guests

💸Cost: free update July 2023: The membership fee is now 36 euros/year for travellers. You can still sign up for free as a host.

1nitetent

1nitetent is a very similar concept to Welcome to my Garden, but its users are primarily in Germany. There is no chat on the website. The hosts publish their e-mail or phone number for the guest requests.  

👍Pros:

• free of charge
• simple website

👎Cons:

• barely used outside of Germany
• no verification and limited host profiles

💸Cost: free

Warmshowers

Warmshowers is like CouchSurfing but for cyclists. If you’re looking for like-minded bike travellers, this is the place to go! I met some of the most inspiring people when using WarmShowers. 

👍Pros: 

• a fantastic community of people who genuinely love cycling
• inexpensive if you don’t use the app
• big database of users
• easy to find hosts along the main cycling routes
• review system helps you to find a host you will feel safe with

👎Cons: 

• the small team cannot always ensure verifying users
• few hosts in countries where cycling is not popular
• the app is quite pricey
• the website is a little bit old-school and not the most user-friendly

💸Cost: 30 USD setup fee + 2,99 USD/ month or 17,99 USD/year for the app subscription (possible to still use the service from the browser without purchasing the subscription).

Garden sharing

Garden sharing is an Italian website similar to Welcome to my Garden. The main difference is the price: the hosts charge you a reasonable fee for letting you stay. 

In my opinion, it’s still better than staying on expensive commercial campsites as you get to know the locals and have a chance to visit less known places in Italy. 

👍Pros: 

• user-friendly website 
• most users have extensive information on their profile
• you support the locals by paying them for your stay
• review system ensuring safety and good standard

👎Cons:

• expensive compared to other websites mentioned in this post

💸Cost: you pay for every stay, from 5 to 60 euros per night.

Campspace

Campspace is the Dutch version of Gardensharing, with people offering private camp spots. It is most popular in Western Europe, but more and more hosts in other areas like the Caucasus, the US or South America are popping up on the map. Sometimes you stay in their gardens, and sometimes they own a piece of land surrounded by the forest. 

👍Pros:

• verified profiles
• a great-looking website that is easy to use
• hosts often offer you advice on what to do in the area
• affordable, compared to commercial campsites in Western Europe
• by paying for your stay, you are helping the locals to make some extra money

👎Cons:

• more expensive than most services mentioned in this article

💸Cost: most hosts charge between 10-20 euros per night, while some only expect symbolic 1-2 euros. 

Nomadsister

If you are a solo travelling woman, you probably have concerns about whether it’s safe to use Couchsurfing or other hospitality exchange platforms. Maybe you have used them and ended up in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation.

For that reason, Christina Boixière founded Nomadsister, a homestay platform only for women.  Nomadsister is probably the best alternative to CouchSurfing for women.

👍Pros: 

• Safe for solo travelling women, with only female hosts and a thorough verification process (you go through a telephone interview before joining). 

👎Cons: 

• A well-developed network of users in France only. There are still few hostesses in other parts of the world.

💸Cost: the travel pass costs 119 euros per year or 39 euros if you are under 26 years old. 

How to be a good guest?

I have some advice to ensure your stay with locals will be a positive experience for both parties.

Communicate

One thing I particularly love about the Dutch is that they tell you what’s on their mind straight from the shoulder. At first, seems kinda rude, but when you get used to it, you start realising how simpler it makes your life.

For example, my Couchsurfing host in Rotterdam announced in her profile description that she expects the guest to cook dinner. She was also clear about when she wanted to hang out together and when she wanted to have alone time. It saved us a lot of awkwardness.

If you have any specific needs, ask your host upfront.

Ask your host about their schedule and let them know yours

You’ll know if you need to get up early in the morning because your host is going to work or if you can stay a bit longer and take it easy in the morning. Check if your host is up to doing things together or if they have a lot on their mind and offer you to stay as a pure act of kindness.

Leave the place in at least as good condition as you found it

Clean after yourself. Ask about rules for trash segregation. If you stored some food in the fridge, either take it with you or let the host know you’re leaving it. You don’t want them to discover a moulding pasta one week later.

Trust your gut

If something feels off, leave. If your host is making you uncomfortable, run away. Most people in the world are good, but bad things happen, and your gut feeling often realises something is wrong before you can rationally figure out what it is. 

Be grateful and, if possible, contribute

You don’t need to feel obliged to bring a gift but a nice gesture such as leaving a postcard or a thank you note or cooking dinner is something all hosts will appreciate.

Ask the host if you should bring your sleeping bag

You can make life easier for your host if they don’t need to wash your bedsheets after you. In general, if you can do something to make your host’s life easier, do it.

Find a balance that works for you.

If you’re an introvert who needs three days to recover after every social interaction, don’t overdo it.

If I had to use Couchsurfing or Warmshowers every night, I would end up irritable and exhausted, bursting out at everyone around me. That’s why I usually stay 1-2 nights with locals and then wild camp or stay in a hostel or guest house to have more personal space.