Stay for free
Free lodgings in Britain: Hospitality networks (couchsurfing), home swaps, and house sitting services
Yes, it can be done! There are plenty of ways you can sleep absolutely for free—and none of them involves park benches or sneaking out of hotel windows via the fire escape at 4am.
From hospitality exchanges to home swapping to house sitting to barter networks and work exchanges, here is how to do it.
Some of these techniques do involve joining a club or network, and there is a fee involved with that, but spending the night won't cost you a dime—and besides, those one-time fees tend to cost less than a single night's stay in a mid-priced hotel.
Ways to stay for free
Couchsurfing and other hospitality networks allow you to sleep for free in other member's homes
Hospitality networks gather folks who are willing to put up fellow members in their homes for free or for a small fee
Tips on having the most comfortable air travel experience possible, from getting to and from the airport to picking the right seat on the plane
Sleep in a religious guesthouse or retreat at abbeys, monasteries, priories, and convents across the U.K. from just £45
Sleep for free on vacation by watching someone's house (and, often, watering their plants and feeding their cat)
Trading spaces isn't just a show on basic cable anymore. It's a way to live life like a local on your travels absolutely for free—so long as you let the local borrow your life (and home) in return.
Programs like WWOOF and Helpx let you barter your services for a free place to stay
If you love sailing, or just have an unquenchable taste for adventure and new experiences, you can sign on to help crew a boat just about anywhere in the world, including the U.K.
A network of free stone cabins where you can sleep off the beaten path in the U.K.
- Couchsurfing.com - The largest free hospitality network, with mroe than 12 million users in 200,000 cities, including more than 130,000 hosts in London, more than 10,000 hosts in Edinburgh, and nearly 5,000 in Oxford.
- Hospitalityclub.org - Nearly 25,000 users in the U.K., including nearly 7,000 in London, 780 in Edinburgh, and 292 in Oxford.
- Globalfreeloaders.com - More than 9,000 users in the U.K., including 2,600 in London and 258 in Edinburgh.
- Affordabletravelclub.net -
2,400 members—though U.K. coverage can be spotty, with just 68 members in England.
Membership: $65 for a downloaded directory; $80 for a print version. Plus $15–$30 gratuity for your hosts.
Requirements: Must be over 40; must agree to host.
- Servas.org -
An acutal UN-accrecited NGO devoted to fostering world peace through travel.
Membership: Free, buy you must submit two letters of recommendation snad undergo an interview.
- Womenwelcomewomen.uk -
2,100+ members in 86 countries, including 400+ in the U.K.
Membership: Recommended donation of £37, with annual renewal fee of £27.
Requirements: Must be female and over 18.
- Lghei.org -
500 listings in 30 countries.
Membership: €25. No fee, donation, or gratuity for hosts.
Requirements: It doesn't say you have to be gay, but I assume that's a bit of a given.
- Trustedhousesitters.com - By far the biggest, with thousands of house-sitting opportunities in 130 countries around the world, of which—at press time—752 in Britain, and 35 in London alone. This one is upfront that it is primarily a pet-sitting service. Fee: $99 a year.
- Luxuryhousesitting.com - Several hundred listings, and mostly in the U.S.—though there were 37 in the U.K. at press time. Fee: $25 a year.
- Mindmyhouse.com - Currently lists around 240 houses, including 57 in the U.K. Fee: $20 a year.
- Housecarers.com - Currently lists around 300 houses, including nine in the U.K. Fee: $50 a year.Partner
- Caretaker.org - It's a newsletter (physically and online), not an online database, with around 150 listings per bi-monthly issue. As you can tell from the name, many are for caretaking or staff positions rather than simple house-sitting. Still, lots of intriguing opportunities. Fee: $29.95 annual subscription ($49.95 for two years).
- Homeexchange.com - The outfit the characters in "The Holiday" used is one of the biggest, with more than 65,000 listings worldwide, including 2,000 in England (800+ in London)—though I have noticed that includes some regular rentals, not swaps. Membership: $150 per year.Partner
- invented-city.com - This web-only service has the cheapest membership rates out there, listing a taggaring 1,071 in Great Britain, of which 234 in London. Membership: $25 for three months, $35 for six months, $59 per year.
- Homelink.org - Listing more than 900 home swaps in the U.K., including 116 in London. Membership: $95 for one year, $152 for two years.
- intervac-homeexchange.com - Intervac is one of the older ones (founded in 1953), with a focus on Europe, listing 323 in the U.K., of which 64 in London. Membership: $99 per year.
- Helpx.net -
Helpx was founded in New Zealand in 2001 by an Englishman who worked his way across Australia and New Zealand. The idea is to offer to work for an average of four hours per day in exchange for free accommodation (and, sometimes, meals).
You can sign up for free, but if you pay for Premier membership (€20 for two years), you are able to contact all hosts and read all host reviews. Being "Premier" also allows hosts to read your own profile, where you can list special skills, and they might reach out to you to offer a gig.
Some hosts only ask for two hours of work a day, but require you to provide and cook your own food. Other might ask for a full four to six hours, but cook for you and feed you.
- Wwoof.net -
WWOOF is a collection of volunteer organizations in 97 countries around the world, from Australia to Korea, Ghana to the U.S., Italy to Nepal (plus "independent" members—countries with only a handful of opportunities).
Each chapter is devoted to supporting and helping teach about organic and environmentally sound farming techniques—though many joke that the funny acronym WWOOF doesn't actually stand for "Worldwide Opportunites on Organic Farms," but rather for "Willing Workers On Organic Farms," since you do end up doing a lot of farmhand chores.
To become a Wwoofer, You join the WOOF chapter in the country where you'd like to work (for roughly $10 to $40)—so you would join WWOOF UK (for £20)—it sends you a list of farms that would appreciate a helping hand in exchange for room and board.
You must be willing to put in six hours of work six days a week to see how the farming half lives in a variety of nations.
Also in Lodging options:
- Hotels★★★
- British Bed and Breakfasts★★★
- Apartments (rental flats)★★★
- Farm stays and agritourism★★★
- Aparthotels in Britain★★☆
- Castle hotels★★☆
- Cottages & villa rentals★★☆
- Hostels in the U.K.★☆☆
- University dorms in the U.K.★☆☆
- Couchsurfing| Free
