Introducing NightSwapping: Local + Affordable Accommodation

For a few years now, I’ve chosen to stay with locals while travelling. I’ve stayed in a lot of hostels and hotels in my time, but since seeking out local accommodation, I find I don’t get anywhere near as much out of my visit if I’m somewhere more generic. It’s because of this eagerness to discover the authentic when travelling that NightSwapping caught my eye.

The format of NightSwapping will be familiar to anyone who shares my curiosity about local travel. Hosts post a room or whole home on their website, and travellers can browse through the listings to find a suitable option.

It’s the payment system that makes NightSwapping unique; for each night a host has someone to stay, they earn a travel credit that gives them a free night’s stay elsewhere. For those who aren’t able to host, a payment option is available, and prices are usually quite cheap and advertised per group instead of per person.

My Experience of NightSwapping

I first used NightSwapping in Dublin, where I stayed with a lovely lady named Julie. Anyone who’s been to Dublin will know how difficult it is to find accommodation at a reasonable price, so this is a city where the platform works really well.

Julie’s beautiful home is in a suburb just outside the city centre, and not only did I have a spacious and clean private room, but WiFi, parking, breakfast, and a local on-hand to give me lots of tips. I had privacy to relax when I wanted, someone to chat to over a cup of tea, and a welcoming space to return to after a busy day out seeing the sights.

During my stay, I spent some time chatting to Julie about her experience hosting using NightSwapping. She told me about saving up nights for an upcoming trip to Iceland, and the combination of my stay and a couple from France she hosted a few weeks prior had already got her four free nights in Reykjavik. For that reason she feels like hosting is well worth it, because it offers an honest, give-and-take way to travel.

What kind of traveller would NightSwapping suit?

NightSwapping is ideal for weekend travellers and city breakers. As the website hasn’t taken off worldwide yet, hosts are limited in comparison to other local accommodation platforms, but there are usually enough hosts to go around in big cities. This is actually quite useful considering accommodation tends to be more expensive in cities.

If you have a full time job but like to go away at the weekend, NightSwapping is great option because you can earn a free weekend away by having someone to stay in your home for just a couple of nights.

NightSwapping is budget in the sense that it’s cheaper than staying in a B&B, but a little more expensive than a hostel (if you’re paying for nights, that is). But that’s to be expected considering you get a private room or home, which I personally think is worth its weight in gold.

NightSwapping is definitely a website to watch, and if you start hosting travellers in your home now you could enjoy the benefits on your next trip.

Have you heard of NightSwapping before?
Would you ever try NightSwapping?