Some of the Best Sharing Economy to Travel Cheap

If the internet has made travel easy with the wealth of information on travel sites and social media platforms, the sharing economy plays a fundamental role for the budget-conscious traveller who wants to save money and travel cheaply. Thanks to community networks, we connect and meet people, and we learn from the locals. Furthermore, it has changed the way we travel by making it a more fulfilling experience.

The significant rise of sharing economy websites is a clear sign that ordinary travellers love to create valuable and beautiful experiences and learn from a unique insider’s perspective. Thus, the sharing economy has reinforced that travel is more about meeting people than just seeing places.

What is the sharing economy?

According to Wikipedia, a “shared economy” refers to a system in which resources, assets, and services are shared between individuals on a free or paid basis. This allows you, in principle, to exchange, rent out, or hire almost anything. A car, a bike, space, a ride, a meal, a tour, and any items from a room.

Some of the popular sharing economy sites have been around for a long time, and basically, they are community-based online platforms that offer various services for free. Some of them have evolved into the sharing economy business model. This includes paying a fee for collaborating with other members and obtaining a service or a product.

Top sharing economy companies

Many sharing economy websites are emerging every year, primarily as start-ups or mobile apps. As a solo traveller over 50, I am a fan of peer-to-peer websites that can help me leverage online connections while travelling sustainably over the long term.

I have selected some of the top sharing economy companies that can help you plan your trip and cover accommodation, transportation, food, tours, and more.

Hospitality networks – Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is the queen among all hospitality networks. It has been around for over 13 years and is the largest hospitality network on the web. While it started as a site for meeting people, it is mainly known as a free-stay platform. However, it’s much more than that. With over 7 million users worldwide, it’s an excellent hub for regular meetups. While most members offer a couch (or a bed) for free, they are also willing to share their knowledge of the place from a local perspective.

More hospitality networks are:

Hospitalityclub.com
Warmshowers.com – a free hospitality exchange website for cyclists
Nightswapping.com – earn credits after every trip and get free nights.

Airbnb Room & Apartment Rentals

Airbnb is the most popular example of the sharing economy. You can rent a room or an apartment at a friendly local’s property for a fraction of what you would spend in a hotel. As a solo traveller, I know well what it means to pay for a single supplement or the full room rate.

According to a recent survey carried out by Schofields, which asked over 1000 solo travellers aged 18 and above, based in the UK, about their preferences. The outcome is that 44% of young travellers have used Airbnb to book their accommodation, and 74% of those who stayed with Airbnb did so to avoid extra charges levied by hotels.

To avoid paying for what I call the “invisible travel companion” in 2011, I started using Airbnb, and since then, it has become my preferred way of staying on my solo travels. Make sure you also download the Airbnb App to make the most of the service.

Similar accommodation rental websites are:

Roomorama.com
HomeAway.com
Wimdu.com

House Sitting for Long-Term Travel

House sitting is a great sharing concept that allows you to stay in someone’s home while they are away,  look after their house and take care of their pets. It works on an exchange basis, i.e., free accommodation in exchange for house sitting. I find house sitting to be the best form of long-term, sustainable travel.

Useful house sitting websites:

trustedhousessiter.com (the largest global site for house sitting)

aussiehousesitters.com.au  (house sitting for Australia)

dogvacay.com (dog-sitting site)

Ride-Sharing – BlaBlaCar

Sharing a ride has become a popular way of travelling around countries, especially within Europe. It’s an alternative to train and bus travel. BlaBlaCar has been officially operating since 2015, but it was previously powered by local communities in each European country. Mitfahrzentrale and Mitfahrgelegenheit were the German predecessors to ride-sharing communities, which predated BlaBlaCar’s introduction of the sharing business model. Now you pay a small fee (10%) for booking a shared car ride.

The fee also includes an insurance policy. I have been using this service for over 15 years, both as a driver and a traveller. It’s my favourite way of visiting places in Europe on a budget. If you decide spontaneously to go away for a couple of days, check out this site. I’m sure you will find a car ride for a lower price than a last-minute train or bus ticket.

I love ride-sharing because of the great flexibility it offers when travelling to destinations in a short amount of time.

More ride-sharing companies in the world:

Coseats.com  (Australia)

GumTree.com.au  (Australia, NZ and the UK)

Ride.net  (share your ride worldwide)

Bike Sharing and Gear Sharing

If you are travelling and want to hire a bike for a few hours or a day, Spinlister is the right peer-to-peer rental website worth checking out. You can also rent snowboards, skis, surfboards, or other gear if you are unable to travel with your own.

Similar sites where you can rent out gear and any item:

Ziplock.com
Gumtree.com (Australia, UK, New Zealand)

Cheap Taxi Service

Uber.com is the Airbnb of urban mobility. It is the most popular ridesharing company in cities worldwide. It’s also a way for many digital nomads to make extra money. For a similar ridesharing service:

Lyft.com (the US only)

Zimride.com (global)

Food Sharing – Eat with a local

Eating a home-cooked meal is something many travellers rave about. That’s why cooking and food tours have become so trendy in the last few years. Eatwith.com is another business model that allows travellers to book private dinner parties or home-cooked meals by talented local chefs for a fee. It’s a high-end service.

Similar food-sharing services:

Bonapptour.com – similar to Eat With, but with less skilled chefs
Mealsharing.com – you can book a meal with your host for +15 USD
Eatwithalocal.net
Travellingspoon.com

Sharing a local tour guide

Many locals can share a wealth of knowledge about the place they live in. The easiest way to connect with locals and discover a place through their insider knowledge is to hire a local tour guide. There are a few websites that bring travellers with tour guides together.

Here are some tour sharing websites:

Getyourguide.com
Vayable.com (US)
Withlocals.com

How to use the sharing economy to travel cheaply

Most of the above-listed peer-to-peer platforms are available on the web and through mobile apps, utilising the sharing economy. Download them for free onto your smartphone and use them from your mobile device.

The sharing economy is definitely changing the way we travel for the better by allowing travellers to get personalised services from locals at a lower price.

But it not only makes it easier to plan your trip and save on travel costs, but it also allows you to join strong communities of like-minded people who are willing to travel and lead a sustainable lifestyle.

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Firstly published in 2017 and last edited in October 2025.