How does $25 a night for a B&B sound to you? In this day of $3.50+ per-gallon gasoline, probably pretty good, right? The Evergreen Club offers economical B&B stays for travelers over 50. Here’s how it works. You stay in members’ private homes for about $25 per night per couple. You get a good night’s sleep, breakfast, interesting conversation and tips on what to do and see locally.
There are annual dues (less than $100) in addition to the charges for the nightly stays. Right now the Evergreen Club has a network of almost 2,000 private B&B homes in North America. To learn more, visit their site.
There’s another organization that operates in about the same way. It’s called The Affordable Travel Club. Dues here are a little higher but still under $100 per year for adults over 40 years of age. Their network has about 3,600 homes in nearly all of the U.S. states and 50 foreign countries. Remember, both of these are private clubs. Joining is not like starting a regular B&B business. Instead, it’s like opening your guest room to friends on a more regular basis. It may not be for everyone, but it certainly is an intriguing possibility and a creative alternative to constantly rising travel costs.
While many of the participants of these two clubs are retired, The Couch Surfing Project seems to be aimed at the other end of the age continuum. According to the site, CouchSurfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit. Their mission statement gives you an idea of what it’s all about: “CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding.”
I know what you’re thinking…is this safe? That is the most frequently asked question, apparently. You can read on their site how organizers have safeguarded the service. In the end, every participant has to make a personal decision if they’re comfortable getting involved. Apparently, a lot of people are. Right now, there are more than half a million couch surfers worldwide. This service—entirely free by the way—has caught on with members in more than 40,000 cities in nearly 230 countries.
If you’re over 18, open to new people and adventure, you may want to investigate SERVAS International. The organization consists of nine regions worldwide. Each region has a coordinator who maintains a roster of approved hosts and travelers for their area. As a member, you can hook up with hosts and sample their everyday lives through brief stays. It’s a volunteer effort, so applying and getting approved takes a little time. Again, this is not for everyone. And if the security of absolute predictability is important to you, this is probably not a good choice. But if you’re flexible, open-minded and open to adventures around the world, then maybe SERVAS deserves a closer look.
Here’s one more. Help Exchange lets you trade volunteer help to owners of organic farms, ranches, lodges, B&Bs and hostels in exchange for food and accommodations. You can read about sample experiences online. Two levels of service are offered—free and premier, but even the latter has only a nominal charge.
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