This was published 7 years ago
Cheaper, smarter ways to travel: How travellers can utilise the sharing economy
By Ben Groundwater
Using Uber can work out cheaper than cabs in most cities around the world.Credit: iStock
They say sharing is caring, and now you can pretty much "share" your entire holiday.
You can share a ride to the airport. You can then pick up someone else's car at the other end, and drive it to someone else's house to stay. You can contact a tour guide via a sharing website. You can share a meal. You can share a lift to your next destination. You can even share someone's private jet to get around, if you have the budget.
You can do some of this at a cost, and some of it for free. But the main point is that you can do all of it, avoiding the standard travel model for your entire journey, and save a whole heap of money, if you choose. Here's how.
First, your trip to the airport (and, in fact, your transport for most of your journey). The obvious candidate is Uber, which allows regular car owners to act as taxi drivers, and will work out cheaper than cabs in most cities around the world. (About the only place I've used Uber and found it more expensive is Tokyo.) If you're in the US, Lyft is another system that does essentially the same thing.
Prefer to drive yourself? You can use GoGet or Car Next Door in Australia, though you wouldn't want to park that car at the airport and then pick it up in a few weeks' time, given in most cases you're renting them by the hour. In the US there's ZipCar, which has similar perks (and drawbacks). A better option is FlightCar, which allows travellers to rent cars that other people have previously left at the airport. That's handy for both parties.
For an even cheaper ride, meanwhile, BlaBlaCar is a new service in Europe that allows for a kind of virtual hitchhiking. Travellers log in and connect with car owners who are making long trips across the continent, and then chip in for fuel and share a ride. It's a great way of meeting people, while also getting around on the cheap. I haven't tried it, but it's getting rave reviews from those who have.
You'll also be able to pick up rides through Ridester in the US, Liftshare in the UK, and via Gumtree in Australia and New Zealand.
So that's your transport taken care of. If you're a real baller you could also check out a site like www.shareajetexchange.com, to find yourself a ride on a private jet (there are plenty of business travellers utilising the sharing economy now as well), but most of us will have to stick to the standard model of booking budget airlines and then complaining about them.
Next up, accommodation. The cheapest – and one of the most popular – options is to use CouchSurfing. The website connects travellers with generous locals who will put you up in their spare room, or on their couch, for free. GlobalFreeloaders is another site that offers a similar service. Great if you're up for meeting people. Not so good if you're keen on privacy.
The other, even more popular option, is Airbnb, where travellers pay to rent out either a room or an entire apartment from a local. There's some debate over whether this actually constitutes "sharing", given the bulk of Airbnb rentals are entire home/apartment rentals that are often used by the owners to pay off mortgages on investment properties, but there's no denying it's a great way to travel, opening up neighbourhoods that would previously be closed off to travellers, given the lack of standard accommodation.
Websites such as HomeAway, Wimdu and Roomarama offer the same sort of service, although with smaller databases.
And still, there are more ways to circumvent the standard travel model, to have great experiences that involve connecting with local people in your destination of choice.
Ready to eat? Try Eat With A Local, or EatWith, or Meal Sharing – websites that hook travellers up with locals who are keen to cook them a meal. You pay a nominated price, choose the food you want to eat, and then hang out with the cook – at their house – for the night.
It's either a great way to meet people and glean knowledge while enjoying the home-cooked food of the region, or a recipe for a really awkward night. It can go either way. Though usually the type of people who invite strangers into their home for dinner are also the type of people who are good at making conversation.
Want to get out and about? With Trip4Real – and other sites like Vayable – you can meet up with locals who also act as tour guides. Some are professional guides, while others are experts in fields such as photography, or art, or architecture, who share a look at their city from a personal perspective. This idea is still in its infancy, so can be a little hit and miss.
Still, it's a new way to travel – it's cheap, and it's interesting. And as with the entire sharing economy, it's there for you to harness.
Do you use the sharing economy when you travel? What are your favourite websites? Are there any downsides? Leave a comment below.
Email: b.groundwater@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater
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