A new travel platform is making the cost of holidaying more affordable by connecting travellers with hosts willing to exchange rooms for simple tasks.
More than 50,000 people have signed up to use the Abroadly app which offers access to help or cultural stay exchanges as well as budget accommodation options.
“We know how expensive accommodation is and for many Australians already struggling with the cost of living, it’s making their travel dreams increasingly out of reach,” says Abroadly co-founder Nikki de Weerd who began the platform with Miguel Fuentes after seeing backpackers stranded in the country during COVID.
Data from Tourism Research Australia* shows that the average domestic traveller spends around $386 a night to stay in a capital city – a 6% increase from the previous year.
“Some Abroadly travellers pay nothing for their accommodation and instead help around the home or property with simple tasks or there are others who pay a minimal amount for a room, usually around $50 a day or $300 a week,” says Miss de Weerd.
“For those doing the help exchange they are doing easy jobs like gardening, dog walking, cleaning or cooking in exchange for a room, ” she says.
Abroadly already has nearly 2000 hosts on the platform, the majority in Queensland, Western Australia New South Wales and Victoria.
“We have empty nester hosts who feel a sense of responsibility to help those travelling who need a place to stay or younger couples who are passionate about travel and want to pass those experiences on to others.
The platform has also expanded to include a jobs noticeboard for travellers including au pair opportunities and farm work.
All users of Abroadly require their ID to be verified for safety reasons and travellers and hosts receive reviews from their stays. There is also a specific female-only accommodation section of the site designed for women travelling on their own.
“We’re the first travel platform where every user is ID verified and that’s really important because travellers want to feel safe and hosts also want to know who is coming into their home,” says Miss de Weerd.
“We believe there’s still a lot of good people in this world and Abroadly has become this incredible community of people helping each other out,” she says.
https://www.tra.gov.au/en/domestic/domestic-tourism-results
About Abroadly
Abroadly was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic when countless backpackers, working holiday makers and international students were left stranded across Australia. It started as a single Facebook group called ‘Adopt A Backpacker WA’ and aimed to connect these isolated travellers with local families offering temporary accommodation. What started as a small effort to assist a few individuals has grown into Abroadly, an innovative social networking platform designed to connect budget-conscious travellers with unique opportunities. It now has a global community of 50,000 members and growing with a mission to redefine travel, foster cultural connections and inspire a new generation of wanderers.