Hosts need help with chores? (gardening, maintenance, painting, etc)

Tools
1

Hi Hosts,

I would like to know if Airbnb Hosts would appreciate a tool to find people that could help with maintenance and gardening tasks in their houses in exchange for accommodation.

I am from one website that could provide such help (Worldpackers), and I would like to know if this is something that could help Airbnb Hosts (currently our Hosts are mainly Hostels).

2

Do most of the workers have their own vehicles? This sounds like something I would be interested in. I recall years ago seeing some sites where you could work on a farm in exchange for accommodation. But people in my area need a vehicle as there is no public transportation.

How many hours do people usually work in exchange for room and meals? The issue I have is the efficiency where the guest would stay is the place that needs the work.

3

Hey cabinhost, now I’m speaking only through our experience on Worldpackers. Anyone please feel free to add other points of view.

Our users are travelers, they want to exchange work for accommodation in order to travel the world, so they never have their own vehicles.
Our recommendations to hosts are to ask 24 hours of work per week to the volunteer and at least one meal per day (although is not uncommon to ask more hours if you offer more meals). And better/more popular locations can get away being more demanding.

4

Thanks. I kind of thought most wouldn’t have vehicles unless they live in the same country and just want to travel to certain regions. So does the host usually take them on day trips? How does a traveler experience the culture if there isn’t close public transportation? Or maybe only those places close to the city are best suited?

5

That depends a lot on the kind of experience a traveler wants to have. Sure, a lot want to visiting cities and meeting tons of other people (those usually prefer Hostels). But there are a lot also that prefers to have a quiet, reflexive country side experience. Those can can enjoy being far from cities and not meeting lots of other international travelers. Maybe they just want to know the regular folks living on small villages.

As everything is very upfront about how the experience will be, one only applies to Hosts where the experience attract them.

That said, sure, a Hostel in San Diego will attract a lot more interested travelers than a cabin in Utah, for example.

7

I acknowledge that it was my biased view talking, as our platform now suit better for young people who love to stay at hostels.
My interested in work exchange in homestays is actually to provide experience for people with interests like yours, Billy! :smile: