There’s no need to look for accommodation before you leave: volunteers are always accommodated and fed by the host association for the duration of the project (sometimes in exchange for a participation fee). Don’t expect a single room or a hotel room with WIFI, but rather a dormitory with shared sanitary facilities. On some projects, you will be staying with a host family.
After your project
Although accommodation is provided during your volunteer period, it’s likely that you will want to stay on for a while after your project to explore the area at your leisure, either on your own or with other volunteers you have met on the project.
We recommend the Auberges de Jeunesse network, a membership-based, non-profit organization founded in 1909.
Unlike bland motels, impersonal hotels or dubious backpacker hotels, youth hostel are often nice places to meet and share, offering excellent price-quality ratio.
In most youth hostels, accommodation is in dormitories or (more expensive) in single rooms. Sanitary facilities are often shared, and many hostels have kitchens and safes for your valuables.
Although the name is “youth hostel”, these hostels are not just for “young people”. All generations are welcomed.
To stay in a youth hostel anywhere in the world, you need to be a member of the federation in the country where you live. In Belgium, you can buy your membership card online at http://www.laj.be/formulaire-de-commande-des-cartes,
- in France
- in Luxembourg
- in Switzerland
You can book accommodation online in over 500 hostels at www.hihostels.com. The website also lets you check bed availability in real time for the next 6 months. The www.aubergesdejeunesse.com also offers alternative accommodation and special promotions.
- Africa Hostels
- Asia Hostels
- Oceania Hostels
- Europe Hostels
- Middle East Hostels
- North & Central America Hostels
- South America Hostels
National Youth Hostel websites:
- Belgium
- France
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
Couchsurfing
SVI encourages alternative travel, meeting new people and immersing yourself in local culture, and invites you to take an interest in couchsurfing. All over the world, hosts welcome you into their homes, on a sofa or in a guest room, for the simple pleasure of sharing and exchanging. Don’t hesitate to visit this site: https://www.couchsurfing.org/n/dashboard.
Woofing
Woofing is a form of travel that enables many people to discover other countries and cultures at low cost. In exchange for services rendered to the person you are staying with, they provide you with free accommodation and food. Here is an interesting website to visit about this subject: http://wwoofinternational.org/.
Booking a hotel room
Book your hotel with Booking. The website offers over 30,000 hotels worldwide. You can also try hostels that are not members of the federation at www.hostelworld.com. You will find bellow two search engines that often give you advantageous results. Do not hesitate to compare the prices on these two sites.
