The Traveler’s Guide to Peer-to-Peer Rental Platforms

Peer-to-peer rental platforms can be one of the best ways to have a more unique travel experience — allowing you to ditch generic hotels, expensive rental cars or kitschy tourist experiences for something different.

By staying in someone’s home, renting their car or hanging out with a local on a tour or curated excursion, you might get to know locals on a deeper level. These sorts of travel platforms can improve your odds of getting a more authentic view of the place you’re visiting; plus, they can give you the chance to better support local economies — sometimes for cheaper than the standard alternatives.

And while Airbnb is one of the biggest peer home-sharing platforms, it’s far from the only one. Beyond home-sharing companies, there are peer-to-peer rental platforms for sharing cars, RVs and even experiences like in-home cooking classes.

There are several other peer-to-peer platforms trying to mimic Airbnb’s success with different aspects of travel. Here are the biggest peer-to-peer rental sites to know.

When it comes to finding a place to stay while traveling, a hotel doesn’t have to be your only option. And there are plenty of reasons people prefer these types of accommodations to hotels.

Vacation rentals like Airbnbs often offer more space than a hotel room, making them a more economical choice for family reunions or large groups of friends. While not always cheaper than hotels, the extra space and savings from being able to cook meals in the kitchen or do laundry at the in-unit washer or dryer can provide some added value.

» Learn more: Why I prefer Airbnbs to hotels — and how they save me money

Accommodations found on peer-to-peer networks can also offer a more intimate connection with a local. Some Airbnb or Couchsurfing hosts are happy to socialize with their guests and offer recommendations.

But there are drawbacks, too, that can include:

• Lack of hotel amenities that you take for granted (like 24-hour check-in, daily cleaning service or the ability to call the front desk for help).

• No free continental breakfast in the hotel lobby.

• No room service.

• Typically no on-site luxuries like a spa or gym.

You also can’t take advantage of special perks granted to members of hotel reward loyalty programs, and it’s unlikely you’ll find a peer-to-peer vacation rental program that lets you earn free stays.

Airbnb

You’ll find all sorts of accommodations on Airbnb, from guest bedrooms to yurts to entire houses. If you know what to look for when you’re browsing Airbnb listings, it’s possible to find real gems. It could be a unique type of lodging or simply a conveniently-located place with an outstanding host.

Many people prefer Airbnbs over hotels — not just to save money, but also because they tend to be more accommodating to the rising population of digital nomads who prefer to work remotely from their Airbnb versus a hotel desk or stodgy office.

You may not be able to earn hotel reward points by staying at an Airbnb, but you can sometimes pay for your stay with credit card rewards.

But while Airbnb is giant (and perhaps because of its massive size), a lot of travelers dislike Airbnb given issues like cleaning fees, getting ghosted by hosts or simply poor communication by hosts. Given that, you might consider Airbnb alternatives.

» Learn more: Best credit cards for Airbnb

Vacasa

It's hard to call this a peer-to-peer rental platform entirely, given the fact that Vacasa's differentiator is that it partners with homeowners to professionally manage their properties. But that's exactly why Vacasa is so good. Because it's a full-service vacation rental management company, you get the best of both worlds: a charming and unique home owned by a regular person (rather than a behemoth) but the management of a professional.

It means you can expect a cleaner, easier-to-communicate with rental where you can ensure the host won't ghost you.

Vrbo

Founded in 1995, Vrbo stands for Vacation Rentals by Owner, and it’s one of the oldest vacation rental platforms in the world. You’ll find cabins, condos, beach houses and the like in its listings. One of the biggest differences between Vrbo versus other vacation rental platforms is that Vrbo only allows you to rent entire, private homes.

These days, Vrbo is owned by Expedia Group. Given that relationship, you can earn and redeem rewards for your stays through the One Key rewards program. The relationship also means that listings may show up on other platforms such as Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz or Kayak.

» Learn more: Airbnb vs. Vrbo — Which is better for travelers?

Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing probably existed before the term peer-to-peer network, and it’s still popular all over the world. The official Couchsurfing website just made the concept a bit more official.

Now couchsurfing is hardly for everyone, as you won’t get much personal space. But you will get a place to sleep and more interaction with your host than a typical Airbnb stay. Plus, you'll likely pay very little at all.

Hipcamp

If you prefer canvas to traditional walls, campers might turn to Hipcamp. Whether you’re looking for a more unique camping location — or perhaps the national and state parks are booked up — Hipcamp likely has a campsite for you. Its listings cover all national, state, regional and Army Corps parks in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, for a total of more than 360,000 campsites across the U.S.

And beyond your standard campsite, you’ll also find listings to pitch a tent on ranches, nature preserves, farms and vineyards. From glamping to conventional camping, there are also options to book unique lodgings like treehouses, cabins, yurts, Airstreams and tiny houses.

Campspace

Campspace is another peer-to-peer network for travelers who are looking for a bare-bones place to put up their tent. Consider this Hipcamp, but even cheaper. Expect to pay about €10 to €20 ($10 to $21) per night. Another note (which might be a downfall for American travelers): most of the available sites are in Europe.

Getaround

With Getaround, customers never actually meet the owners, as they unlock the car via the Getaround app. Cars can be rented by the hour, and the app (or desktop site) also facilitates booking and payment. There are fees, including booking fees (about 10-15% of trip cost) and license fees (that's a one-time cost on your first ride, running about $10). But often, it can net out less than a rental car, particularly if you're only seeking a car for a few hours.

Turo

Rental car alternatives like Turo and Getaround are effectively an Airbnb for cars. They’re sometimes cheaper, sometimes more convenient and sometimes they’re your only option if traditional rental cars are sold out.

Through Turo’s peer-to-peer network, you book a car online or through the Turo app from the car’s owner and then pick up the car at a designated location — which could be the owner’s house, or a public area like a park or shopping center. Sometimes the owners can even deliver the car to you (usually for an additional fee). Some cars offer a feature called Turo Go, where you can unlock the car through an app, allowing you to start the trip without ever meeting your host.

You have to be 21 to rent most cars, though a few are accessible to people as young as 18 with an additional young-driver fee.

Peer-to-peer networks don’t have to stop at the door to your vacation rental. You can also rent an RV, borrow someone’s boat and more.

GetMyBoat

You don’t have to know how to steer a ship to rent one of these yachts, sailboats or pontoons because most of the time, GetMyBoat rentals come with a captain. This peer-to-peer network lets you organize fishing trips, snorkeling adventures or just a relaxing day out on the water.

RVshare

Your transportation and lodging are covered for one price when you rent an RV from its owner through RVshare. There you’ll find a diverse selection of RVs for rent — ranging from giant, luxurious motor homes to funky vintage fans. Considering there are so many great road trip routes in the U.S., an RV rental can make for a unique vacation.

Just note that RVs aren’t necessarily more economical than hotels once you account for gas, the cost to rent a campsite and other fees like mileage, generator and cleaning fees.

Peer-to-peer platforms can offer a truly unique tour experience as well. Whether it’s a cooking class with a local chef, a walking tour of the city or perhaps a delightfully random experience like a drone flying class, you can do it with a local — booked through one of these sites.

Airbnb Experiences

The company best known for home sharing also offers group activities for travelers led by local experts. Think guided walks, sports, art classes and more with Airbnb Experiences.

Eatwith

Eatwith’s experiences are all food-focused, so you’ll find home-cooked dinners that you’re invited to join, along with cooking classes and food tours.

Withlocals

European-based experiences network Withlocals can connect you with friendly residents for private tours, workshops, dinners and more.

Peer-to-peer networks generally aren’t typically part of traditional travel loyalty programs (though there are some exceptions such as Vrbo's One Key). Still there are a few ways to use your travel rewards to book some of these alternative lodging options.

Apply travel credit card statement credits: Some credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, offer travel statement credits that can be applied to bookings made with these peer-to-peer platforms.

Book through a larger hotel chain: There are some vacation rentals you can book with Marriott Bonvoy points available through Marriott Homes & Villas.