Hospitality exchange is great for independent wanderers who travel alone to meet new people, learn from new cultures and love to take risks. But in Thailand, there are only 2,000 registered couch surfers, suggesting that we might want something less radical. If you’re not a backpacker and don’t want to sleep on a couch, but don’t want the bland experience of hotel rooms either, consider peer-to-peer vacation rentals.

Websites like AirBnB, Wimdu and Roomorama offer short-term rental apartments and homes around the world. These websites let property owners rent out their rooms without a third-party fee. (They charge travelers booking fees, though.)

Jia En Teo, a Roomorama co-founder, explains, “We serve travelers who have a bit more money to spend so they are looking for nicer places to stay. We offer places where you don’t have to share rooms, to secure your privacy.”

Higher prices also bring in better quality customers, too. And this benefits pad owners who wish to rent out their space. Kevin, one Roomorama member who rents out his apartment says , “It’s good that I can communicate with the guests beforehand, and all payments go through the website so I don’t have to worry. The guests I get are also usually pretty respectful, so it works out well for both parties.”

www.airbnb.com

America’s most popular peer to peer room rental site, with choices ranging from a few bucks to over US$5,000 a night, is now expanding its database to Asia, targeting the Chinese market.

www.wimdu.com

Featuring more than 12,000 accommodations in 50 nations, Wimdu is simply another AirBnB but it’s based in Europe.

www.roomorama.com

Unlike AirBnB and Wimdu where you might need to share a room with the pad’s owner, most of Roomorama’s listings are private spaces where owners do not stay. But it comes with higher price tags. Roomorama claims to have the most choices of rooms in Asia—22,000 properties (and 60,000 worldwide) with a 30% growth monthly.

Read more >> Couch Surfing in Bangkok