MotoStays Provides Inexpensive Travel Option For Bikers
Monday, May 11th, 2015
A map shows you all the locations of MotoStay members. Here's the current Colorado membership.
I have written a number of times about the Motorcycle Travel Network (MTN) and now there is another offering in the same concept.
MotoStays bills themselves as “the motorcyclist’s equivalent to Airbnb; the difference being the overnight stays are free.” That is to say, you join MotoStays and then when you are traveling you can contact other members and arrange to stay at their house, and when other members are traveling in your area, they can contact you to stay at your house. All at no charge either way.
The only difference between the MTN and MotoStays in this regard is the cost, although that is minimal. With the MTN, if it is just one person, you pay your hosts $15 “to cover expenses.” If there are two people then it’s $20 and for each additional person it is another $10. So with four people you would pay $40 and while that’s not free, compared to what you would pay at a motel it’s pretty darn close.
Whereas the MTN has been operating for a number of years, MotoStays has been in operation just about one year. MTN charges an annual membership fee, whereas in its first year MotoStays has offered free membership. That is about to change however, and MotoStays says the free membership will end on May 15–just four days from now.
Here’s the breakdown on costs:
- MTN charges $40 for a one-year membership, $60 for two years, or $120 for five years.
- Starting May 16, Motostays will be charging $49.95 for a one-year membership or $14.95 per month for a monthly membership.
What it all comes down to, whichever of these groups you might consider joining, is the issue of staying with total strangers in their home and/or having total strangers stay in your home. For many people that is just a bridge they cannot cross. But I can tell you from experience, if you can overcome your fears this is a doorway to some very rewarding experiences.
Judy and I have been MTN members for a number of years and we have had nothing but wonderful experiences with the people who have stayed with us. We have not had a single bad experience and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting and spending time with the folks who have stayed here. On the flip side, while I was extremely uncertain before I stayed my first night with strangers, those fears were ungrounded, things went great, and since then we together and I on my own have stayed with numerous other MTN people and again have had zero bad experiences.
The point is, we all share a common interest–motorcycles–and that’s a universal ice-breaker. We’ve been regaled with riding stories and have probably told our fair share of them as well, although none as extreme as many we’ve heard from some real world travelers. Whoever the host is, the guest benefits from hearing about all the best local roads from people who really know the best local roads. And while offering dinner to your guests is not required, we always do and we have usually been offered dinner when we have been guests. Or at the very least, directions to a good place to go eat.
Of course, if for any reason you need or want to say no to a prospective guest, you always have that option.
What regrets do we have from all this? None. Absolutely none. Honestly, we wish we had more people staying with us. That’s how much we really do enjoy it.
So if you’re at all interested in this sort of thing, you have four more days to sign up at MotoStays for free. I’m going to be doing that because between the two organizations we will have a lot more options. And if you join either and plan to come to Denver, give us a call.
Biker Quote for Today
Murphy’s Motorcycle Laws: 3. Motorcycles are to yellow bugs what aircraft carriers once were to kamikaze pilots.
