How can we help?

The safety of our travellers, hostels and community is top priority. Hostels are required to abide by their government guidelines and uphold the safety standards set out for their country. Our hostel partners have agreed and are committed to keeping our new safety practices, they understand that we may choose to discontinue our partnership if they do not do so. Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com for more information.

Most probably. You are responsible for providing the correct Visas’ for your travels. Every country has different regulations so please do your research beforehand and apply as early as possible to guarantee you have the right documents prior to your departure. Please keep in mind that we only facilitate the connection between you and hostels.

Make sure you showcase your personality in your profile bio! This will be the Hostels only reference as to who you are, catch their attention from the very first line! Hit them with what you can bring to the table or your party trick.
Your application will be your first interaction, is the application welcoming? Have you expressed why you would like to work with them, how you would like to help, what you’re hoping to learn? Remember Hostels will be receiving hundreds of applications! Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com if you’re still having trouble with this.

YES! Laulima was built on the fundamentals of trust, safety and community. Part of why we specifically work with hostels is because we believe it’s one of a few establishments that is a safe haven for solo female travellers when abroad. Furthermore all our hostel partners have been closely vetted by our experienced team and we take an active role throughout your travels to make sure your safety is at the forefront of everything we do.

No. You are NOT responsible for providing Visas’ for your Travellers. Every country has different regulations so it’s the Travellers’ responsibility to do their research beforehand and apply for the right documents prior to their departure and exchange. Please keep in mind that we only facilitate the connection between you and Travellers.

Finding the right volunteer can be difficult however we believe every volunteer can bring something new to your business. We put in place a two week minimum exchange to allow hostels to be agile in their hiring process. This short exchange means if the traveller isn’t the right fit for you, you can very quickly start a new exchange.
Tip: Make sure your hostel profile bio is up to date, also are there any other benefits you could offer for the exchange that would appeal to travellers? Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com if you’re still having trouble with this.

Yes, we allow our Hostel Partners unlimited branch sign ups and it’s easy. In your profile bio, list the Hostel branches that you would like to offer exchanges in. Travellers will be interested to know that you offer exchanges in other branches, so be sure to let them know when you connect.
Multi-Hostel Sign Up is a feature that will be available soon that will allow your company to display branches independently of each other. Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com if you’re still having trouble with this.

Sure, let’s see if we can help. Please make sure your photo follows our recommended sizes. This will keep the quality of the photo high.
- Recommended file size limit 1MB
- Recommended image width limit 1600px
Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com if you’re still having trouble with this.

In light of Covid 19, we offer our services free up until a time where the world is able to travel freely again. We wanted to do our bit and help kick start the travel industry as much as possible with free subscription plans for both travellers and hostels. Our team will inform you in advance of any changes to the subscription.

• -personalised profile on our platform
• -unlimited connections and exchanges
• -unlimited hostel branches
• -monthly advertising on social
• -1-2-1 support from our dedicated team
• -first in-line for new product updates and promotions

Our primary purpose is to provide continuous opportunities to help expand your business by enabling you to exchange free accommodation at your Hostel for free help from our talented Travellers. Once you sign up to our monthly subscription plan, you’ll be able to connect with Travellers and they’ll be able to apply for work exchanges at your Hostel. Connect with suitable Travellers and see what they can bring to your business. Select a Traveller and they’ll be ready to put their skills to use! You’ll be able to continuously do this, allowing your business to be agile and fulfill the ever changing needs of the travel industry.

We believe Laulima can help bring value to your business in many ways. Skilled workers are hard to come by and can be costly. But we offer an endless interest for work in your hostel from talented volunteers without the need of paying salaries. We offer an agile approach to hiring that will allow you to hand pick workers based on your current business needs. This means you’ll be able to maintain a highly productive workforce and experience consistent growth. Furthermore, you’ll be part of a progressive community dedicated to changing the way people travel and as such we will be devoted to assisting you in managing and developing your company's CRM. Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com for more information.

This is an opportunity for you to introduce your hostel and tell travellers what you're about, what you’re looking for, what you have to offer etc. Place more emphasis on how your hostel stands out, do you have an incredible party vibe? Are you located on an island? Also if you have several branches, don’t forget to put down which branches you're looking for exchanges in. Tip: Make sure your company values come across in your bio, ask yourself what’s going to draw their attention, be creative.

Great question. Where Laulima differs from other companies is that we aim to keep Travellers moving from one Hostel to the next, allowing them to experience more. Another reason why we do this is because it allows Hostels to be agile in their approach to growing their business. An exchange that lasts for a maximum of 5 weeks means that Hostels can very quickly find new talent to resolve new business problems. However, what happens after the exchange is completely up to the Hostel and Traveller, both parties are free to make new arrangements.

We’re working on it. Photo Gallery is a feature that will be available soon, it will allow your company to display numerous photos. In the meantime make sure your photos meet our recommended requirements for the best impact. Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com if you’re still having trouble with this.

There are a number of reasons why this may be happening, unfortunately we can’t guarantee a reply for every message sent, we only connect the two parties. Please also bare in mind travellers may not always be online.
Tip: If you’re connecting for the first time, try improving your opening message to catch the travellers attention? Have you tried sending them a gentle reminder? You have unlimited connections, have you tried connecting with several travellers at a time to maximise your opportunities? Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com if you’re still having trouble with this.

That’s a great question. Once you’ve selected a Traveller be sure to let them know and send them a confirmation email with everything that was agreed during your conversations (Laulima will provide an email template).
In the meantime please prepare for the Travellers’ arrival, book out a bed/room for them, delegate a manager to welcome, guide and work with them and prepare any essentials such as company t-shirts, name badges etc. Please remember with Laulima you have an unlimited number of exchanges so you’re welcome to continue connecting with more talented Travellers.

Everything that was promised and that’s it! Laulima was built on the fundamentals of trust, so please honour what was agreed during the conversations with your Traveller. The basics of what you need to provide are as follows: bed/room, a manager/member of staff to guide them, a working schedule/rota, what was agreed in your conversations and what was promised in the Hostel Profile. Also be sure to give them a warm welcome when they arrive!

Most certainly. One of the benefits of our service is to facilitate constant, continued and consistent travel exchanges. This means you can have as many volunteers to help your business as you’d like. In fact, we highly recommend this! Having multiple travel exchanges at one time creates a strong community around your brand, it puts your business in the best position to grow very quickly whilst also injecting life into the hostel.

Reviews & Ratings is a feature that will be available soon that will allow hostels and travellers to leave a review and rate their experience. For you, it will mean people can see all the great exchanges you’ve provided. Your accumulated good experiences will help to rank your hostel highly amongst others, giving you more favorable olds when a traveller comes to select the hostel they want to work with. In the meantime a good word of mouth is also just as valuable, so be sure to create the best experience for your skilled travellers.

Our priority is to help provide you with a Traveller that’s suitable for your business. There could be one of a hundred reasons why it’s not working out. Before taking further action we would ask you to consider why you think they're not right for you? Is it something that can be fixed? If so please speak to your Traveller and see if anything can be done. Can you persevere professionally, as this could be an important learning experience for both parties. If after review, this is still the case please contact contact@laulimatravels.com and we’ll help resolve the issue.

No, that’s not what we’re about! Travellers will be paid with free accomodation and incredible travel experiences! We help with the exchange of skills for accommodation, we feel this is a fair trade and one that's actually very rewarding. Please remember Laulima is not a job or recruitment company so you are not required to pay.

Yes of course, you have our blessing! Some Hostels may want to continue to work with Travellers after their exchange because the Traveller wishes to extend their exchange, they want to finish a collaborative project or task or simply because the Traveller brings so much value, you wish to hire them full/part time. Whatever it is, it’s all good with us!
Our goal is to help you grow your business, so whatever you feel is right we’re here to support you.

We understand your concern, unfortunately we can’t guarantee you’ll be selected for another exchange; however, having already completed one, you’ll be at an advantage when you find your next. Experience matters and with every completed exchange, you become a more desirable company. Reviews & Ratings is a feature that will be available soon that will allow travellers to see all the great work and experience you’ve accumulated, helping to place experienced hostels first in the selection process.

Yes, but we’d be sad to see you go! As a company we try to be as transparent as possible, no hidden costs, no contracts and no tie ins. If you would like to cancel your subscription, you can do so in your Account page, your account will be deleted immediately and your cancellation will be effective at the end of your current billing period. Before you cancel is there anything we can help you with? Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com.

We understand that plans change, we’d advise Hostels may cancel a confirmed exchange at any time by informing the Traveller directly as soon as possible. If you cancel an exchange 30 days in advance or less, you will automatically receive a bad rating which will impact your reputation on the platform. In the event of repeated cancellations, Laulima will evaluate the situation and be tasked to provide further action. Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com if you’re still having trouble with this.

We take this seriously. Travellers are advised to contact their hostel as soon as possible if they decide to cancel. If they cancel an exchange 14 days in advance or less, they will automatically receive a bad rating which will impact their reputation on the platform. You will be our priority and we will assist you in searching for a new suitable Traveller. Tip: You have unlimited connections, connect with several travellers at a time to maximise your opportunities. Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com if you’re having trouble with this.

Yes of course, our only recommendation would be to inform the Traveller as soon as possible, preferably 30 days in advance or more, this way the Traveller can make sure the new dates still work for them. Please contact contact@laulimatravels.com if you’re having trouble with this.