About us

What is Crashpadder?

Crashpadder.com is a homestay community that has members all over the world. With Crashpadder hosts earn extra money from their spare space, and travellers save money on expensive hotels and avoid the discomfort of hostels - by staying with a friendly local.

How does it work?

Very simply indeed.

Step 1: Someone has a spare room, bed or sofabed in their home. They list it on Crashpadder, along with a description, pictures, the price per night plus how they'd like to be paid. They are now a Padder.

Step 2: Someone else finds the Padder's spare room and decides they'd like to stay there for a night or more. They make a booking request. They are now a Crasher.

Step 3: The Padder checks out the Crasher's profile, reliability rating and feedback. They may also message the Crasher for more information. Once the Crasher's booking has been accepted their credit card will be debited for either 10% or the full booking amount, depending on the Padder's payment preferences. They have booked a homestay!

After the stay the Crasher and the Padder will shake hands warmly (perhaps even have a quick embrace) and then leave feedback for one another for the whole world to see.

The Crashpadder Team

The Crashpadder Story

Crashpadder.com is a glorious, utopian ideal borne out of a simple desire to travel around, without having to pay a kings ransom for a place to lay your head.

The idea for Crashpadder.com first presented itself to a young drago- slayer from the days of yore*. He would travel the country hither and thither, yonder and yonderer still, slaying dragons willy nilly and surprisingly (given the danger involved) was paid relatively little.

Then one night, as he slept valiantly - though uncomfortably - in a bush at the side of a road, the dragon slayer was visited by an astronaut from the future. Not knowing what an astronaut from the future would look like he assumed it was an angel - but that's irrelevant to the rest of the story.

"What the hell are you doing in a bush mighty dragon slayer?" demanded the astronaut "Why don't you get your pert dragon slaying buns to a hotel?"

"Oh wise stranger," said the dragon slayer self-consciously "If only I could afford a night in a fine hotel... or even a grubby hostel! Alas I am a poor man, and the pittance I earn slaying dragons must be spent on asbestos clothes and stuff."

"But look over yonder vale, brave peasant, there is a friendly looking homestead - the fire is burning bright and my magic future see-through-stuff visor tells me that they have an unoccupied bedroom."

"Really?!" said the dragon slayer, springing up with keen astonishment "Do you think they might let me stay with them?"

"There's only one way to find out..." said the adventurer from the future, striking off across the field.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

The astronaut brokered a very amicable deal whereby the dragon slayer had to pay a very modest sum for a glorious night's sleep. The tenants of the homestead were only too happy to have the brave and interesting adventurer stay for the night. They reasoned that the small amount he paid them was a lovely bonus in their happy humble lives. The next thing he knew, he was relaxing on their lovely couch, surfing the medieval internet, which was made of sticks.

And the name of this forward thinking astronaut/angel? It was Craig. But wouldn't it have been nice if he'd been called Captain Crashpadder.com?

The moral of the story is as long as there are savvy travellers and spare rooms/sofas/camp-beds around, Crashpadder.com will be here to unite them.