How To Find A Farm Stay Bed And Breakfast [Complete Guide]

Bed And Breakfasts
Written By Taz Zaidi

Farm Stay B&Bs

Farm stay B&Bs offer a truly unique experience.

As a guest, you’re able to spend a night or longer in a relaxed, farm-like environment. Some farm stays also allow their guests to observe and/or interact with the animals or partake in daily farm activities.

In this guide, we’ll cover what travelers should know about farm stay bed and breakfasts.

After explaining what a farm stays is and how it tends to work, I’ll show you which booking sites (major and region-specific) to use to find and book farm stay bed and breakfasts online. Farm stays have been some of my favorite, most enriching travel experiences to date.

*Agoda.com is one of the best places to find and book a bed and breakfast. To see today’s deals on B&Bs in your particular destination, click here.

What Is A Farm Stay?

Farm stays allow guests to experience farm life. Unlike “standard hotels”, farm stays provide guests with the opportunity to “live” on a farm for a night or longer. Farm stays can be ideal for a range of travelers - from city folk seeking a weekend getaway, to weekly and/or monthly stays for backpackers with plenty of time.

Farm stays can be passive or interactive experiences. For example, some offer a laid-back, ranch-like setting where guests relax without interruption from a host, while some farm stays also allow the guests to interact with animals and/or partake in activities. A farm stay can be located on a functioning farm, a defunct farm, or “just” be a lodging business (i.e. not a “real farm”).

Farm stays are often located in rural areas. Because of this, many are difficult to reach via public transport. Before you book a farm stay online, read its full listing description to ensure it offers what you’re seeking. For example, some farm stays are well-suited for children, while some prohibit children. Many farm stays serve “farm to table meals” and are known for their food.

*To see today’s deals on B&Bs in your particular destination, click here.

How Farm Stay B&Bs Work

Farm stay B&Bs are one of the 13 Types Of B&Bs.

B&B hosts typically live in or near the property, and breakfast is typically home-cooked and included in guests’ nightly rates. To learn how B&Bs compare to hotels (in price, atmosphere, privacy and safety), see our complete B&Bs vs. Hotels Comparison Guide.

After you’ve booked a farm stay, expect your host to contact you prior to arrival. Some hosts ask guests to provide an estimated time of arrival, as many B&B properties are not staffed 24/7. Rather, their schedules are flexible, and can be adjusted to guests’ schedules. Here are examples of farm stay B&Bs with animals:

How To Find And Book A Farm Stay Online

As of December 2023, there is no single “go-to place” to find and book a farm stay online. However, some sites offer farm stays in their inventory. These include major international booking sites, regional booking sites, WWOOF and Google.

Major Booking Websites

  • Agoda.com is a very popular website for finding and booking travel accommodation, as it offers deals on rooms globally. For a complete step-by-step guide on how to use Agoda, click here.

  • Vrbo.com offers farm stay B&Bs globally (still most popular in USA). To find a farm stay B&B on Vrbo, click the “Filters” tab below the search bar, then see the “Property type” section.

  • Airbnb.com offers arguably the widest range of lodging options online. To find a farm stay on Airbnb, select the “farm stay” filter under the search bar. To learn about Airbnb, click here.

Regional Websites

Regional farm stay sites exist in some regions of the world. These sites work well if you’re seeking a farm stay in those particular areas. Of course, if there’s no site for a region, use the global sites mentioned above. For farm stays in the USA, try farmstayus.com. For the UK, try farmstay.co.uk and ruralretreats.co.uk.

*Disclaimer: While I’ve used all other sites mentioned in this guide, I’ve never booked a farm stay via one of the regional websites mentioned in this section.

WWOOF (Volunteering)

WWOOF connects farmer hosts with volunteers.

On WWOOF ("World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms”), guests don’t pay their host. Rather, their host provides food and lodging, while the guest volunteers roughly 4-6 hours per day, in exchange. Volunteering can include assisting with whatever the host needs help with (berry picking, shed building, helping with the animals, farm management, etc.).

WWOOF stays can be ideal for travelers seeking to learn a skill, or those who have a skill to offer (some hosts seek guests who possess a certain skillset). Other potential benefits of a WWOOF stay include saving money and/or learning a language. Multiple guests may stay with a single host concurrently. Don’t expect your WWOOF lodging to be luxurious!

WWOOF does not function as one single, centralized organization, but rather as a large network of regional websites. To book a stay in a particular region, you’ll need to first register on the local site for that region. Also, keep in mind that standards differ by region (for example, minimum age can range from 16 to 20).

Popular WWOOF regions include:

*Use Google to find other WWOOF regions.

Try A Google Search

Because there’s no single “go-to” marketplace to find a farm stay online (yet), Google can be used as a first or last option. You can try searches like “farm stay in (destination)” or add a feature or animal (like a dog or cat) to your search. For example, “farm stay bed and breakfast (with feature/animal) in (your destination)”.

*To see today’s deals on B&Bs in your particular destination, click here.

Conclusion

Hopefully you found this guide helpful.

We covered what a farm stay is, how they operate and how to find one. This relaxed type of accommodation offers a unique travel experience. To learn more about bed and breakfasts, explore our other guides below.

Enjoy your travels!

Featured
Taz Zaidi [Author]
Taz Zaidi [Author]

Taz Zaidi is an American travel writer and the founder/creator of TRVLGUIDES.com. Connect with him on Instagram (@tazzaidi) or on his personal website, at tazzaidi.com.

Read More →
Taz Zaidi
Previous

Do Bed And Breakfasts Serve Lunch Or Dinner? [Half, Full Board, How To Book]
Next

What Is A Guest House? [Traveler’s Guide, FAQ]