”Discover how a €25 stay in Copenhagen turned a solo basketball referee’s trip into an unforgettable, five‑star experience—friendship, safety, and local hospitality that beats any hotel.”
We spoke with Hossam, a basketball referee originally from Alexandria, Egypt. His love of travel started with AIESEC, where he took his first trip abroad to India. He hasn’t stopped since, solo-travelling to 25 countries and counting. Hossam chose StayingBee for a stay in Copenhagen, Denmark and shared how his experience went.
I’m Hossam. I’m originally from Alexandria, Egypt and I’m a basketball referee — basketball is my passion. I joined AIESEC in 2012 and it opened the world to me. It led to my first trip abroad to India and made me hungry to travel. Since then, I’ve visited more than 25 countries.
I’m mostly a solo traveler. I don’t need to wait for people to join me. Once I have a place in mind and something to do, I just go. A lot of times I book trips without a full plan. I spent 7 months in Colombia without knowing Spanish. I booked a 45 day trip across Europe and only knew my starting and ending point. I figured everything else out in-between.
It was one of the best trips of my life.
Safety is the most important for me. I need to know that my personal belongings are secure, especially my passport and travel documents. It’s a non-negotiable.
Staying with a local is also important, especially if it’s your first time in a new city. They can give you tips on where to go and how to get there, and you can trust what they’re saying is true because they’ve done it.
I also need my own space to rest and recharge.
I heard about StayingBee through an AIESEC alumni newsletter and through a conversation with the MCP of AIESEC in Denmark.
During my travels, I’ve met AIESECers and I know from experience that they’re local, dependable, and they make you feel at home. They remind you of your early days in the organization. So staying with them on a platform like StayingBee just makes sense.
I was in Copenhagen for a basketball tournament over New Year's. Hotel prices were really expensive, so I chose StayingBee. The price for a single night was €25.
My host was extremely kind and accommodating from the beginning. He messaged me before I arrived to see if I needed help finding his place and whether I had any food allergies because he was already preparing dinner. When I arrived we got on great. We had long conversations about our lives and ambitions. It's really not something I would have been able to experience in a hotel. In the morning, I woke up to an all-inclusive breakfast. For a five-star hotel, I would have paid five times more — and I still wouldn't have had this kind of experience.
We're now friends. We follow each other on social media, and I've invited him to stay with me if he's ever in my hometown. This wouldn't have happened if I'd chosen a hotel.
My host was very communicative from the start of the booking. With StayingBee, when you make a booking, you begin by chatting with the host to make sure you’re both on the same page. From the beginning we stayed in contact and I had all the details confirmed before my stay.
And both of us being from AIESEC, I knew there was already a level of trust and a shared background. I never felt like I had anything to worry about. I was only excited to meet him.
Staying with my host was the highlight. Hosting is really his passion and you could feel it throughout the entire stay — from checking in on me before I arrived, to making dinner, to keeping a tidy apartment. You could feel that it wasn't about the money or getting a good review.
Airbnb is okay, but you're staying with someone whose motivation is to make money. That's the difference.
With StayingBee, someone isn’t treating you as a source of income, but as a real person they want to build a friendship with. They're not going above and beyond because they're waiting for a good review. They're doing it because they want to. When you're part of a community like AIESEC, where most people are volunteers, they give more than 100% because they care. It’s like karma. Doing good things comes back to you.
Does the community bond influence that? 100%.
StayingBee is for everyone who’s part of a community.
For solo travelers who are traveling to a new place, even for friend groups or group travellers. Everyone can benefit from having access to a local who can give them advice or tips and just have someone to count on when they’re in a new country.
Be relaxed. Expect hospitality and a clean, safe space to sleep. Don’t overthink it. With travel, you have to go with the flow. A lot of things become outside of your control, so you just need to stay relaxed and let things happen as they happen.
And keep in mind that you’re not paying hotel prices. You’re paying for something different, but better.
Just do it. Like the Nike slogan.
You're staying with someone you can trust, somewhere safe, with people who aren't looking to take advantage of you. They want connection. They want to have a good time with you.
Big hotels are corporate and contained — you never really know who's responsible for your experience. With StayingBee, you know exactly who you're staying with. That's more reassuring than any five-star rating.
You're staying with your people.
Hossam Abdallah is an international basketball referee and AIESEC alumnus originally from Alexandria, Egypt. He has traveled to more than 25 countries, mostly solo, and is a StayingBee guest and aspiring host.
