”Tired of impersonal travel experiences? Discover StayingBee, a community-driven accommodation platform that connects you with like-minded travelers and hosts. Join us to redefine travel—meet new friends, stay affordably, and create meaningful connections, all while feeling at home, no matter where you go!”
“StayingBee started with a simple frustration—I couldn’t find a safe, affordable place to stay while traveling, even though I knew AIESECers in most cities. That’s when the hive idea hit me.” – Kelvin Chikezie, Founder of StayingBee
That “hive idea” is now StayingBee – a community-driven accommodation sharing platform built around trust, familiarity and belonging.
The concept is simple, what if travel didn’t have to feel so impersonal? What if you could book a stay with someone from your community? Someone who shares your values, beliefs, and shares in your lived-experiences.
On StayingBee, our members join communities (AIESEC, Startup, Erasmus, and JCI - for now!) and book or host stays with members of their community. The result? Safer travel, affordable stays and an experience that feels like checking-in with an old friend.
What started in January 2025 as a simple idea is now growing into a global platform of people looking for a different way to experience travel.
People who don’t want to feel like a small fish in a big pond, but part of a well-connected hive.
We’re connecting people across cities around the world, one stay at a time.
Meet the BeeKeepers (from left to right): Patricia Michelena, Kelvin Chikezie, Kaosicho Dim, and Miika Marttinen
🐝Patricia
A digital nomad with a love of travel and a flare for community and partnership.
🐝Kelvin
A serial entrepreneur and a global citizen with a vision for better travel.
🐝Kaosicho
A product visionary focused on creating intuitive, impactful designs.
🐝Miika
A tech wizard with experience building games with 5+ million downloads.
Travel with trust, stay affordably, and connect meaningfully—not just with a bed, but with a community
We believe that travel should be more than just getting from A - B, snapping a few photos, and spending a night alone in a city full of strangers.
Travel should feel warm and welcoming.
It should be staying with a hospitable host who makes you feel at home, instantly. An inviting atmosphere and a space with personality. Home-cooked meals shared over a dinner table or glass of wine and trip down memory lane. Conversations that lead to the realization that you both have more in common than you thought.
Travel becomes meaningful when it’s shared. On StayingBee, you’ll stay with real people, in real homes and experience their city through their eyes.
Built by AIESECers, for AIESECers and other communities. Our team shares the same belief—that community should be a currency, and that your couch could be someone’s cultural exchange.
Community is the backbone of our platform. As humans, it’s what grounds us — the circles we built at home, in school, during college and internships. These communities shape us, yet as adults that sense of belonging tends to take a backseat when work and life get in the way.
We want to change that.
Our platform helps reconnect people with their roots, expand their networks and build bonds with people with similar backgrounds.
Here, you’ll meet community members you might never have crossed paths with otherwise. You’ll bridge gaps, share stories, and explore a new place with someone you feel like you’ve known your whole life.
StayingBee is about inviting community back into our daily life by creating a space for meaningful encounters with trusted community members.
“Like catching up with old friends than simply hosting strangers” — Jibola, AIESEC host in Belgium
One of the first StayingBee stays was hosted by members of the AIESEC community. It was a chance for members in Belgium to open their doors to AIESECers from Hong Kong.
It was a chance to connect, learn about each other, and bond over their AIESEC days.
It’s moments like these that make the world feel a little smaller and more familiar.
If you believe that travel should be more human and meaningful, then StayingBee was built just for you!
Join a hive of likeminded people. Learn something new about them, their home, and yourself.
Be part of our story. Find your community & Sign-up to StayingBee.
