I still remember my first trip to a small homestay on the edge of the Sundarbans. The hospitality was overwhelming—fresh fish from the pond, stories under the stars, and a genuine warmth that you can never buy in a five-star hotel. Yet, when I spoke to our host, he shared a quiet frustration. He had rooms, he had the best local knowledge, but he had no way to reach the travelers who would love to stay there. He didn’t know how to list his property on international booking sites, and his phone’s camera couldn’t capture the beauty of his orchard.
At the same time, back in Dhaka, I knew dozens of talented young photographers, designers, and students who were itching to travel, to explore their country, but simply couldn’t afford the rising costs of transport and lodging.
That was the spark for CoTraveler.
The Core Idea: An Exchange of Value
Why couldn’t we connect these two worlds? A skilled photographer or videographer could stay at a homestay for a week, enjoy free food and lodging, and in exchange, provide the host with high-quality photos, write a compelling property description, and list them online.
By exchanging skills for hosting, we remove the cash barrier for young creatives while giving rural hosts the professional tools they need to welcome more visitors.
But we quickly ran into a third challenge: travel costs. For a student, a round-trip train ticket and local transport in remote Bandarban or Sreemangal is still a significant hurdle. That is why we created the Together Fund.
The Together Fund: Making It Cost Zero
Through partnerships with sustainable brands, corporate sponsors, and NGOs, we pool resources into a fund. This fund covers the travel fares and a small daily stipend for our verified CoTravelers.
The math is simple:
- The Host gives food and lodging.
- The Together Fund covers transport.
- The CoTraveler gives back their skills.
The result? The trip costs the skilled traveler absolutely nothing, and the host receives service work that would otherwise cost them thousands of Taka.
Starting Small, Growing Safely
We are launching CoTraveler in three pilot regions: Sreemangal, Bandarban, and the Sundarbans. We are deliberately starting small because trust and safety are paramount. Every host is verified by our local team, and every CoTraveler goes through a verification process to ensure they can deliver on their promised skills and respect the communities they enter.
We also have a firm ethical commitment: no orphanage volunteering, and no placements that displace paid local work. We are here to build capacity, not to replace local jobs.
A CoTraveler is someone who shares the journey with you. We are hoping you’ll be one of ours.