I Tried CollabAwayHQ — Here’s What Happened
In recent years, the world of collaborations between content creators and hospitality businesses has exploded. More and more influencers, photographers, and videomakers are looking for opportunities to stay in beautiful locations in exchange for promotional content. In this growing landscape, CollabAwayHQ presents itself as a platform designed to simplify the connection between creators and properties, promising “unique stays and quality partnerships.”
Curious to see if it really worked, I decided to give it a try. I signed up and paid for the annual subscription, which costs €45, granting full access to collaboration listings and direct contact with registered hosts. My goal was to use the platform to plan some collaborations while traveling — creating content for hotels, B&Bs, and holiday homes in exchange for free stays or discounts.
How CollabAwayHQ Works
The website is clean and user-friendly. Once you register, you can browse a list of collaboration opportunities, divided by destination and property type. Each listing includes photos, descriptions, host requirements, and what they offer in return — usually free accommodation or discounted stays in exchange for social content or reviews.
The platform describes a four-step process:
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Review Opportunities – Browse verified hosts and filter by location or property type.
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Discuss Terms – Contact the host to agree on dates, deliverables, and expectations.
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Accept & Create – Once both sides agree, confirm the collaboration and plan the content.
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Deliver & Complete – Create, share, and mark the collaboration as complete.
On paper, everything looks great. The site also features a dashboard to manage proposals, track progress, and save favorite listings.
My Real Experience
After setting up my profile — uploading my portfolio, links to my social accounts, and a short bio — I started applying. Over the next couple of weeks, I sent around 15 collaboration requests to different hosts, taking the time to personalize each message to increase my chances of a reply.
The problem? No one ever replied.
Not a single confirmation, rejection, or even a quick “thanks for your message.” I double-checked my profile, updated my photos, refined my introduction, and even reached out to customer support to see if something was wrong with my account. Unfortunately, I received no helpful response.
After several weeks of waiting, I began to realize that the platform might not be very active, or that many of the listed hosts aren’t genuinely responsive. Some offers look nice at first glance but seem to be inactive — possibly posted just to make the site appear busier than it really is.
Final Thoughts
To be fair, CollabAwayHQ made a good first impression. The interface is attractive, navigation is easy, and the idea of connecting creators and hosts directly is genuinely appealing. However, in practice, my experience was disappointing.
After paying €45 for a yearly membership, I didn’t get a single collaboration or even a message back. It’s possible that the platform works better for influencers with much larger followings or highly specific niches, but as a mid-level creator with a real and engaged audience, I saw no results.
The concept has potential, but it clearly needs improvement — more active hosts, better support, and maybe some kind of guarantee or refund policy for paying members who don’t get any engagement. Even a basic notification system or activity indicator for listings would make a big difference.
Seguici sui social!
Ci puoi trovare su Instagram sotto il nome di @tildediscovery per i viaggi worldwide e @disciules per quelli nel Nord Italia.
Su Facebook sono mytripmaps
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