The bed and breakfast inns of today have evolved from a practice now thought to be the exclusive province of anarchists and would-be Bohemians--a practice that is, today, given the contemptuous name of "couch surfing." Yet, housing wayfaring strangers in one's own home used to be normal in European and North American culture.

The First Bed and Breakfast Inns

Hotels barely existed until the 19th century, when its capitalist explosion caused all kinds of businesses to start up. Ever since people first settled to form towns, and up until the 1700's and early 1800's, it was common practice to provide free housing and even a meal to strangers who showed up at your door. For ancient cultures, from the Greeks to the early Christians, all those parables about "hospitality" and not turning a stranger away from one's door were not merely symbolic. People who undertook long trips were preoccupied enough with the dangers of the road, and couldn't conceive of also having to worry about not being able to find a place to stay the night for free. In fact, most travelers would not have necessarily been able to pay even if it were expected of them. As a whole, they avoided taking very much money or valuables with them, for fear of being robbed on the road.

Hotels Versus Bed and Breakfast Inns

Hotels started to appear in North America and Europe the moment travel became faster and more convenient. The railroad appeared in the 19th century, which made going on a trip a considerably less perilous prospect for the average person. The train could take a person hundreds of miles from his or her home in the space of a day, in near-perfect safety (excepting the rare crash or train robbery). Travel began to seem less dire. Middle-class travelers, comfortable during their ride on the train, were less averse to paying for a place to sleep, and more averse to begging for lodgings. Thus, most towns started having hotels. Finding a room for the night became a formal business transaction, not an ambiguous confrontation between fellow human beings.

Modern Bed and Breakfast Inns Appear

After the automobile became widespread, virtually every city had at least one hotel, perhaps more. Paying for lodgings began to be the rule for all travelers, not the exception. However, the Great Depression brought difficult times upon middle class Americans. As a result, there was a resurgence in the practice of staying overnight at ordinary people's homes during one's travels.

Except that, this time, people were expected to pay a token amount. Instead of stopping at just anyone's house, travelers during the Great Depression would knock at doors that were specially marked "Tourists." At these "tourist" houses, people would pay a small amount to sleep in one of the house's rooms for the night. From these humble beginnings finally came the modern institution of bed and breakfast inns.

After the Great Depression ended, and after many Europeans saw Europe following the end of World War, many owners of "tourist" houses converted their establishments into "bed and breakfast inns" on the European (especially, UK) model. Rather than economy, these new bed and breakfast inns emphasized rustic comfort, local knowledge, and serving travelers with a "personal touch" not found at large hotels.