Continuing on with our budget travel series – we are talking about finding cheap lodging and accommodation. Besides actually getting to your destination, accommodation will take up the biggest portion of your travel budget. Therefore, there is another huge opportunity here to save lots of cash. But like all budget methods, it will take you a bit more time, effort and open-mindedness to get there.
Overall, the best way to find economical accommodation is to start planning your vacation early and spend time on researching your options carefully. There is so much information online and so many opportunities to find great deals but you have to put in the work. Don’t worry – it will pay off! It always does.
Want to learn more about budget travel? Check out our budget series:
Alright, let’s jump right into it. Here’s our top tips on how to find budget accommodation anywhere in the world!
Stay at Hostels
If you are comfortable with the idea, using hostels is a great way to save money while traveling. Staying in hostels is significantly cheaper than hotels and utilizing them will allow you to stretch your travel budget a lot further. You may have to give up a bit of privacy and comfort – but what you will gain is friendships, learning more about the local life, sharing experiences with other travelers, and saving money on accommodation and on food by being able to cook for yourself.
Hostels are becoming more popular which means you will find them in most cities and they are trending toward a higher quality with more amenities and cleanliness standards.
Hostels come in all shapes and sizes, so take your time to look around and find the right one for you. You will find a wide variety of room options. You can get a private room if that is what you prefer, but it will cost you extra. The cheapest room you will get will be in a dormitory style room with an average of 8 beds and a shared bathroom.
There are tons of resources to search for hostels online. Here are some of the more popular:
- Hostelworld
- Booking.com (watch carefully for your ‘total price’ before booking – sometimes there are hidden fees)
- Hostels.com
House Sitting
One of our favourite words in the world is ‘free‘ – I’ll take a wild guess and bet yours is to. House sitting is one way to get absolutely free accommodation anywhere in the world. It takes a bit more effort to get into but it is worth it for the ability to travel the world at a very low cost.
If you have never heard of house sitting before it is definitely worth looking into before planning your next trip. Essentially, house sitting involves a home owner who will be away and who needs a house sitter to watch their property and any pets they have. This will give you free lodging and you can find gigs anywhere in the world.
Join one of the sites below to get involved. Each site will charge you an annual fee (ranging from $20 – $119 USD/year) to use their services in order to connect you to home owners. There is a lot of competition on these sites and you will have more luck landing a gig if you have some experience. Consider house sitting near your hometown first in order to establish some credibility so you have a better chance of being selected when you are ready to house sit abroad.
Here are the most popular sites for house sitting:
House Swapping
Again – FREE! Another way to get free accommodation is by house swapping. House swapping is a very unique experience where two parties connect and swap homes for a set period of time. If you live in a city where others want to visit, you’re in luck. Set up a profile and check out who else is offering a house swap in areas you want to visit and see if you can find a match.
There are many sites dedicated to connecting house swappers. Here are some of the most popular:
Stay for Free With Locals
‘Couchsurfing’ is becoming a trendy term and is also a great way to travel the world for very little money. Members of this community offer lodging in their home for free. The lodging could be a private room, an air mattress or a couch, but it’s always free. Taking part in this type of exchange will give you an authentic local experience and you will get invaluable information of the city you are visiting. The process is quite safe as the hosts are given a thorough background check and verification process and you can find reviews of each host that have been made by past guests. You will also have lots of communication with the host before your visit so you will get an idea of the person and if you mesh well.
There’s a plethora of sites dedicated to this. The idea of couchsurfing is growing in popularity and with more like-minded people building this community, the easier it will be for you to find the perfect match. Check out these popular sites:
Don’t be a fool, and travel like a pro! Travel can be exhausting, overwhelming and stressful – so make sure you bring along the right gear! Make sure you read our post Top 10 Must Have Items for Long Travel Days and carry along these items to help improve comfort and sleep, and reduce anxiety and stress:
- J-Pillow Travel Pillow – Our FAVOURITE Travel Pillow
- Hydro Flask 32 oz. Water Bottle
- Physix Compression Socks
- Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask
- Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones
Home Rental Sites
We use these very often and it is definitely our go-to when first looking for accommodation. There are so many benefits to renting a home when you travel – 1) It is so popular now that you can find homes in every city worldwide; 2) You can always find a room or home for less than the cost of a hotel; 3) You experience life as a local as you are literally ‘walking in their shoes’; 4) You get great amenities like a kitchen and laundry; 5) You get more space and privacy compared to a hostel or hotel room. You will pay more for these homes compared to some other options on this list, but because of all these benefits it is worth checking out these sites before booking your lodging.
One important note – pay attention to the reviews. Unfortunately, there are scams present on these sites. Seek out home owners who have many recent reviews and have a high rating – read all the comments to get an idea of the true condition of the home.
The feature we love on these sites is the ability to filter. By using the the filter you get to look at exactly what you want. You can choose whether you want a private room or an entire home to yourself. You can set your budget so you are not shown options that are outside of your price range. You can locate homes on a map so you can easily pick the locations you want to visit.
Check out these popular sites for great lodging options:
Hotel Booking Sites
If you are set on staying in a hotel, always check out hotel booking sites to compare prices and ensure you are getting the best rate. These sites are so popular now and they do a great job at searching the internet for the best rate, so make sure you take advantage of them.
When we were in Zurich, we found an amazing hotel that included daily breakfast for less than an Airbnb or hostel would have cost. This hotel was spectacular and set on top of a mountain that overlooked the whole city. Hotels will randomly offer great deals for multiple reasons, so make sure to check out these sites before booking.
Local Deals Websites
Each city will have their own ‘daily deals’ site you can look into. If you sign up for sites like this, you can search through all the local deals that are being offered. It is common to find hotel packages with an all-in-one price which includes accommodation, meals and sometimes activity or spa credits. It’s worth a look to see if there’s a package deal that would be cheaper than booking everything individually.
Popular sites in North America are listed below, but research the city you are visiting for other options:
Camping
If you are backpacking or driving throughout your destination, why not give camping a try? Camping is so popular worldwide and you can always find cheap campsites at the fraction of the cost of a hotel. Of course, you’ll save lots of money this way, but you’ll also get out of touristy areas, explore the beauty of the land you are visiting, get some amazing views and photo-ops, and you will get your own space, privacy and a much quieter night’s sleep.
While touring around, be prepared to camp out and bring along lightweight camping gear like hammock tents, lightweight sleeping bags and all-in-one cooking sets. We have an extremely thorough post on lightweight (and budget!) camping and backpacking gear – check out ‘Backpacking Essentials: What to Bring and What Not To’ to learn more.
Overlanding
We talk a lot about overlanding because it is an incredible way to save money and travel on a small budget for a long time. If it is possible for you to drive to your destination, consider taking a camper van or RV to save on accommodation, transportation and food costs. This type of travel offers you freedom, flexibility and a whole new perspective on the world. If you are interested in this type of travel and want to learn more, check out our post ‘Backpack Travel Vs. Overland Travel’.
To find budget campsites for tent camping, car/van camping, or RV camping worldwide, check out:
Night Trains and Buses
If you are on a backpacking trip and traveling from city to city, take advantage of the cheaper night trains and buses. You’ll save money this way by traveling at a less desirable time. And you will also save a night’s lodging cost by sleeping on an overnight ride. Train and bus seats offer more room and comfort than a plane – so if you bring along a travel pillow and light blanket you will be able to get a good night’s rest. Even if you do this a handful of times throughout your trip, you will still save a good amount of money and every bit counts.
Travel to Budget Countries
When you are planning your next vacation spot, try to keep an open mind. Think beyond the most popular destinations and you can reduce your travel budget significantly. You will save money not only on lodging, but on transportation and food costs as well.
Here’s a list of the world’s top 10 most expensive cities to visit: (Source: The Telegraph.co.uk)
- Singapore
- Paris, France
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Hong Kong
- Oslo, Norway
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Seoul, South Korea
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Tel Aviv, Isreal
- Sydney, Australia
Other notoriously expensive cities to visit are:
- New York City, New York
- London, England
- Los Angeles, California
- Tokyo, Japan
- Rome, Italy
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Honolulu, Hawaii.
Some of the cheapest destinations in the world (and the most interesting in our opinion) include:
- Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos etc.
- Mexico
- Columbia
- Uruguay
- Guatemala
- Cuba
- Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, Croatia etc.
- Greece
- Portugal
- Turkey
- South Africa
- India
What ways do you save on accommodation while traveling? Let us know and comment below!
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