Short-term rental
Airbnb is the most popular of the short-term rental options. I love their website and the philosophy of the company. If you’re still worried about security when it comes to staying at a stranger’s, check out the Ted Talk of one of co-founder Joe Gebbia below, to see how they designed their service around mutual trust.
I stayed in an old house that had survived the earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco, California. The owner had inherited the house from her family and was thrilled to tell us more about the region. Airbnb encourages hosts to provide people more than just a place to stay when traveling, but a whole experience.
Short-term is all relative since you can even book a place for the month. This sleeping option has the advantage of offering a fully furnished lodging, including most of the time a kitchen where you can save more money by cooking your own food. They’re in between hostels and hotels. Short-term rentals’ costs vary greatly but they’re on average the same price as a budget hotel. You usually get a discount if you stay longer than a week.
Pro tips:
- Check the pictures and the reviews left by the previous guests.
- Make sure that you have a way to contact the host at your arrival so they can give you the keys.
- Keep in mind the location and transportation system before you book: city centers are usually more expensive, but don’t need to use common transport as much. Find your balance.
Get a 35€ discount on your first booking of at least 65€ with this link!
If you’re a solo traveler, you might find it expensive compared to hostels, but Airbnb is perfect when you’re a couple or a group. Other alternatives include Wimdu and Roomorama, but once again, I’m all for Airbnb.
Vacation rental
They offer a great alternative to hotels by providing more amenities, such as a kitchen and a laundry. Prices vary depending mostly on the type of lodging and location - if you can split the costs among a group of travelers, vacation rentals can make your stay very special.
HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb offer over 1 million places to sleep for a night or more to tourists around the world. Types of lodging are very varied: you can probably find something that suits you or that’s a bit more exotic than what you’re used to.
Academic housing
This solution is one of the cheap alternatives to hotels that are not often enough thought of. Many universities around the globe provide their students with free or low-cost accommodation. When comes the time for holidays, these lodgings are left unoccupied: some universities are then willing to rent them to travelers looking for affordable sleep options.
While it’s harder to find something on weekends during the school year, do check if the local college dorms are open to renting student rooms or dorms during term breaks or in the summer. The best option is to do your research on the local universities and colleges and contact them directly. Just google “academic housing in [city]”. I know that my university in France opened their doors to budget travelers between July and August. Facilities won’t be of the same standard as a hotel, but your wallet will thank you for it!
Guesthouses / Budget hotels / Inns
I love guest houses and inns. Backpackers on a budget usually praise these affordable lodgings for the special attention they are given during their stay and the local cuisine they are served. During a day of trekking in the Tiger Leaping Gorge, in the province of Yunnan, South China, we stopped at Tina’s Inn for the night. The place was large enough to welcome about 15 travelers. We all ate at the same table, sharing our journey’s story while eating homemade food.
The setting of guesthouses is often amazing. Many are located in remote places to provide a safe haven for tired hikers in a need of a place to stay after or in the middle of their expedition. When I woke up at Tina’s Inn, the sun was rising behind the mountains that were no further than 100m away from my bedroom door.
The rooms are usually simple without many amenities, making them very affordable. They are shared the same way as a hostel dormitory to facilitate bonding between travelers, although some do provide a private room as well. I took one when I needed a good night rest after another trek among the rice terraces of Dazhai, in the province of Guangxi.
Pro tips:
- Ask in advance if the breakfast is included. I always choose inns and guest houses where it is. Then again, a Frenchman needs his morning meal.
- Ask to see the room before actually paying.
- If you’re booking online beforehand, make sure to check reviews and pictures.
- Ask for the door’s key to keep your valuables safe.
Prices are usually the same as budget hotels, which I think lack the charm of a guest house in comparison. So once in a while, why not? I usually book guest houses, inns and budget hotels via Booking.com.
Cabins and cottages
They shouldn't be forgotten by budget-minded travelers since the most primitive ones are even cheaper than campsites. As highlighted by WikiVoyage, cabins and cottages are located in remote areas, often in rural destinations. Most are actually close to hunting or fishing camps or camping sites. They can turn out to be expensive for solo travelers but they are great for couples and groups.
For travelers ready to get involved
Local homestay
You might already have had a local homestay experience when you were at school: I had a foreign correspondent in Bristol, England as part of a school program. I stayed at her place for a week and then she visited me in France.
Local homestays are a great opportunity if you want to learn a foreign language and share a family’s culture and daily life. Provided that you work with them, you can even make some extra bucks. Travelers who need a place to stay for a month for free and who look for a truly immersive experience love this option. In Istanbul, I stayed for a week with a family with two children. I taught them English and in exchange, I was hosted and fed for free.
Pro tips:
- Learn a few words of the language before your stay: it will make things easier and be appreciated by your hosts. Smiling will also help when you don’t understand: you might look like an idiot, but a friendly one at least.
- Enquire about which meals are provided. Breakfast usually is, the rest of them not always.
- Be open-minded: these people welcome you in their home and they will treat you as family. Be respectful and take every opportunity to learn.
- Bring a small gift from your country: I usually bring sweets typical of my region and my hosts love this. It’s also a nice ice-breaker.
To find a host family, google “homestay [country]” or “homestay [city] and choose a website that looks trustworthy. You will be put in touch with a family.
House-sitting
It’s the same as baby or pet-sitting: in exchange for keeping someone else’s house, you get a free place to stay when traveling. People going away for a while indeed trust strangers to take care of their property in their absence: if you’re ready to work a little to pay for your accommodation, it’s a fantastic option! Obviously, “strangers” is not the right word, since you need to provide solid references (why not start with house-sitting for family and friends first?).
It’s true that you won’t be as free as you would in a hotel where you can come and go as you please: house-sitting includes looking after and cleaning the house, sometimes even taking care of a pet. But it can definitely be worth it for travelers looking for a free place to stay for a fortnight or a month, with the comfort of home. Plus, it’s not a prison, you can go around of course! Just make sure that the owners signed on all your tasks and responsibilities.
All sorts of homes are available for house-sitting, giving you access to a wide range of luxury levels. It’s not uncommon to find villas next to the sea in the south of France and Italy for instance. Popular travel accommodation websites for house-sitting include MindMyHouse, House Carers, Luxury House Sitting, and TrustedHousesitters.
Volunteer & Work exchange
“I need a place to stay, I’m homeless. I can work for my accommodation”. If you’ve got the profile, consider volunteer work or paid work exchange. The most popular, especially in Australia, are farm stays. In exchange for your work and involvement with the farm’s activity, you are provided with cheap accommodation. Your work usually earns you more than just your rent, so you even get some extra cash.
Before signing up, bear in mind that the work is physical and exhausting. But it’s also extremely rewarding and enriching: you get to help a family or a community with a project, be it their farm or the construction of a school for young children for instance. If you’ve got an interesting skill set, make the most of it and work for your accommodation rather than paying for it. Consider it as yet another opportunity to do some good while getting insights into the local culture and lifestyle. And saving money at the same time.
Friends of mine swear their humanitarian mission in Madagascar, where they built a school for orphans, was their most amazing travel experience. My cousin left for Australia where he’s making enough money on a farm to pay for decent accommodation and even travel around from time to time. I seriously consider a work exchange for one of my future trips and regret I didn’t do it sooner!
Pro tips:
- Check which meals are included.
- Make sure you agree on the number of working hours: if you have time to visit around on the weekends, it’s a golden opportunity!
- Ask how your work will be remunerated: money and/or free accommodation?
- Inquire about extra fees that could be involved.
If you’re interested in a farm stay, check out WWOOF, which brings together volunteers and organic farmers, Farm Stay US or Farm Stay Camping Australia.
Work Away and HelpX are dedicated to finding volunteer work for people looking for a place to stay when traveling and ready to help, not exclusively on farms.
Live on a boat
It’s also a work exchange, but I think it’s slightly different than the section above since you are bound to stay on the boat while you’re at sea, therefore limiting your freedom in a sense. But on the other hand, websites such as Find A Crew don’t just grant free lodging for travelers by living on a boat: you also get the transportation!
Nora Dunn has sailed on 5 boats for three months in the Caribbean and provided a detailed guide on how to get a job and a free ride working on boats. She explains how easy it is to network in the nautical community once you got your first experience. You might even make some extra bucks in the process for your work.
Living at sea is not for everyone, but I can barely imagine how thrilling it must be to learn how to sail a boat and exploring the sea rather than the land for a while. Plus, you still get stopovers to bond with the earth again! Just don’t think that it will be chilling and tanning all day long: it takes a lot of work and you need to be committed. If you don’t want to be tossed overboard, that is. Ok, I did watch Pirates of the Caribbean a lot.
For travelers who don’t have problems with money
Hotel
Writing a guide on finding a place to stay when traveling wouldn’t be complete without hotels, would it? Let’s just get something out of the way: as a budget traveler, I do not like hotels. Yet, there is no denying that they do provide comfort and can ease your trip in many ways, if only by guaranteeing a transport from the airport.
That being said, they are still a few ways to make sure booking a hotel will not ruin you when you’re looking for a place to stay when traveling. Tingo is a great tool: it refunds your money if the price of your lodging drops after you booked. You can do some research on more popular websites and cross-check with Tingo: if prices are lower or the same, you might as well book with it.
Based on a deep analysis from Nomadic Matt, Booking a cheap hotel requires different websites depending on where you're traveling. In general, anywhere in the world, look at Expedia or Priceline. If you’re traveling specifically to the US, TravelPony is your travel accommodation website of predilection. And for having used it on a few occasions, Agoda is working miracles in Asia.
I wouldn’t use Booking.com which usually doesn’t return the best prices for hotels compared to the rest, nor Trivago which overrate their hotels (see blog post of Nomadic Matt).
Travelers that don’t worry too much about money will enjoy their stay in nice hotels. I still recommend to check for reviews and enquire about fidelity programs when it comes to large chains: you might as well get rewarded for booking at a more expensive rate!
Boutique hotel
These upscale hotels usually offer a unique setting and focus on offering an unforgettable experience rather than basic accommodation. Expect them to be rather pricey, although they cover very different price ranges. But you’re sure to make an adventure out of your stay!
You can book this treehouse from i-escape for 219€ per night. Pricey but magical
GoUnusual lets you book a place in a treehouse, underwater, and even in a teepee or an igloo! It's worth a glance to get an idea of a “life less ordinary”, as they seek to promote. Doris & Dicky want to make boutique hoteling affordable and offer budget options without compromising on quality. Their very flexible booking system lets you get a refund without fees and pay only when you check-out, for most of their lodgings. Check out i-escape’s extensive inventory spread over 50 countries for even more options. Booking.com also has a nice selection of boutique hotels worldwide.
For travelers who don’t have a choice anymore: Last resort solutions
Squatting
Believe it or not, there is a website for the squatting community online: Squat the Planet is surprisingly full of inspiring stories! According to the Expert Vagabond, 1 out of 7 people in the world is estimated to live as squatters, meaning that they live on a property owned by someone else without permission.
It’s in the last resort solutions for a reason: the options above and tips below should be enough for you to find a free or cheap place to stay when traveling, and I do not recommend it.
Public places
We’ve all done it to some extent, right? I cannot count the times I slept at the airport during a long layover. If you need only a few hours of sleep before hitting the road again (or taking off), don’t bother with a hotel or anything else: sleep at the airport, or at the train or bus station.
As long as you don’t smell too bad and you have a backpack or suitcase showing that you travel, security officers should leave you in peace.
Pro tips:
- Check if you have a free WiFi network (check out the map below for airport passwords).
- Find your spot early before all the good ones are taken: you don’t want to sleep where there is too much passenger traffic but not too isolated either.
- Use the public bathroom for a quick wash-up session and teeth brushing.
- Bring your own food: as I mentioned in my airport hacks, food can be pricey in airports and bus stations.
THE BEST TIPS AND HACKS TO FIND AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION
1. Search for your place to stay in private mode
2. Don’t forget Facebook
There are always groups dedicated putting travelers in touch, where you can find accommodation for a few days or more. This is how I found my summer rental last summer in Sofia, Bulgaria.
3. Take transportation costs into accounts
Don’t go too far away, but maybe not in the very center either. Find the balance with a cheap rent close to the main attractions of the city.
4. Stay more than one night
Hotels and Airbnb will give you discount rates if you stay for a longer time. If you’re staying in a free place abroad, it gives you a chance to talk with your host and the locals, to truly make the most of your trip.
5. Look at the booking and payment terms
Keep an eye on prices even after you booked and be on the lookout for better deals. Booking.com offers free cancellation, they have a 24/7 customer service and they let you book now and pay later for example. Or book your hotel early with Tingo and get refunded for the difference if the price drops after you paid for your room
6. Ask for group or family deals
Especially in hotels, don’t be shy and ask for an upgrade, free meals, or a discount when you’re traveling as a group. What’s the worst that can happen: they will just say no and you’ll still have your regular booking.
7. Join an accommodation reward program
Hotels are expensive but if you book often with the same chain, you can get a few advantages in the process, allowing you to book your next stay with a discount. It works also on Booking.com: after a certain amount of reservations, you’ll see cheaper prices with your newly acquired status.
8. If you’re a student
Check out STA travel, they find special deals for you. However, double check on your own: STA doesn't always offer the cheapest flight tickets.
9. Risk last minute deals
Prices can drop in the late evening when hotels see their rooms have not all been booked. Hotel Tonight will help you if that's your plan. Then again, I wouldn’t bet everything on this option.
10. Sell everything, buy an RV and travel in your home
Ok, don’t sell everything, but an RV can be a great option for medium to long-term travel. You get a free place sleep wherever you can park!
Last words (I swear)
Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get cheap flight tickets easily with some organization and you’re now an expert at finding a place to stay when traveling. You are ready to save money on your lodging and actually make the most of your trip!
Congratulations, and see you around, traveler!
The airline screwed up your flight and you were delayed, canceled or overbooked? We help you get up to 600€ of compensation. Something to spend on your next flight or accommodation in future trips!
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Thomas is the SEO and Content Strategist at ClaimCompass. Frequent traveller, he loves sharing tips and news about the industry in a simple way.
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