We all love to get good deals, right? It’s important to find cheap lodging when traveling, since sleeping is one of the major expenses we face. Because you have to stay somewhere every night, reducing this expense can save you a lot of money off. When on the road, I don’t want to limit to popular kinds of accommodation like hotels or hostels. There is much more over there to discover, which can change your trip into unforgettable one. Moreover, it’s not just about where to sleep when traveling but also about planning well and always considering the environmental impact.
How to find cheap lodging when traveling?
I already shared with you many tips on how to sleep for free when you travel from which my favorite is to stay with locals through Couch Surfing. I understand, however, that some people may not like these options. What’s common for all though, we do not want to spend a fortune on lodging expenses, so here are few tips to keep in mind.
1. Do a research
Planning is essential, if you want to find cheap lodging when traveling. Last minuters usually get the highest prices possible. A bit of research will help you to get to know the attractions and exact location you are heading to.
I always check what’s worth to see at the destination I am heading. I look what accommodation options I have and what are the meal I should try. Maybe there will some festival or event happening during the same time? I always appreciate local cutlrue and like to learn about that by participating workshops or simply hanging out with locals. It’s very important for me to support local initiatives. I feel bad when supporting big companies or mass tourism. Traveling is full of constant choices we make. These choices matter for local families, small businesses and the environment. It’s important to do a research and make sure that we are spending our money right, supporting something worth it. When it comes to accommodation, I choose to sleep with local people when possible. Local people give the best advice about places to see and dishes to try. Living like a local when traveling saves a lot of money, because we can avoid a touristic trap. Moreover, it’s the most environmentally friendly way of lodging.
2. Search engines
The best way to start looking for accommodation is to check websites which compare the prices such as booking.com. You will get to know available options at your destination and learn what costs can you expect. Moreover, this site offers free cancellation, so you don’t need to worry that you will loose your money if your plan changes. And their book now, pay later system allows you to lock in the rate with some flexibility. What also makes booking.com convenient are the reviews from guests, like you and me. There are millions verified reviews from guests which booked their stay though the website.
But that’s not all. The list of search engines is long and I think it is worth mentioning the most popular ones. The owner of booking.com also has Agoda.com (link). Wide offer when traveling in Asia, there the service is more known. Expedia.com (link) – a service that allows you to plan your accommodation together with transport. If you are planning to rent a car, it will work very well. You can also find a wide range of accommodation on Hotels.com (link), especially when it comes to exotic destiantions.
Trivago.com (link) is an interesting search engine that compares options from the pages above. It will surely be useful in larger cities, when such a comparison can really help find cheap accommodation. The portal also shows current promotions or last minute offers.
3. Choose the right location
When booking your room, it is necessary to check the location of it. Maybe it has a cheap price because it’s on the outskirts? You may have to spend 2 hours in public bus to get to the center or what’s worse, pay the taxi. On the other hand, staying out of the center can be a good solution in terms of convenient transport vs. price. For instance, in big cities like Prague, public transportation system is very good, so you can easily safe money by staying out of the center and still not spending too much time to get there. In the other example, Barcelona has the low-cost airlines airport in Girona called Girona-Barcelona. As you can imagine lots of tourists find their place to stay in Girona which is another city, far from Barcelona center. They have to spend much more time and money getting to their destination.
4. Stay more than 1 night
Staying longer at the location will surely make you save lots of money. An accommodation owner often give a special deal for a longer stay. What’s more, without moving constantly you will save on transportation and create less pollution. As I am trying to improve as a responsible traveler, it’s important for me to rather enjoy the place and immerse with locals then run with a checklist to next destination. Slow traveling has been my way to save money when traveling and get the best of each place I am staying.
5. Choose the right time
Timing is also important to find cheap lodging when traveling as for example around Christmas or New Year prices are insane. Traveling during the off season is always cheaper and less crowded. At the same time, you save money on flights or car rentals and many other things. If you plan for just a short trip, try to take your vacations during the weekdays since weekends are often higher priced.
6. Delete your cookies/history
When searching for cheap lodging, use a different browser or incognito mode before looking up prices. Websites store your search data and when you come back to the same page, you may see the prices higher. The same applies when looking for a cheap flight. Clean your cookies or go incognito to don’t get your search tracked!
7. Hostels
Hotels are usually the most expensive, therefore to find cheap lodging when traveling, don’t forget the other opportunities. It doesn’t have to be less comfortable. Nowadays, we have many budget-friendly options like hostels, which I think are quite popular. Rooms are usually dormitory-style with all the facilities shared. Yet, some of them also offer regular rooms, single or double, if you prefer more privacy. The most popular websites to lookf hostels are Hostel World (link) and Hostel Bookers (link).
8. Stay with locals
My favorite option to find cheap lodging when traveling is AirBnB, as I like to stay with locals. People rent their properties for short or long periods all around the world. You can rent just one room or the whole apartment and get affortable price plus comfort you need. Choose from fancy apartments to small rooms and many interesting variations like bungalows or summer houses. It’s cheaper than hotels, less crowded than hostels and most of the times you get a kitchen, allowing you to cook and reduce your food costs.
If you follow the link or the banner and register on AirBnb, you will get 25$ gift for your first booking. If you are already registered member, you can still use the coupon, if you sign up again with a new e-mail address.
There are other websites which work in a similar way. While AirBnb has the biggest offer, it’s worth to know also Wimdu.com (link) and 9flats.com (link).
9. Consider farm stay and agrotourism
Looking for where to sleep when traveling, think about letting your hair down by nature. Maybe you want to experience the farm life or do a total detox from internet and stay in the book warm cottage in the woods? Of course, there are also plenty of opportunities to volunteer on the farms, but that’s the topic for another post.
I am sure you will find plenty of options in your country from typical Bed & Breakfast to cottage by a lake. Farm stays are popular in UK, USA and Australia, and you can choose from basic camping to luxury rooms, depending of the farm and your budget. It’s an option for nature lovers since you can see the village life and enjoy good food straight from the farm. Prices vary but are close to cheap hotels. When it comes to agrotourism, which is more popular in Europe, locals rent their spare rooms or a hut to spend relaxing time on the countryside.
10. Religious Housing
Disclaimer: you don’t have to follow any religion in order to stay in a religious housing, but you must be respectful.
We usually don’t consider religious stays when thinking where to sleep when traveling. Surely, it’s an interesting opportunity but not for everyone. If your goal is a party place or vacation vibe on the beach, that’s definitely not for you. Some of religious housing stays are designed for meditation, detox, reflection, while others offer regular lodging like Bed & Breakfast to earn extra money.
Depending on where you’re traveling, there may be cheap or free lodging offered by religious organizations — such as convents and monasteries (see MonasteryStays website), or Christian or Jewish guesthouses in Jerusalem. I have already stayed in monasteries in Syria and Thailand, which were both based on donations. It means that I could live and eat there for free, and I voluntarily support their budget.
11. Academic Housing
Yet, another trick on where to sleep when traveling, which we often forget about. When students have university break, many dormitories open their door to welcome travelers, whocan stay for a little money, having all facilities. The best option to look for them is to call few campuses. You can also try University-Rooms.com or the local tourist information.
12. Campings
The best time in holidays is time spent by nature. Camp sites offer reasonable conditions, good facilities and always affordable prices. What’s more, eco-friendly traveling is often also the cheap accommodation option, so consider checking them out. Some of them have in-built tents or can rent you one, so you can minimalise your luggage.
Where to sleep when traveling?
As you see, there are many options out there, not just the hotels, especially when you are on budget. Traveling should be an experience to remember, time to learn and relax as well. I am sending you back to the first point of this text, as planning is what every trip should start from. Learn about the options in your destination, see what interests you, which dishes you shouldn’t miss and so on. Wondering where to sleep when traveling, consider not only your wallet but also the environmental impact. Staying with locals or eco-friendly accommodation will help you to reduce the footprint you leave. Support those who #giveashit about our planet.
I am coming up with a series of travel tips to share my experience and hopefully open your eyes for new, interesting opportunities. Finding cheap lodging when traveling is another piece after cheap transportation. Hope you get some inspirations!
The Bee is a nature lover and tea addict. Loves the idea of slow life and responsible traveling, constantly trying to improve to bee more eco-friendly. Appreciates old cultures and traditions, loves to immerse with locals, listen to ethnic music as well as taste regional food and drinks. Her favorite spots while traveling are family houses and street markets.
Bardzo ciekawy i przydatny wpis! Podobno ten rok sprzyja krótkim wyjazdom ze względu na rozplanowanie dni wolnych, być może uda mi się gdzieś wyjechać – na pewno skorzystam wtedy z twoich wskazówek.
Przyznam szczerze, że bardzo mnie zaskoczyłaś punktem o usuwaniu ciasteczek. Zauważyłam, co prawda, że ceny zaskakująco szybko rosną, ale nigdy nie przypuszczałam, że to taki chwyt. Bardzo nieczysta zagrywka, dobrze, że przed tym przestrzegasz. Dziękuję!
Cieszę się, że mogłam pomóc, życzę udanych wojaży! 🙂
Czas spania na dziko lub spontanicznego szukania noclegu już minął. Podrożując z córką muszę mieć komfort zarezerwowanego noclegu. Zazwyczaj szukam na booking.com, świetną opcją dla nas są hostele i pokoje indywidualne z osobną łazienką.
Praktyczny artykuł:)
Super, prosto i konkretnie. 🙂 Ja często odpuszczam pierwszą nockę (zwiedzam miasto w nocy) i ostatnią (robię to samo). Z Airbnb i booking korzystam najczęściej.;)
Bardzo praktyczne porady ! 🙂
W sumie to my akurat tak rzadko wyjeżdżamy, że zazwyczaj szukamy czegoś wyjątkowego i cena nie jest najważniejsza, ale na pewno zwracamy uwagę na czyszczenie ciasteczek, bo to się przydaje i w lotach i w hotelach 🙂
Great Tips!
Great Tips.
These are some really great tips! I never thought about staying in a university dorm off-season but will definitely add it to my list of tricks.
These are nice tips especially for me ’cause I’m Thrifty 🙂
Bardzo fajne wskazówki – nie wiedziałam, że nawet od “ciasteczek” może zależeć cena!
rats, the Airbnb coupon doesn’t work anymore! I had a good experience in chicago a few years back but it’s been so long that my account is gone!
Thanks Katie, I need to check this out
any luck? haha im planning a trip for july and need all the help i can get!
for my friend it seam to work. is it possible that it depends of the country?
Wow, as a budget traveler, these tips are truly a big help for me. I often used couchsurfing whenever I travel, aside from I can totally saved from my accommodation, I can experience the local way of living and I love immersion always. Camping is as well a great choice, especially if I climb mountains.
I adore cheap travel! It usually leads to somewhere really unique and memorable! 🙂
Cheap travel makes trip longer 😉
After years of traveling and many trials and error, I have realized how important all of these things are in order to find the best deal! I can’t stress this enough! Good post!
Thank you Audrey :*
Wow I had no idea about clearing your browser history. That’s an excellent tip and makes perfect sense. Thank you.
You are welcome Kasia, hope it will help you finding best deals
Thank you for a great tips. I would choose ⛺ camping since we love nature. We go camping once or twice even thrice a year!
Wow this is a great list ! I have probably looked at all the options except for farm stay lol.
You may try than, eco- friendly stay on relaxing farm sounds good, doesn’t it?
These are great tips! I will give these a try next time I travel to be more cost effective!
That’s perfect! Hope you will make a great use of it
Wow!
That was a whole lot of detail about planning your travelling!
Great post!
Thank you Enele, hope you will make a great use of it
I would never guess that deleting your cookies/history could actually help you score a better price! What a cool tip!! Also airbnb is one of my faves because you also feel like a local!
Indeed, it happened to me with Easy Jet for instance, that the price was increased. They know more than we think 😛
Z ciasteczkami cookie tez wlasnie slyszalem.
Great tips!
6. było dla mnie odkrywcze – nigdy o tym jakoś nie pomyślałam, choć to takie oczywiste. Będę stosować, dziękuję! 🙂
Polecam się na przyszłość 😉
Very useful tips
it seem you had good skills about it, every time i go to somewhere for trip and booked last time hotel so they charged something high. This post is helpful for me and those who actually needs cheap accommodation. Thanks for sharing with us.
So many great tips here! Makes me want to start planning a trip some Where! Xx
Yay 😀
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This was super helpful! I can find it hard when backpacking to find places to stay but this was a good reminder there are so many options!
I am glad you found it useful Melody :* Happy travels!
Very nice tip when planning a travel and it is really recommended.
Done a great Job.
Great Idea & information shared by i a looking to travel many country & Locations in this year so i think your idea is great to analysis the best place & time thanks for sharing
Nice guide, and thanks so much for airb&b coupon, that’s a very complete guide to finding the perfect accommodation for the cheapest price!
Hm, definitely some interesting ideas here! I definitely agree that it all starts with research, as most good trips, or really anything, does. Some things here I hadn’t considered though, so thanks!
I am glad you found some inspirationg here 🙂
Well, yes, I have to remember removing cookies before doing the search. I think one more thing could be checked from another location via VPN. Prices are different in different countries.
PS> Love Goose picture 🙂
Great tips for cutting down cost on accommodation. I’m always looking for ways to reduce expenses!