Not Sure Where to Stay on Your Next Trip? Here are 10 Budget-Friendly Options

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Once, a family member decided to go to London and Paris on a honeymoon trip. He and his fiance had both been abroad before, but this was the first trip they planned independently. The trip was only 6 nights, a length that they could afford on their newlywed budget. When they returned, they raved about how much fun they had, but also mentioned how short the trip felt. 

I was curious about this, as two of your biggest expenses when you travel are usually your flight and your accommodation. So, I asked where they chose to stay on their trip. They told me that they stayed in nice hotels in the center of London and the center of Paris.

Immediately, I understood why their trip was only 6 nights–those hotels probably cost hundreds of euros per night! I strongly suspect that they could have had just as much fun on their trip–while easily doubling the number of nights they were able to afford–if they had looked into alternative accommodations. 

Because there are a ton of options when you’re trying to decide where to stay, I wanted to break down some of the most common options for you to help you plan your next trip.

You don’t have to always stay in a hotel (or an Airbnb for that matter)! Spending a little bit of time strategizing about where you will stay on your trip can help you save money, often without compromising on location or quality. As with anything in life and travel, the more flexible you’re able to be, the more options you will have. 

Where to Stay When You Travel

Note: If you’re planning to work remotely while you’re traveling, I made a another guide that will help you plan! You can read it here.

Friends and Family 

If you have the option, always choose to stay with friends and family. Bring a small gift (a bottle of wine, some local jam/honey, a small gift from the place you live or recently visited, a nice chocolate bar, etc). It can also be nice to offer to shop for and cook a meal or take your friend out to dinner somewhere they like nearby. 

Staying with friends and family is the best because: 

a) you get to visit someone you probably haven’t seen in a while, 

b) you can see a new place, and 

c) you get a built-in local perspective. 

If you’re on a tight budget and have a friend living in Hamburg, see if you can stay with them and see the city! 

Related Post: How to Deal with Homesickness

Airbnb

You can find basically any accommodation type on Airbnb, depending on your price range and where in the world you’re traveling. I’ve stayed on working farms and a variety of hostels, hotels, rooms in private homes, and entire houses/apartments on Airbnb. Further, they can range from extremely minimal and cheap to quite luxurious. Overall, I would consider the most standard Airbnb experience to be a bare but reasonably clean room in someone’s home, or a relatively bare home that is regularly rented to visitors. 

If you’re going to book an Airbnb, you’ll want to read the reviews very carefully, as negative feedback is usually written very carefully into what seems like a positive review. For instance, a listing might say, “You have a great view of the mountains from the living room! The place can be a bit drafty, and the hot water took a few tries to get working, but overall it was well worth it for that view.” Read: there’s probably a great view of the mountains, but the place was really cold and you’re probably going to have problems with the shower. Try to stick with places that are 4.7 stars or higher, if possible. 

When you’re looking for Airbnbs, you’ll want to be sure that you always check the total price when you’re comparing. Especially for shorter trips, the price per night is only a part of the cost; there’s also a cleaning fee (I’ve seen fees as high as $100+), a service fee, and local taxes. If you’re planning a group trip, Airbnb usually offers a feature where everyone can pay their portion directly, which can help ensure that you don’t get stuck fronting the full amount.

Hostels

Hostels can be a great accommodation option for budget travelers. Essentially, they are low-priced inns that offer shared accommodations. It’s common for hostels to have twin beds or bunk beds arranged into 4, 8, and 10-person rooms for women, men, or mixed groups. Sometimes hostels will offer private or semi-private rooms at a higher cost, which can be a great option if you’re nervous about sharing a room with strangers. Be aware that hostels will often have things like curfews and shared bathrooms, and they can be quite noisy/smelly.

Sometimes, hostels will offer services and options that other types of accommodations won’t, like group activities (yoga, hikes, etc.) and low cost transportation to nearby attractions. Generally speaking, hostels are more social than other accommodation options, and it’s common for guests to congregate in common areas. Some hostels will have restaurants or bars on site, which typically offer affordable drinks and meals with vegetarian/vegan options. 

While I’ve tended more towards staying in Airbnbs over hostels when I travel, two great hostels I’ve stayed at were Tribu Hostel and Vibrant Iceland Hostel. When researching hostels, try to look for:

• Good reviews
• A central, convenient location
• Free, high quality wifi
• Lockers
• Sleeping arrangements that will work for you (i.e. a women’s dorm if you don’t want to sleep in a mixed room)
• Common areas
• Organized activities 
• Indicators of knowledgeable and helpful staff 

Additionally, be sure that you know how you will get to the hostel from your previous location. Do they have an airport shuttle? Are they accessible by bus or train? Will you have to walk 5 miles in the pouring rain? 

Be careful to keep your luggage secure while at the hostel, as theft is a common problem. Choose a hostel with lockers and bring a lock with you (I like these). Additionally, be sure to bring shower shoes, a towel, and headphones–these are hostel essentials. 

Related Post: 70 of My Top Travel Tips

Hotels

While they might seem like the most obvious option, I rarely stay at hotels. They’re often more expensive, have fewer or less nice amenities, and tend to include amenities that I simply don’t use. For example, it’s common for a hotel to have a number of towels available (I only use one most of the time!), but they rarely have a kitchen for you to prepare simple meals. For one night, this isn’t a huge issue, but it can prove limiting for a weeklong trip. 

There are a few times it can be nice to stay in a hotel. The first–and most compelling, in my opinion–is if you have credit card points that you can cash in for a free night. The second reason I might choose a hotel would be if I have an early morning flight in a city with very poor public transit options. In this case, I’d stay at the hotel nearest to the airport and use their shuttle service (confirm they have this before you book the room). Finally, a reasonably nice hotel may be the best option available at your destination.

In short, I never rule out hotels entirely, I just know they’re unlikely to be the best option for my trip.  

Related Post: 59 (More) of My Top Travel Tips

Bed and Breakfasts

Bed and Breakfasts are much more common in some areas of the world than others, so you may or may not have the accommodation option for your destination. In Ireland, B&Bs are very common, and the staff typically takes great pride in providing a great experience. I’ve generally had great breakfasts when staying in B&Bs around the world, though Ireland is the only place where I’ve been offered a full, cooked meal (think: vegetarian omelette with fresh farm tomatoes!). 

If you’re trying to compare prices between different options, it can be helpful to factor in the cost of breakfast. In Ireland, a breakfast will typically run between €7 and €15, so I usually mentally subtract that amount per person from the total cost of the B&B when comparing with, say, an Airbnb that doesn’t include breakfast. 

Related Post: 10 Tips to Help You Travel Better

Couchsurfing 

Full disclosure: I have Couchsurfed exactly once. I stayed with a lovely woman who Couchsurfed the world after she left her corporate job and took the time to determine that she wanted to follow her dreams of being a baker. She had photos of her beautiful cakes all over her house, and she even baked a cake for Oprah once! While I don’t have a ton of firsthand Couchsurfing knowledge, I can confirm that it’s possible to use it to find a perfectly comfortable accommodation for a night.  

Couchsurfing is a popular way to meet people in a new city, but be aware that there is a strong hookup culture in the Couchsurfing community. When I asked a friend who has a lot of Couchsurfing experience, she said she would describe her stays as “bizarre to awkward to [one that led to a] long-term relationship.” So a bit of a mixed bag. Always carefully screen your host, never stay with anyone who doesn’t have reviews or has a bad review, and be very cautious in general. If your gut says something is off, it’s not worth the risk–just find another place to stay. 

Car Camp

Camping can be a great option for a cheap or free place to stay, depending on the site that you choose. You can read my guide to car camping for more detailed information about where to camp, what you’ll need, and how to have the best possible experience.

Wwoofing

Wwoofing stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Essentially, it is a network of farms that offer free room and board in exchange for 4-6 hours of labor on an organic farm. The network includes farms from over 50 countries around the world.

I have never Wwoofed, and I have heard mixed feedback from friends and acquaintances. The gist of their feedback is that there are many lovely people who Wwoof and have had great experiences connecting with others in the network. I have also heard stories of people who were assaulted or attacked while Wwoofing, sometimes by other Wwoofers who arrived at the same site. 

If you decide to try Wwoofing, be extremely cautious and thoughtful about which farm(s) you decide to work with, know exactly where you will be going and what your accommodations will be, and have a clear emergency plan. Like couchsurfing, and to a lesser extent Airbnb, you’ll be relying on reviews to understand the conditions and potential risks that you’re taking. If you have a bad feeling about a farm or another Wwoofer, it’s always better to be safe than sorry–find a new place to stay. 

Try house sitting

House sitting is great way to travel on a budget because you can stay for free all around the world. As a bonus, sometimes the houses are quite luxurious.

Usually, house sitting involves caring for the home and the owner’s pets. It’s a win-win-win situation for homeowners and travelers, provided that you’re able to find a good match. The homeowner doesn’t have to worry about the pets leaving their comfort environment and going to an (expensive) boarding kennel, the animal can still relax at home and the house sitter to gets to stay for free.

When you dig in house sitting you’ll see there are thousands of assignments available worldwide. From apartments in NYC, villas in Bali and beachfront homes in Australia.

If you want to try house sitting as well, check out this guide to house sitting for free accommodation and learn how to travel for free and experience each location like a local.

Contributed by Brittany from The Travelling Housesitters

Book Night Transportation

If you’ll be taking a long train or bus ride on your trip, you can consider taking advantage of the overnight option. This can save you the cost of a night’s accommodation and help you make the most of the days during your trip. If you can, ask ahead of time for an early check in the night after your overnight train/bus so that you can take a nap, shower, and drop your luggage before heading out for the day. 

Where to search

There are a number of search engines that can be helpful when planning. Here’s a list so that you have them all in one place:

• Airbnb – most accommodation types, including private homes 
• Vrbo – similar to Airbnb
• Hostelworld – includes hostels with a rating system and reviewed from guests
• Booking.com – similar to Hostelworld, but includes hotels, B&Bs, and hostels
• Kayak.com – similar to Booking.com, but they also have search engines for flights and rental cars
• Expedia.com – similar to Kayak.com
• Couchsurfing.com – a community of people offering free couches in their homes 
• Freecampsites.net – a crowdsourced site with free places to camp around the world
• Bureau of Land Management – typically free distributed camping is allowed on this US Government-owned land
• Wwoof.net – a community of people offering free accommodations in exchange for labor on organic farms worldwide

Travel Tips

It’s OK to mix it up

You don’t have to stay in one place every night of your trip! You can sometimes save money by mixing in nights of camping with nights in a hotel/hostel, especially if you’re going to an area popular with outdoor enthusiasts. Also, I sometimes pick one night in a nicer place at the end of my trip and use budget-friendly options the majority of the time. The more flexible you’re able to be on your trip, the more options you’ll have to work with!

Check the refund/cancellation policies

Be sure to never book a paid accommodation without knowing the refund/cancellation policies. Airbnb, for example, has several types of refund policies called “Flexible” “Moderate” and “Strict.” A host with a flexible cancellation, for instance, allows free cancellations up to 24 hours prior to check in. Strict cancellation policies allow for free cancellation for 48 hours, as long as you cancel at least 14 days before check-in. Knowing the cancellation policies before booking your room can help avoid hassles and confusion later on. 

Do some local research to choose the best location

Be sure to thoroughly research the location of your accommodation before you book. Is it far outside of town, and, if so, is it easily accessible by public transport? If you’ll be driving, will there be parking? How long will it take to walk to a restaurant? How long will it take to walk to the center of town? Are there grocery stores nearby? Generally speaking, you’ll pay for a great location; cheaper accommodations are typically in less ideal spots. 

In large cities like Paris or New York, you’ll want to be sure to choose a part of the city that interests you. If you know that you want to eat in local cafes and be in a residential area, look for that in the reviews! If you’re not sure, just choose one with a high rating for “location.” Be aware that many large cities have a financial or business district that you’ll want to be sure to avoid. These areas typically only have restaurants that cater to office workers and they’re likely to close down after lunch. 

Final Thoughts

Try not to assume how much an accommodation will cost, always do your research and be sure that you understand your options. If you have any questions, or if you have any other options I didn’t include here, please let me know in the comments!