Still struggling to find cheap accommodation? Finding it hard to plan a budget trip? Then, you are at the right place.
Accommodation is one of the biggest fixed costs travelers have and reducing that cost can lead to big savings on the road! These are some of the ways through which you can find the cheapest accommodation and invest the balance budget into something more productive and fun activities.
Couchsurfing :
CouchSurfing is a global hospitality exchange service accessible via a website and mobile app. With Couchsurfing, you can stay with locals in every country on earth. Travel like a local, stay in someone's home, and experience the world in a way money can't buy.
Couchsurfing is a service that connects members to a global community of travelers. Use Couchsurfing to find a place to stay or share your home and hometown with travelers. The goal of the site is to help travelers not only save money on accommodation but also learn about the local culture by being able to stay and interact with a local. It offers various levels of verification and allows users to rate and leave comments on people’s profiles, which makes it safe. You can use the following criteria while booking:-
1. Go with the host that provides pictures along with a profile to make sure that the place/person exists.
2. Find a filled out profile. People who are not willing to share their space with strangers will not bother to update their profile, hence you can move on.
3. Look for reviews - The more and positive reviews, the better the host.
4. It offers Verification at different stages. People can be verified by other travelers, with a mailing address, or with a credit card.
At the end, what matters the most is your own judgment and your gut feeling.
TalkTalk BNB :
TalkTalkBnb is a free social platform that connects international travelers with local hosts around the world. Based on the principle of bartering, TalkTalkBnb offers an entirely free-to-use online community of Hosts and Travelers. Hosts offer free lodging, home-cooked meals, and often tours of the city. In return, travelers speak with their host in their native language throughout the stay, to help them improve.
Travelling is no longer about just going somewhere, taking pictures of interesting monuments, and then returning to a hotel room. Staying with locals enables you to experience a different culture from the inside. It is the perfect way to truly learn about a foreign culture. On the other hand, welcoming a native speaker into your home is an ideal way to expand your foreign language skills.
Stay in Hostels :
Hostels are another option for budget travelers. In hostels, rooms are dormitory-style with all the facilities shared. They are dirty, gross places to stay designed for young people is a myth. Many hostels offer more amenities than hotels and are really clean as young people expect more comfort. These hostels come with wifi, tour desks, bars, curtains, lockers for your stuff, big bathrooms, and lots more!
The bigger the room, the cheaper the cost. Yes, you have to share a room with a lot of people, but if you are on a budget, it is your best way to save money. If you are traveling in a group, you could get one of the dorms for your entire group and not have to share with strangers.
Hostels are safe, secure, and cheap.
https://www.hostelworld.com/
WWOOF :
Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a worldwide movement to link visitors (WWOOFers) with organic farmers, promote cultural and educational exchange, and build a global community conscious of ecological farming and sustainability practices.
As a WWOOFer, you will participate in the daily life of your host, help on the farm, learn about sustainability, experience a new culture and meet new people, and receive free room and board during your stay.
As a host, you will open your home to receive visitors who want to connect with organic food, farming and support the sustainability movement.
In order to become a WWOOFer, you need to sign up for the national organization in the country you want. Annual membership usually costs around $30 USD per country.
1. Visit the WWOOF website
2. Click through to your destination country of choice
3. Fill out their membership application and pay the fee.
4. Pick your farm and enjoy!
Once you’ve filled out the online membership form and paid the fee, you’ll be sent a list of participating farms in your country of choice and can decide which ones to contact.
Each farm description will tell you something about the host, their farm, and their expectations. Read it carefully and ask for accommodation details, examples of work, weekly routine, and food arrangements before you commit. You can also ask whether they have specific house rules and if they’re fluent in English. If they’re not, don’t be put off; this could be a great opportunity to learn a new language!
Airbnb :
These rentals allow people to stay in furnished apartments while traveling. These apartments are cheaper than hotels and provide many more amenities. They are great if you plan to spend a week or more in one place. You’ll get all the comforts of home without spending a fortune.
Another reason to use this method? You get a kitchen, allowing you to cook and reduce your food costs. You meet people, you get your own space, it’s quiet and clean. Honestly, it’s perfect.
HelpStay :
Imagine an online marketplace that enables travel and volunteering abroad for free? HelpStay is a low-cost way of traveling by sharing. It’s a contact platform between hosts and volunteers.
The HelpStay exchange concept is based around the system of barter and embraces the sharing economy, ‘if you help, you can stay’ or ‘Work for your keep’. It’s geared towards the independently minded budget traveler who is willing to trade their help, learn new skills, and is open to experiencing and respecting a different way of life and environment.
House Sitting :
The basic premise behind this is reciprocity. In other words, you stay in a person’s home for maintenance and security purposes while they are traveling on vacation. It’s a win-win situation when you consider that the vacationers have peace of mind knowing that their home (and occasionally pet) is safe and secure while at the same time, you stay there free of charge. Additionally, you’ll save on food expenses as well.
The next time you head out on the road, consider one of these options to save money on accommodation. Get out of the hotel mindset! There are many interesting and cheaper ways to find a place to stay. They will help you reduce your expenses, freeing up more money so you can do activities, eat out, drink more, and overall, experience the destination you saved so long to visit.
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