Travel is an exciting and enriching experience, but it can also be an expensive one. Often one of the biggest expenses that travelers face is lodging. Fortunately, there are many different ways to find cheap travel lodging to help stretch your budget and make your trip more affordable. In this post, we will discuss some of the best ways of finding cheap travel lodging as well as my personal method for efficiently identifying the best option available.
Finding Cheap Travel Lodging
1.Use Booking Aggregators
Booking aggregators such as Expedia, Kayak, or hotels.com are a great place to start your search for cheap travel lodging. These sites enable users to customize travel dates, destinations, prices cutoffs, and numbers of travels to make for a more efficient search. Booking aggregators also allow users to simultaneously compare prices between different lodging options and often have a map feature, which I find particularly helpful when looking to stay in a specific desirable area. In addition to the aforementioned benefits, many of these sites have deals and discounts available, some of which you can have sent to your email if you so desire. Overall, booking aggregators are a great way to find cheap travel lodging and is my first stop when gauging a price point for a new destination.
Finding Cheap Travel Lodging
2. Check Home Sharing Platforms
After establishing a general price point through a booking aggregator search, I’ll often next check Airbnb or VRBO. This part of the process is typically quite fun. Home sharing sites often offer more unique and fascinating lodging options than you will find searching through hotels or hostels. When traveling with a group (or better yet adventuring with friends), Airbnb is often our go to option. Users can typically find lodging specifically catering to your group size, style, and interests in a way impossible to find with other cheap travel lodging options. For example, when traveling to Costa Rica with a group of 8 having a pool was a nice touch. When going to the deep woods for a low key bachelor party, a pool table, dart boards, yard games, and kayaks are amenities you are not likely to find when booking a hotel. The two main drawbacks I have found with Home Sharing Platforms are that they often aren’t much cheaper than a hotel if you’re traveling alone with just one other person. Secondly, for shorter stays (like 1 night) the service and cleaning fees (which are typically the same no matter your duration of stay) often cut into your cost savings as well.
Finding Cheap Travel Lodging
3. Consider a Hostel
Hostels are perhaps the quintessential cheap travel lodging option. They are not for everyone but an option I personally enjoy immensely. Not only are hostels often primely located and significantly cheaper than hotels, but they are a great place to meet other travelers as well. For those who have never stayed at a hostel, the communal and social nature typically is very different to that of a hotel. They often have fun communal areas with board games, pool or darts, or sometimes even a cafe or bar. The clientele is typically younger, often international adventure types which adds to the fun as well.
When considering a hostel, the deepest discounts involve staying in bunk rooms. These rooms are often filled with several bunk beds and are shared with strangers (I know that’s a deal breaker for some but private rooms are often also available). Same sex or coed bunk room options are typically available as are lockers to stow away your more valuable belongings. I’m typically with my wife and always choose a private room. If you’re new to hosteling and want to dip your toe in the water, I would recommend a private room as well.
Hostels often offer the best value when traveling to more expensive metropolitan areas in particular. They are usually primely located in the main tourist areas near readily available public transport and sometimes even often free perks like tours or entertainment. One word of caution would be to do your due diligence if choosing a hostel for the first time. Hostels are not all created equal. Most are reputable, safe, and as well run as any hotel but others are less than desirable to put it kindly. I have never had an issue using Hosteling International and this company is my go to. In review, do yourself a favor, and before you book that budget breaking hotel for your next urban adventure, stop for a second and check hostelworld.com or do a quick google search and see what hostel options are available.
Finding Cheap Travel Lodging
4. Book in Advance
Booking in advance is one of the most tried and true methods of finding cheap travel lodging. This is because many different vacation rentals offer incentives and discounts to those booking in advance. Aside from finding cheap travel lodging, booking well in advance also offers the greatest variety of options for price comparison as well. If you’re able to plan in advance, you can also often take advantage of specific discount days such as Black Friday. Booking in advance is particularly useful when traveling during peak season or to a prime destination. You will also benefit from the peace of mind knowing that your accommodations are made, freeing you up to plan the rest of your itinerary worry free!
Finding Cheap Travel Lodging
5. Sign Up for Email Alerts
Email alerts are a popular way to stay informed on the top deals and discounts when finding cheap travel lodging. Almost every booking website or rental company has the option to provide your email and receive timely alerts should prices drop and deals arise. Furthermore, many deals are time sensitive which is why email alerts are a great way to benefit without having to check the website (or multiple websites for that matter) on a regular basis. It’s obvious to most that companies love to fill your inbox once they have your email, so consider using a secondary email or creating a separate gmail account if this is a concern you have.
Finding Cheap Travel Lodging
6. Use Loyalty Programs
If you travel frequently and find yourself staying in the same brand of hotel/hostel/etc, then determining if the company has a loyalty program should be something you consider. These programs often offer discounts, free upgrades and additional perks to their loyal customers and can be a great way of finding cheap travel lodging. They are typically free of charge but may involve a fair amount of emails or marketing mail sent to your address so consider that before signing up.
Finding Cheap Travel Lodging
7. Consider Alternative Accomodations
Alternative accommodations such as house sitting, couchsurfing, or camping are other great ways to consider finding cheap travel lodging. Reputable websites such as Couchsurfing.com or Trustedhousesitters.com are great choices if these options sound appealing to you. Trusted housesitters is a platform that connects members looking to have someone watch over their home or pets when they are away. The trusted sitter in turn gets to stay at the residence. There is an annual fee to access the Trusted Housesitters website but it overall has great reviews. Couchsurfing is also a paid membership that allows travelers to stay on a spare couch, bed, or really anywhere in another member’s home. Although the membership to access the site is paid, the actual accommodations are all free making it one of the best methods of finding cheap travel lodging.
In conclusion, finding cheap travel lodging requires research but is certainly achievable, regardless of the destination. Personally speaking, I find it often most efficient to first check a booking aggregator like hotels.com or even simply the google hotels option itself. Once I have an idea of average cost, I’ll compare that to Airbnb or other hostel options and make a decision from there. By following these tips you are sure to find cheap travel lodging that fits your budget and allows you to make the most of your experience. Click HERE for more great budget travel ideas and content. Happy Travels!
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I’ll be in San Francisco at the end of June for a short trip, so I need to find lodging to book downtown soon. I found it helpful when you advised us to utilize booking aggregators to help us find cheap travel lodgings to consider with deals and discounts available. I’ll keep this in mind while I look for a modern lodging to book downtown.
Thank you for the kind comment. We wish you all the best for your upcoming trip!