Finding Cheap Accommodation
- Bernhard Budiono
- Apr 25, 2017
- 4 min read
Accommodation never has to be expensive. The trouble with finding accommodation is that often you don't have the knowledge of your destination to adequately assess whether private accommodation is suitable for transport, location, safety, etc. Whereas more tourist orientated accommodation, such as hotels, etc, will often be centrally located with the majority of perks required by travellers.
#1. Short Term House/Unit/Apartment
#2. Backpacker Hostels / Hotels
#3. Guest Houses
#4. Local Homestays
#5. Volunteer & Work Exchange
#6. Camping
#7. House Sitting
#8. Crashing with Friends / Couchsurfing
#9. Public Places
#10. Overnight Transportation
#11. Squatting
Resources
I have only recently been introduced to the pleasures of actually renting out a spare room using AirBNB, and how easy it is to manage, so I can safely say it is one of the best
If you have never used AirBNB, it's popularity has exploded in recent years, with many people now bypassing the flatmate/rental agreements and staying with the safety and security of AirBNB. If you haven't signed up with AirBNB before, click on the link above and sign up. It's fast, free and you get a bonus credit if you click on the link above.
- Traveller booking fees are cheap
- Mobile and Web User Interface is Excellent
- Rating System provides good insight and feedback
Bedycasa
- A great homestay website, providing travellers with an opportunity to stay with locals and in traditional homes around the world.
- Loyalty Program, provides travellers a free stay for every 10 nights
- Over 50,000 hosts around the world, including Morocco, Japan and France
Camplify
A unique website that allows users to hire an RV, Campervan or event a trailer. For those who have one sitting idle, this is a great way to earn extra cash, and for travellers, a great way to hire something relatively cheap without the burden of ongoing costs in registration and upkeep.
- Options for Caravans, campervans, motorhomes or even trailers
- Flexible locations to stay and can be relocated to suit travelers own requirements
HomeAway
Homeaway is a booking website run by travel-gian Expedia. It provides access to a plethora of rental properties and holiday rentals all around the world. It still has access to a large number of properties, however, in terms of size and popularity it still pales in comparison to AirBNB.
- No Booking Fees at all for Travellers
- Mobile App can be used
- Over a million listings worldwide
Homestay.com
Homestay is more orientated for those that wish to meet and greet with your host and the house/room is part of a family. It isn't really a sharehouse, but provides an opportunity for people who seek a more homely experience.
- Accommodation listings in over 150 countries
- Hosts available during your stay
- Video link with your hosts before booking
Hotels Combined
Similar to Rentals Combine, this website aggregates the different homestay or hotel accommodation around the world and provides you with the best rate.
- Compare hotels and homestays in a single list
- Guaranteed to find lowest rate for hotels, homestays and alternate accommodation
HouseTrip
HouseTrips houses have all undergone careful vetting with properties all over the world. So rest assured that the properties have been reviewed and approved by third parties. Great website to book in holiday homes or if you want a whole house for a night or a weekend.
- Loyalty Rewards Program
- More than 300,000 properties to choose from world wide
OneFineStay
Boutique website that provides travellers with access to the "ultimate homestay experience", in cities like Paris and New York. Hosts provide all the creature comforts including mobile phone, data, internet acess and other boutique items.
- Discounts available for first stay
- Fine Homes and Upper Class accommodation
- Provision of boutique toiletries, bed linens and 24 hour customer support via phone or even text message.
Rentals Combined
Rentals combined provides access to short and long term rentals for travellers world wide. The website has a policy for the best rates online, where it doesn't add additional booking fees at checkout.
- Instant bookings available
- There are over 600,000 property listings around the world
Roomorama
Free and easy to use, Roomorama is an online marketplace for short term rentals usually fully furnished. Locals can also enhance the experience with tours, etc.
- See foreign cities through the eyes of locals
- Economical when compared to staying at hotels
- Find apartments in line with your requirements
- Perks for Users
- Support and Assistance via email
Stayz
One of the only Australian rental sites, users can search over 40,000 properties and is one of the country's largest holiday rental websites.
- You can filter by areas, locations, attractions, and it ranges from cheap to executive, honeymoons all the way through to holidays with the family.
- Features protection assurance free of charge
- Provides no additional booking fees
Trip Advisor
Trip advisor provides a comprehensive search database that provides users with access to millions of hotels across the globe.
- Excellent reviews and ratings systems
- Easy UI for bookings, etc
- World's largest travel site
VRBO
VRBO was purchased by Expedia, and is now part of their network of affiliates. It has over a million vacation rental options worldwide, many of which are dog-friendly.
- Has a good Review and Rating Ssytem
- Dog/Pet friendly properties are indicated
- User Interface provides maps and search options to find POIs, etc.
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