Cheap Accomodation

In my breakdown, you have four different types of accommodation: (1) hotels, (2) hostels, (3) couchsurfing, and lastly (4) camping. All are great but if really depends on your wanted level of comfort.

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Hotels

Everyone knows what a hotel is, they are everywhere, but they are also the most expensive option, but also the most comfortable option. Staying in hotels is very nice, you have great comfort, luxury, service, and security. Often, you are close to wherever you want to go or visit. 

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Being mentioned earlier, hotels are the most expensive option, but that being said, sometimes you can stay in a hotel very cheap if you find a good deal on Booking. I find some of my best deals on Booking through the mobile app where I get additional discounts and special prices just for using the app.

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When is the best time to book a hotel? I have found that the best price is when you plan it ahead, but sometimes with last minute flight travel that is not possible. So what is the solution? I say book the hotel when you already know you have the flight, the earlier the better. Sometimes, there will be last minute deals when hotels try to source out their rooms for cheap to sites like Booking, but this is a sometimes. Often I have had it in last minute plans that there was no cheap hotel and it was actually quite expensive. 

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Hostels
What is a hostel? If you are asking yourself this question then you are probably an American. A hostel is like a hotel but in dormitory style, meaning, the rooms are shared. This means you might be sleeping in a room with 10 different people. Most hostels have bunk beds so one bunk will be yours for the night.

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There are lots of different hostels like party hostels, sleeping pods, backpacking hostels, single gender hostels, etc. The names speak for themselves so I do not have to explain any further.

 

Hostels are great if you are travelling on a budget and are willing to sacrifice comfort. Hostels are also great when you are looking to be social and meet new people from all different parts of the world. In these places you will meet people from all over the world, as these places are hubs for travellers. Of course, your comfort will come at a sacrifice and you will have much less privacy here.

 

How do you secure your personal belongings? Most hostels have some kind of locker system, but it is important to remember if you plan to stay at a hostel that you should bring your own lock. Most places do not offer one for free, so if you forget yours you will most likely have to buy one or pay the hostel to use theirs.  

 

Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing started as an online group that became an app. You have to pay a monthly fee to be part of this community now but it might be worth it if it is for you as staying is completely for free. 

 

In couchsurfing, you essentially ask strangers who are part of the platform if you can sleep with them. What you do is type in whatever city you are going to and when into the search bar, the app then shows you a list of all the people within that city who are available to host someone within your timeframe. You have to send a message to the possible host asking to stay with them and a lot of the hosts ask you some other questions as to why you want to stay with them, but it is a really cool experience!

 

Obviously here you are sacrificing a lot of comfort. You will be staying in a strangers place so there are many things to consider. Make sure to check reviews before staying with the person, make sure this is a verified person. If you are travelling with a lot of personal stuff then maybe this is not the right option for you.

 

With couchsurfing, you are also expected to let people stay with you. In order to get people to accept you have to build credibility by getting reviews or making friends on the app. One way of doing this is if you allow people to stay in your apartment back at home. If you allow people to stay at your place you also connect points and then you are more likely to find a couch to sleep on abroad.

 

Camping

Lastly, camping. Everyone knows what camping is. Here, a lot of comfort must be sacrificed, but in some cases, it might be the most comfortable option. The best part about camping is you have the best views with this option, and it is often the cheapest option. Make sure you research the climate that you're going to to make sure that you have warm enough sleeping bags, make sure your tent is waterproof, and you are all set to go!

 

Lastly, you have to check the laws in the country you are visiting. Many countries do not allow wild camping, meaning you can only camp in designated camp sites.