There is a Finnish saying that goes “Harmony brings accommodation and accommodation brings harmony”. While traveling and having the right digs to stay in goes a long way. Getting a great bargain when you purchase your accommodation brings great harmony to any traveler. Even better are the rare occasions where you get to stay in the right digs and don’t have to pay a dime for it. How are all these things possible you ask? Well just read on.
We caught on to the concept of travel-hacking accommodation as a matter of necessity, traveling can be expensive and paying for overpriced accommodation can restrict your travels especially if you opt for a bad strategy when booking your accommodation. To help you out with getting the right digs at the right price and even for free, we have compiled a list of 9 ways you can save money on accommodation traveling.
Aaahh!!! The beauty of capitalism, you spend, spend, spend and get something back in return. It is disappointing to find the number of travelers who are just plain oblivious to the benefits of enrolling in a loyalty program. Most hotels will reward their customers who stay with them on a consistent basis with a free hotel stay at a destination of their choosing. On the customer’s end, they just have to make sure they keep track of their points and know when to cash them in. We have been able to stay in some pretty luxurious hotels based on this strategy. Also a lot of credit card companies are giving away points that can be put towards a hotel stay when you travel. So we would suggest you inquire into the rewards programs your current credit card company provides.
This one is risky, but risk or regret, your choice!!!. So here is the strategy, you arrive at your location; don’t book a room till a little past the check in times. Chances are there will be some unoccupied rooms in hotels in the surrounding areas. Wait till a little past 3 pm local time and then start searching for hotels, you will find deep discounts on rooms in hotels in the city. No hotel ever wants an unsold room in their inventory. They would rather apply a late discount to entice customers to pick up those rooms. The only downside to this is that this strategy will not work during a busy season because all the rooms in the city might be overbooked. Also, this is best for those that travel light. You won’t have long in the room before you have to move out again and repeat the process for another hotel.
Couch hosting services like couchsurf.org are a great way to save money on the road. It is also a great way to get to know a city through the eyes of a local. There are however downsides to this. There have been reports of hosts who are more interested than just hosting a guest on their couch. Our advice is that you do a thorough review of your potential host. This will ensure your experience on their couch is a good one.
This is a great way to find accommodation while overseas and it is such a good option for travelers that hotel chains in cities like New York have lobbied the state legislature to clamp down on freelance holiday rentals. The gist is that these rentals cut into their bottom line; hence they are trying to get holiday rentals to list themselves as hospitality ventures and be held to the same standards as the hotel chains. We will let the hotel chains and the renters fight this one out. In the meantime, we will continue to pay for the “home away from home” feeling.
Okay, stop scratching your heads. If you read an earlier post “Partying in the Netherlands”, you will read about how one of our partytrailers, went to Amsterdam and was shocked at the mercilessly expensive accommodations in the city. He was advised by a local to head to the town of “Utrecht” and instead ride the train into Amsterdam every day for sightseeing. This strategy worked pretty well and he was able save hundreds of dollars that he would have otherwise spent on accommodation in Amsterdam. The only downside to this strategy is that it works only in cities with great transportation. Most western European and some cities in Asia have this so it should general work in those places.
Hostels are a great way of saving money while traveling. This is usually great for the 18-25 crowd. If you find yourself in the old but curious demographic then sidestep the party hostels and stay in hostels where they specifically state that there is a curfew or mandate lights out after a certain time. That way you are able to get your beauty sleep and not be interrupted by the younger crowd were you to stay in a party hostel.
Not saying you should be a mooch but if you are a charmer and you get an “in” with the locals, don’t surprised when they ask you to pack your bags from your hostel and tell you to come spend a night or two in their humble abode. People love to host travelers because they know we are a cool bunch. We have spent countless nights on different couches across several continents and trust us when we say they have led to great lasting friendships and memorable experiences.
This is for long term travelers, Australia and New Zealand have work visa programs where you work on a farm and they give you a wage, food and in some cases accommodation. Make sure you do proper research into the program you decide to use. We have heard there are some pretty dodgy farm owners out there. However a majority of them are okay.
One of partytrailers did this with a bunch of other hostelers when he was in Italy (post coming in the near future). As a result of helping out in the hostel kitchen, cleaning rooms, and assisting with the building of a hostel. He was not only given free accommodation but was also given free food for his duration at the hostel.
Well that does it for now, keep partying on the trail, we hope our tips save you a bunch of dinero which you can in turn spend on drinks. To that, we say cheers and party on!!!!
In 9 ways to avoid danger while traveling, we shed some light on how you can avoid ending up on that show “Locked up abroad”. Till then stay tuned to the press…….
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