Nowadays, it isn’t true that you have to be rich to be able to travel. You can get cheap air tickets and hotel and you’re ready to hit the road. These days, it takes only a few minutes to find a cheap hotel anywhere in the world. Luckily, it’s possible to find cheap hotel room all over the world and when you manage to keep your standards, you don’t have to pay travel agencies for overpriced hotels.

Where to Search for Cheap Hotels – Best Websites

There is an infinite number of websites (some of them are good, some of them rather worse) where you can look for various types of hotel rooms. We picked 3 best websites which are good enough to start with:

The first and simplest option is this website Booking.com, probably the best one of all. There are hundreds of thousands of hotels, vacation apartments, bed and breakfasts, and hostels all over the world. You can filter the rooms by various parameters, by their locality, etc. The website is in many different languages and has the 24/7 customer support hotline.

It is a comparison web of similar websites as Booking.com, through which you can compare all prices for the same hotel. Prices for one room can differ a lot, and you can reveal that at Hotelscombined.com.

The times of dirty, bed-bug-infested hostels have long gone, thank God. However, such idea about this type of accommodation still remains on people’s minds. Actually, hostels are sometimes of higher quality and more comfortable than hotels for example in Asia. Today’s hostels have wifi, a laundry room, a fully-equipped kitchen, and they often serve breakfast. So, there is no reason to avoid them. If you decided on this type of accommodation, definitely try searching via HostelWorld.com.

The service offering accommodation via homestay network is becoming more and more popular now. It may range from a sofa in someone’s living room to a large suite with a swimming pool and a view of the sea. If you want to try Airbnb, we are sharing Airbnb travel credit (good for up to $37) to use for your next booking.

More information about Airbnb – Read our separate article.

Beautifully furnished room in central Florence

Beautifully furnished room in central Florence. Just a little patient for searching and you can have this room for a couple of Euro.

When It Is the Best Time to Search Cheap Hotels

If you want to find cheap hotel, think about that when you’re booking your stay. Try to avoid Christmas and other holidays when there is almost no chance to find anything at a low cost. The same applies to a high season. For instance, try to compare hotel room prices anywhere in Italy in August and September. In August, there are summer holidays in Italy, and prices are at their highest. And to be honest, you definitely don’t want to be in Italy during that season because it is literally overcrowded there.

Our Tricks: How to save on hotel rooms

Moderate your requirements. That is the most important rule if you want to save money when it comes to hotels. When you travel, you spend most of the time outside anyway, relaxing by the sea, sightseeing, or playing sports. You leave the hotel in the morning and come back late in the evening. Reconsider whether you really need a four-star hotel when you just sleep there; a simple room in a small pension could be sufficient for you.

Now, we will share a simple but effective trick with you. There is a possibility to make a free reservation via Booking.com with an option to cancel it. Such option can cost little more but it pays off. Firstly, it serves as some kind of protection for you to get your money back in case you won’t be able to go. Secondly, you still have a chance to look for cheaper hotel. It happens to us often that we find a better or cheaper hotel at the same website, and then there’s nothing easier than canceling the previous reservation and making a new one. However, pay attention to the deadline until which it is possible to cancel the reservation without a cancellation fee.

tom_profilDo you like a little bit of adventure? Try to travel at night, by train or bus. It is a usual way of traveling in many states (this type of traveling is ideal in Peru and Bolivia), it is comfortable, cheap, and it saves you time and money for hotels.

If you like nature, you can start camping during your travels. You can find a place to build a tent, cook breakfast in the morning, and take a shower in almost any corner of the world, and it’s always considerably cheaper than any hostel – Our South-West Us Road Trip. You don’t even have to go to camping sites, as it is legal to camp almost anywhere in many countries. Owning a tent or just a hammock allows you to visit outlying places where you could hardly find any hotel for example Oman.

Also, it would be perfect to rent a car while camping – We recommend to rent a car on Rentalcars.com or Skyscanner.net. Then, you could have absolute freedom and you wouldn’t be limited by hotels or transportation anymore.

Camping in Oman

The cheapest and most free traveling – just a car and tent. This way, we spend a few bucks for traveling in Oman.

Other Options: Things You Might Not Know Yet

Besides such traditional hotels, there are a few other ways of how to find cheap or even free overnight accommodation. These ways usually require longer planning; they also pay off when you travel long term.

It is a worldwide social network of people who share their space for a sleepover, no matter if it’s a couch or a room. The system is based on mutual recommendations, so don’t expect that you can travel the whole world without paying for accommodation. Well, you can but it’s better to start with offering your own couch. For more information, see this article on Couchsurfing.

It unites farms worldwide. You can put your shoulder to the wheel and get accommodation (sometimes even food) for free. It’s volunteering, or, in other words, accommodation as a reward for the work you do. You will learn new skills, learn about new cultures and make a lot of new friends.

If you plan to travel long term and don’t mind staying somewhere for a long time, housesitting is perfect for you. People will let you stay in their homes for free and in return they want you to look after their house, or even their pets, while they travel.

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Cheap Hotels tips and tricks