How to find cheap accommodation
Use online accommodation marketplaces
My top piece of advice for how to find cheap accommodation is to use online accommodation websites, like booking.com, Agoda, Expedia, Trivago, and hotels.com.
They’re also the most popular accommodation websites in the world, which means they have the most reviews (only from verified customers) and you can generally find recent reviews, which are the most helpful for showing you what to expect right now.
Check events and holidays in your destination
I can’t even count the number of times where I’ve planned a trip somewhere and when I go to book my accommodation is it CRAZY expensive, well more than what I expected. After a quick Google, I realize that I’m accidentally visiting Paris during a huge football game, or Budapest on their national holiday weekend, or Melbourne during Grand Prix weekend. Oops!
If you’re about to book your flights, double check accommodation prices first to make sure you’re not visiting during a time that’s super busy.
Stay mid-week
Just like flying mid-week is cheaper due to lower demand, mid-week accommodation is typically cheaper too.
If you are flexible with your workdays or location, then a mid-week trip can end up saving loads of money compared to traveling on a Friday to Sunday.
If you’re traveling on an extended trip, consider designing your itinerary so that you’re in more expensive cities mid-week and cheaper places on the weekend to help balance accommodation costs. For example, if you’re traveling Europe, try to keep big cities like London, Paris, and Amsterdam or main tourist destinations like the Amalfi Coast or Lauterbrunnen for mid-week stays, and use lesser-visited or cheaper cities and towns like Bologna, Budapest, and Prague as your weekend destinations.
Use a cashback website
I have to admit that I always found cashback sites to look super scammy so it’s taken me years to get onto them, but now I am a total convert. I started using Shopback to get cashback last year, and I’ve made more than $700 just from my hotel bookings!
Cashback works in a similar way to affiliate links on blog posts like this one. If you book a hotel through one of my links, the sale gets attributed to my account and I receive a (very small haha) commission at no extra cost to you. The money I make through affiliate links helps to pay for the work I put into this website so thank you.
With cashback websites, you’re essentially using their affiliate links but they share some of that commission with you.
Many of these websites also have cashback deals for different airlines (usually 1-2% but that adds up for expensive flights) as well as car rentals and activities.
Stay in less touristy areas
Another fairly obvious one but a good reminder, if you’re really tight on your travel budget, avoid the super touristy areas and consider staying in a suburban neighborhood or even slightly out of the city.
This can make a load of difference, especially in busy cities. In London, you’ll get better value for money if you stay in Chiswick or Camden compared to Leicester Square or Mayfair, and in New York, you’ll find more budget-friendly options in Long Island City or Brooklyn compared to Manhattan.
Especially if you’re staying for a longer visit and don’t mind a bit of extra time to get to the main tourist landmarks, this is a way to save money on where you stay and get better quality accommodation for your budget.
Stay close to transport
But even if you’re looking at escaping the main city center, always stay close to public transport if you want to keep your costs down. There’s no point in being stoked about a super cheap $30 a night hostel in Queens if it’s going to cost you $110 each way to get to and from Newark Airport in an Uber compared to paying more per night for a Manhattan hotel that is a much shorter distance and doable by public transport.
Subway/underground stations in many cities are shown on booking.com, so check the map view when making your accommodation shortlist to make sure you’re booking somewhere that’s not going to end up with you splurging on Ubers or cabs.
Stay at a hostel
I know a lot of travelers have hostels on their ‘no deal’ list, but these days there are some seriously incredible hostels that offer fantastic private rooms, budget-friendly dorm rooms, boutique design, and epic facilities. While many hotels are definitely more targeted at youth travelers, I’ve seen older couples as well as families enjoying the good value at hostels in my recent travels.
My time in hostel dorms is pretty much over but I love, love, love private rooms because they usually have access to a shared kitchen, they’re always in great locations, and it’s super easy to meet people if I feel like being social. Add on cheap bars, free walking tours, and affordable activities, and you can see why hostels can end up being a great way to save money on accommodation.
Paying more for self-catering facilities might save you money
If you’re traveling to somewhere where eating out is expensive, then paying a bit more per night to stay in a hotel, hostel, or apartment with kitchen facilities where you can cook your own breakfast, lunch, and dinner might save you money overall.
For all my hotel bookings, I need a fridge and a kettle at a minimum, so I can buy smoothies from the supermarket for breakfast on the go, but I’ll often opt for somewhere with access to a full kitchen to avoid being stuck having to pay for three meals a day.
Book early for events
If you’re considering traveling for a big event, like a concert, sports game, or public holiday, book accommodation with free cancellation as soon as you’re even considering it.
In the past I’ve been very ‘go with the flow’ when planning my travels, the nature of my job means I often don’t know my plans for the following month, which has sometimes ended in very expensive accommodation during national holidays and summer or Christmas seasons.
These days I plan 6-12 months ahead in terms of any events I want to go to and consider where I’ll likely be for Christmas, and I’ll book accommodation as a backup in case I don’t end up making any plans with friends or for collaborations.
Book Airbnb for longer stays
Airbnb is definitely losing its charm for short trips due to sky-high cleaning fees and additional service fees, but for longer stays it’s still a good value option if you want somewhere self-contained.
If you’re staying in one place for more than a week, there are often discounted rates built into the pricing tool, but you can also message hosts and let them know you’re looking at a long stay and ask them if they’d consider offering a discount.
I will say that I do personally have some ethical issues regarding Airbnb’s business strategy (particularly around the severe impact on the local rental market) and I very rarely use Airbnb for that reason, however, for an extended trip, there’s no doubt it can offer great value for money.
Consider any additional costs
If a hotel is coming back at $150 a night that’s great, but you also need to be aware of the additional costs like parking, how far it is from the airport and how much transport will cost, is it in an expensive area with only pricey restaurants nearby, etc. If you’re staying at a hostel then do your research around extras you need to pay for like towels, lockers and so on.
ALWAYS book free cancellation
Unless you are 100% certain that your plans absolutely won’t change, always book free cancellation! On booking.com, most free cancellation options give you the flexibility to change your mind up to 1-2 days before your stay, so you can check a few days before your trip and see if there are any amazing last-minute deals that offer better value for money than the first place you booked.
Free cancellation is particularly important for long itineraries where you’re constantly moving between different cities and countries. You might decide to stay in your current destination for longer and therefore move your next destination to later in the trip,
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