Accommodations are going to be your second largest expense after your airfare. Youth hostels, pensions, and renting rooms from families are my favorite options. Information on all of these is readily available in the travel guides Lonely Planet, Barefoot Guides, Let's Go, Frommer’s, etc. Additional resources for housing are Airbnb, HomeAway from home, craigslist.com, and couchsurfing.net.
Why stay in shared spaces? This is one of the issues that friends, who are learning to travel, have a hard time with. Learning to stay in shared spaces will help you feel comfortable trusting and being open to people you don't know helping you, giving you rides, and staying in houses of strangers. Hostels are the best places to meet other travelers and staff who are knowledgeable about traveling.
Once I traveled alone to Chiapas in the south of Mexico with the understanding that my brother Bobby would be going with me. Well, as usual, Bobby kept delaying and ultimately ended up not showing up for the trip. Meanwhile, Bobby booked a room in the most beautiful hotel in town. He urged me to please stay in the place, because it was already paid for, or it was going to go to waste. I finally agreed and went into the luxury room with feather down comforters, water fountains everywhere, and staff waiting to do anything I wanted at my request. The only problem was, I was bored and lonely in my luxury room. No one to talk to or exchange ideas with, so I went out to the shared spaces to speak to staff and to look for other travelers to share stories with. There were none, everyone was in his or her room watching cable TV.
After one night, I left and checked into the nearest youth hostel where I made friends quickly with multiple people whom I’ve stayed in contact with for years. A militant vegan from London, a writer from Puerto Rico, and a shaman from the jungle. These people made my trip exciting, and we joined forces for various excursions and nightlife outings. To date, I have dozens of friends from all over the world, whom I enjoy visiting, hosting, traveling with, and simply sharing my life with. Unfortunately, on this particular trip, I did catch scabies at the hostel. However, those are quickly cured by applying the cream all over your body and not showering for twenty-four hours until the poison has done its thing.
Rooms
Block-booked hotel rooms are released at 6 pm, so often you can find good last-minute deals after 6 pm.
If you have a room booked, arriving late can help you get a free room upgrade if all the other rooms sold out during a busy period.
When booking a room or transportation, be aware of local holidays. This can significantly affect the price, availability, and options when planning your trip. Travel websites often give discounts to people who book flights and rooms together.
For sleeping
Go to a bus station, buy the cheapest bus passage available, pin the ticket to your shirt, and go to sleep on a bench. Having a visible ticket will keep security from bothering you while you rest. When you wake up, you can get a refund for the unused ticket. I used this hack for traveling through Europe and the USA on a very limited budget. This allowed me and my belongings to be safe while I slept on a very tight budget.
My Favorite favorite websites for finding the best accommodation deals.
HomeAway.com
TrustedHousesitters.com
Airbnb.com
Orbitz.com
Booking.com
Craigslist.org
Hostelworld.com
Agoda.com
Hotels.com
Couchsurfing.com
Priceline.com
- Hostels
Hostels are my favorite place to stay. Most of the rooms are dormitory style with shared facilities. I’ve met some of the most exciting people in youth hostels, although their people of all ages. I’ve met people in their 70’s here. Many hostels also offer private rooms like hotels and a lot of the same amenities such as; wifi, tour services, desks, kitchens, bars, curtains, laundry, lockers for your stuff, big bathrooms, and restaurants. Hostels offer you an unparalleled opportunity to meet other travelers from all over the world.
Hostels cost from $2-$50 a night for a dorm bed and more for private rooms or rooms with fewer people in them. The best website to find hostels is Hostelworld. Hostels are plentiful, safe, inexpensive, and secure.
- Hospitality Exchanges
Hospitality Exchange or Home Stay is a form of accommodation where you stay in a local’s house or apartment in a city where you are traveling. The stay is usually in exchange for a future visit, or for a visit at the same time (home swapping), can be free, for a charge, and sometimes it’s in exchange for work or services at the host’s property.
Top sites are; Global Freeloaders, Couchsurfing, and Hospitality Club.
Hospitality exchanges are great because they allow you to live with a local and see how they live. These folks are also the most knowledgeable about their surroundings, and they can show you places you’d never be able to find on your own. My hosts have taken me to weddings, birthdays, churches, family, dinners, and several places that you can’t find in guide books.
You’ll also save a lot of money staying in hospitality exchanges, which allows you to travel for more extended periods.
My favorite site is CouchSurfing.com because it is well organized and it has profiles of the hosts you can stay with. I recommend reading the hosts profile, staying with hosts that have verified accounts, and staying with folks who have a profile picture.
Before you confirm your stay with a host, you should chat with them before and make sure your expectations are in line with one another.
- Short term rentals
Short term rentals are cheaper than hotels and provide many more amenities. They are especially useful if you have pets or a large group because they can come with a kitchen which would save you on food costs. Another great thing about short term rentals is the unique opportunities they offer; I’ve stayed in a tree house, igloo, and a Tee Pee.
The top sites are; HomeAway, Wimdu, 9flats, OneFineStay, Booking.com, FlipKey, VacationRentals.com, and Airbnb.
- Monasteries
Monasteries offer basic accommodations and often come with a meal included. The locations are run by monks and nuns and usually have a curfew. They often come with a desk, chair, and bed, unless you’re staying in the dormitories. Monasteries are family-friendly, in historic buildings, and quiet. Many of the monasteries are free, ask for a donation, or start around $20.
Resources for finding a monastery:
Northeast US.
Holy Cross Monastery: West Park, New York. Guests stay in former monk quarters, with a bed, dresser, desk, lamp, and shared bathrooms. Meals are eaten with the monks, and the prayer services are open to guests. The recommended donation is $70 per night.
Mount Saviour Monastery: Pine City, New York. The men's section has 15 small, private rooms; the women’s section and couples have two double rooms and three single rooms. Also available are three separate bedrooms, each with a kitchen area. The recommended donation is $40 per night per person.
Society of Saint John the Evangelist: Cambridge, Massachusetts, and West Newbury, Massachusetts. Spiritual retreats are offered. The recommended donation ranges from $60 per night to $95 per night.
Southeast US.
Abbey of Gethsemani: New Haven, Kentucky. Guests have been staying here since it opened in 1848. Guests are encouraged to assist the monks during communion, and monks are available for consultations. Each guest room has its own shower. Donations are on a free-will basis.
Mepkin Abbey: Moncks Corner, South Carolina. This monastery offers facilities to people for short (1-6 days) retreats and long (30 days) term stays. Visitors observe the same silence as the monks, eat the same vegetarian meals and can take part in the services. The monks of Mepkin Abbey belong to the worldwide Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance.
St. Bernard Abbey: Cullman, Alabama. Guest rooms for men are air-conditioned with a shared bathroom; women and couples have air-conditioning and a private bathroom. Guests eat with the monks; dinner is a formal monastic meal. Donations are made on a free-will basis.
Midwest US.
Monastery of the Holy Cross: Chicago, Illinois. Individual guest rooms with a shared bathroom. Guests can join the monks in daily services. Monks are available for spiritual assistance. A $25 deposit is requested, but donations are on a free-will basis.
Our Lady's Monastery: Coleman, Michigan. Four guest rooms, all with single beds (six beds are available, you can have four more guests if sleeping bags are used). The monastery is located on the Chippewa Indian reservation in a rural setting. The cost is $40 to $50 daily.
St. Gregory's Abbey: Shawnee, Oklahoma. Weekend retreat dates are posted at this monastery's website. The daily rate is $62 per person. Two individual guest rooms also are available.
St. John's Abbey: Collegeville, Minnesota. Individual and group retreats are available, to accommodate 12 to 15 people. This is a personal retreat, where you will meet with a spiritual director once a day.
West US.
Assumption Abbey: Richardton, North Dakota. The monastery started in 1899. They offer retreats as a monastic live-in experience at this monastery.
Incarnation Monastery: Berkeley, California. A few blocks from the University of California at Berkeley campus. All rooms are for single occupancy; each room has a half-bath and a personal garden. Suggested donation is $60 to $70 per night.
Europe
Buckfast Abbey: Devon, England. The only English monastery to be restored and used for its religious purpose after the destruction of monasteries under King Henry VIII. It has been open since 1018.
- Home Exchanges
You can swap your home or apartment with a person in another country for a mutually agreed upon time. Before the exchange you go through various levels of verification, then you communicate with each other before you do the trade to set up parameters for the transfer. It’s an excellent way to live in a new city, have all the comforts of home, and not have to pay bills for the new place. These types of exchanges are very useful as people tend to be very respectful of one another’s homes. You can also have family or friends check up on your guest to make sure everything is going well.
You can get all the comforts of home (hot water, laundry, etc.) while in another city, without paying for it.
Top sites are;
Seniors Home Exchange, IHEN, HomExchange.com, Craiglist, and Home for Exchange.
- House Sitting
If you don’t have a house to swap or would rather not do so, then you can trade labor for a place to stay. In exchange for watching someone’s house, watering their plants, feeding their pets, and keeping it clean. You get to stay in their home. This is an excellent option if you’re looking for a place to stay for a prolonged period.
Top sites are; Craigslist, Mind My House, Luxury House Sitting, and House Carers
- Stay on a Farm
You can live on a farm and learn valuable skills through WWOOFusa.org. The farms offer educational opportunities like beekeeping, growing veggies, caring for animals, and winemaking. You can either trade labor for free room and board or pay for your accommodations and observe. Similar to a bed and breakfast and rates start at around $40 per night.
Top sites; WWOOFusa.org, Farm Stay US, Farm Stay UK, Farm Stay Australia, and Farm Stay Accommodation.
I talk more in-depth of travel issues in my Amazon Book. Check it out here.