It can be hard to find affordable accommodation when traveling as a couple. Here are some tips on how to get cheap accommodation without sacrificing comfort or quality. Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly hotel or want to try out an Airbnb. These tips will help you save money while enjoying your holiday. Keep in mind that the best deals can often be found by booking well in advance. So start planning your trip today!
First of all, what does cheap mean? Well cheap is a relative term and it depends on factors such as:
- Your budget
- Your travel dates
- How much time do you have to research
1 week can get you cheap accommodation if you search hard enough. While only having 1 day to find cheap rooms will be difficult unless you want to stay in hostels or low-quality hotels.
1 month may be enough time to get cheap hotels rooms for longer stays. However these calculations are based on average prices which fluctuate wildly during high and low seasons – so always plan carefully! If you know where you’re going then it’s easier because there might also be cheap hotel/hostel booking sites or cheap last-minute hotel deals for that place specifically.
For Example: If you want to travel to New York City in July, you will definitely find cheap hotels. Since it is not a popular time to visit NYC, and room rates drop significantly at this time of year. If you want to go to New York City in December during the holiday season, and were to book cheap accommodation 1 month before your trip then your rate could be 30-50% higher than if you booked a few weeks before.
Don’t forget about tax which can add up quickly – it’s usually 10% but sometimes more depending on the country, state/region, and city! This is also true when booking cheap flights online! Check out all the information given to you by deal websites, it could actually save you a lot of money!
Timing
If you have a bit of time then cheap accommodation might pop up for your dates if you rely on booking sites such as Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, etc. However, always remember it is advisable to be flexible with your travel plans. For example, planning to find cheap accommodation in Barcelona from June 1-5th is great if the only cheap hotel available is from June 3rd-5th. However, what happens if some cheap flights are available from May 31st?
It’s worth checking multiple websites and search engines because some may find a good deal that others didn’t. This applies more to cheap holiday packages or cheap flight + cheap accommodation deals.
For example, by staying in a rental on Vrbo for a week you can expect to save 10% or more.
Holiday Package Deals
You can also consider cheap holiday packages which include flights + accommodation in one package deal. The advantage of cheap holiday packages is that it will save you time searching for cheap flights and cheap accommodation separately.
Cheap holiday packages sometimes only work out cheaper if the group size is 4 or more people. In that case then the hotel room price per person decreases, whereas booking cheap flights + accommodations on your own might end up being slightly more expensive!
There are also many other travel deals available if you’re flexible with your dates and destinations. Such as traveling during the low season when there are fewer tourists because of weather conditions or school holidays.
Some countries can be cheap to visit anytime because they have a lower cost of living/inflation. For example, Brazil has won best country to visit in 2015. It’s also cheap to travel there anytime compared to other countries. If you’re in a pinch then another cheap destination might just be near your home country where hotel rooms are cheap due to good exchange rates. So check online if there are cheap hotels nearby before booking flights or accommodation!
For cheap hotel stays in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil you can checkout Agoda for the best last minute discounts.
Credit Card Points
You can save money by using credit card points for cheap hotel deals. For example, Chase Sapphire Preferred has $0 foreign transaction fees. Plus great rewards such as 60,000 bonus points after spending $3k in 3 months (worth more when redeemed through Chase) which you could book cheap hotels with! There are also many other travel credit cards that offer discounts. Do some research on cheap flights and cheap hotel deals with your preferred travel website/hotel booking site and which credit cards have discount options.
If you are interested in signing up, please click here, and if you want to learn more about using rewards points on travel check out this page for more information or just leave a comment below.
Use Discounts to your Advantage
– Make sure you have a lot of time before booking cheap flights or cheap hotel rooms – this way you can be flexible and possible wait until the last minute for cheap hotel/accommodation deals, but if your dates are fixed then obviously there’s no point being patient!
– Booking sites such as Booking.com usually have the cheapest rates for most well-known accommodations worldwide, however, there is always cheaper options that may not be listed on these websites or search engines, so search around! And remember that sometimes it’s better to book directly with the hotel – just check their cheap deals.
– Search cheap flights and cheap hotels together to save time and money! It’s not advised to book cheap hotel rooms without cheap flights because if it’s a last-minute deal you might need to stay longer which means paying for another flight, and vice versa with cheap flights without cheap accommodation (cheap holiday packages), you’ll end up paying more for separate cheap hotel/flights deals. When using price comparison sites such as Skyscanner or CheapOair make sure that the dates are absolutely flexible otherwise prices will remain high/not show any options at all, as well as searching on multiple websites such as Expedia, Orbitz, etc.
Check out these deals from G Adventures or Expedia hotels for free coupons.
Conclusion
If you are planning a vacation, there is no need to break the bank. With all of the cheap accommodation options available on sites like Airbnb and HomeAway, it’s easy to find an affordable place to stay while still getting good quality for your money. But don’t just take our word for it—check out these tips to get yourself some great deals! We’ve got even more information about this topic on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter so be sure not to miss anything by following us there as well. Which site have you used most often when looking for cheaper places?