Now that we are getting back to normal, travel is back. However, the cost of travel is now high due to the impact of the pandemic. Also, you need to get a place to stay for a few days’ travel. The first thought is to book a hotel for your stay. You can either opt for a luxury hotel or an affordable hotel. However, there are several hotel alternatives that are more affordable options for your travel. So, I will be rounding up the 5 best cheap hotel alternatives to explore for your travel.
These alternatives are not just cheap but give a feel of the local. So, if you’re looking to cut costs on accommodation and enjoy your vacation on a budget, opt for these 5 best options for hotel alternatives.
Money can be a real issue while traveling. So, saving on accommodation with these 5 best cheap hotel alternatives is a must. Another way to save money while traveling is to use cashback on your hotel booking. WayAway travel aggregator will help you get up to 10% cashback on booking.com.
This you get to enjoy by signing up for their yearly membership at $49.99.This membership guarantees you cashback on your hotel bookings. Also, it is a search engine that helps you get the best hotel deals there is online.
I highly recommend you join WayAway ASAP. Click here to sign up and get an extra 10% off to be a member of WayAway user. Also, you can use my discount code: Trendsenstylez to enjoy this 10% discount. Enjoy actual cashback while traveling around the world.
Table of Contents
Best Cheap Hotel alternatives
Want to cut cost on hotels? Here are the best cheap hotel alternatives to opt for on your travels.
Vacation home rentals/apartments
Airbnb is one of the most popular vacation apartment rental platforms. This is a great option of the 5 best cheap hotel alternatives to choose from. Airbnb is a platform where homeowners can list their houses for vacation stays. So, Airbnb serves as an extra source of income for homeowners and affordable hotel alternatives.
I love the option of Airbnb or an apartment for my travels. This is because you get a feel of a home. Also, I get to cook my own food and shop from the local stores. So, I get to save on accommodation and food too. It is super easy to book an apartment for your travel.
There are several concerns around booking apartments like cleanliness and the current pandemic. Airbnb has placed measures to ensure travelers’ safety. All listed apartment has to pass their cleanliness guidelines. Click here to read my post on tips on how to book apartment rentals as a first-timer.
There are several apartment listing options that are suitable for your budget. So, if you’re looking for an affordable hotel alternative, opt for apartment rentals. Click to book apartment rentals for your next travel.
Academic Guest houses/hostels.
Another of the 5 best hotel Alternatives you need for your travel is the Academic guest house. This option is suitable if you’re traveling to a place that has a university or college with hostels or guest houses.
However, you need to find out if your itinerary includes such an area. Also, you could reach out to such schools to find out if they have guest houses for rentals.
There are several factors that affect the availability of Academic guest houses. One of such is when students are in session or during the admission process. These guest houses tend to get filled during this period.
However, if you’re traveling during school holidays you can opt for Student hostels or guest houses. This hotel alternative is very affordable.
Before you book an academic guest house, kindly note the following.
- Call to confirm the availability for your travel period
- Go with your own beddings and toiletries: These options may be available already. I prefer going with my bed cover because that of the guest’s home may not be neat.
- Accessibility to restaurants, local markets, and commute options.
- Hostels may involve shared room options so if you need to be alone, opt for academic guest houses.
Hotel look has some listing of university hostel listings you can check out. However, this may not be available in all countries.
Homestay
Homestay options are another affordable option for accommodation for your travel. This option is perfect if you want to mix with the locals. Plus is a great option of the 5 best cheap hotel alternatives to explore for your travels.
Families list to host tourists in their homes for a cheap fee. In this setting, the guest gets to stay with them. Also, you eat and dine as part of that family.
However, this option is not available in all countries. There are no homestay options in Nigeria. Also, just a few African countries have homestay options. ( don’t know why).
If you want to book a homestay option, click here to book and confirm availability.
Before you opt for a homestay get to know the family. You can reach them beforehand to familiarize yourself with them. Also, I would recommend you go with a thank you gift for the family. ( Gifts make people happy).
Friends home
This option is a super easy way to save on travel if you have friends in the place you want to visit. Why pay for a hotel or rental?
You can reach out to your relative or friends to let them know of your visit and seek permission. I would pick staying with relatives or friends over rentals anyway.
However, everything has its pros and cons. I love my freedom to explore on my travels. But since it’s not my home, I get to abide by their rules. Some relatives will not allow keeping late nights out. So, if you’re not cut for restrictions, opt for apartment rentals or hostels.
In terms of cost-cutting costs, this is my most recommended of the 5 best cheap hotel Alternatives to opt for. You get to pay nothing to stay with relatives. You could contribute to the home upkeep while you’re with them.
Religious Housing
Another hotel alternative you need to know about is religious homes. So many religious homes offer places to stay for free or at a cheap rate.
Religious places to look out for are churches, monasteries, or mosques. These places do not discriminate what religion you’re. All you need to do is to abide by their guidelines or rules.
So, if you’re looking to spend way less on a place to stay, opt for a religious home. Also, religious homes are quite safe to stay in. I had once stayed in a religious home of Opus Dei ( a catholic home). It was comfortable and I was well taken care of.
So many cities have these religious homes available for travelers. All you need to do is to look out for such places on your travel.
Hostels
Hostels is another hotel alternative you can opt for on your travel. Why opt for hostels for your trip? Hostels are budget friendly options as compared to hotels.
There are several pros and cons to staying in an hostel. The pros include networking opportunity, group tours and meeting new friends. On the flip side, hostels may be crowded, your items are open to theft if not secured properly and personal hygiene issues with flat mates. If you love your privacy, I would not recommend hostels.
However, if you love to mingle and want to cut cost, one of the best hotel alternatives I recommend are hostels. One of my favorite platforms to secure my hostels is Hostel world. This platform covers a wide range of countries around Africa, Asia and Europe. You’d love their picks for your hostels. Click here to book your hostel via hostelworld.
Comment below which of these hotel alternatives you have used. Do you recommend any of these best cheap hotel alternatives? Ciao.