Traveling is fun and healthy but, if it’s not planned well, everything could be a rip-off, making the basic amenities appear expensive and ultimately turning the trip tasteless. As an alternate, it is always beneficial to plan for accommodation. Accommodation is often regarded as the biggest issue travelers face. So, this guide will help you find yourself with the most affordable accommodations for your trip. Here are our top 10 tips:
- Choose your location
The first tip you need for affordable accommodation on a trip is choosing an excellent location. The location does not have to be in the center of the metropolis as the rent would surely be hard on your pocket.
With expensive accommodation, your chances of making it to all the places you’ve wished for are not good. On the other hand, if you’ve found a hotel on the far side of the city, you may have saved a lot on the rent, but you’ll surely pay a lot for transportation.
Moving from the countryside to the center would cost you heavily. So, when choosing a location for your accommodation, make sure it’s perfect to suit your itinerary, making your journey efficient and enjoyable at the least. It does not have to be exhaustive. So, focus on choosing the ideal location.
- Consider Stay over Sunday
Staying over Sundays are encouraged. The reason for a stay over Sundays is that since Fridays and Saturdays are fully booked for accommodation, Sundays are often free. Bookings are easier to find. Plus, if you have a two-day or a one-day short trip, you could also get the most amazing prices. Demand on Sundays is usually low. So, a stay over Sunday will surely be light on your pocket.
- Go for Mid-week Accommodation
Mid-week accommodation is also advisable. Since weekends are occupied by families and the rates for weekends are often higher than for mid-week, you may consider the latter. It’s not only convenient but also highly affordable. It’s always intelligent to have mid-week accommodation. First, you get the best quality service from the hotel or the host, as they are not under any kind of pressure. The traffic is moderate. So, you may consider mid-week accommodation. Some metropolises even have 3 times the price for accommodation during weekends than mid-week.
- Evaluate the Pricing
An important tip you’ll find on every site is related to pricing. You’re always encouraged to evaluate your options. Consider a handful of exciting options for accommodation. It’s always appreciable to perform a cost-benefit analysis for your firm.
You may visit multiple booking sites and find the best price for yourself. Don’t limit your options. Plus, if you’ve gone for a timeshare, you may immediately regret it as it’s not an investment at all. You’re likely to lose a good amount of money. So, timeshares are not recommended at all. There are plenty of resources online on how to cancel Westgate Timeshare, Hilton Grand Vacations, Wyndham, and other types of timeshares to save on accommodation. So hopefully, getting out of a contract wouldn’t be an issue for you.
- Prefer staying outside the center
Staying close to the center will be costly. You’ll lose a lot of money than you can imagine. Rents will be expensive. Note as well that staying far away from the center is also not recommended. Long commutes could be exhausting and annoying especially when you’re on a vacation and have planned a lot of sight-seeing. If you’re on a short trip, then long commutes will also cost you a lot of time. So, it’s always advised that you locate yourself at an ideal distance from the center, making the commute easier.
- Opt for free cancellation options
As searching through multiple sites to find the cheapest and highly comfortable accommodation for booking is encouraged, it is also pertinent that travelers find a free-cancellation option for their booking.
There may be instances when a traveler may find a booked place expensive after discovering cheaper and better alternatives in terms of amenities offered by the hotel. If such a situation arises, it may help to cancel the booked accommodation.
If it’s a Free-cancellation booking, backing out of the deal won’t cost the customer a dime. So, it’s always important that a traveler opts for Free-cancellation options as such would allow them to explore multiple options even after they’ve made a booking.
Remember, you’re always flexible when you opt for the Free-cancellation option for booking.
- List down the facilities you’ve been offered
It’s always advisable to make a proper assessment of the on-site amenities. Look closely at the list and point out what is being offered for the price. Is it worth the price? Are there better options that could provide better amenities for a similar or discounted price? If so, you may want to choose otherwise.
Check the list of food that is being offered. Other amenities include comfort, entertainment. You may also check if any extra charges are concealed in your bill. It’s always encouraged to have a closer look at what is being offered. Remember, if you want to have affordable accommodation, you must be willing to make a small compromise on your comfort.
- Plan keeping in view the duration of your stay
You’re always advised to plan to keep in view the duration of your stay. Whether it’s a week, a fortnight, or even a peaceful night in a hotel suite, it’s always recommended to plan as per your duration of stay. It’s not recommended to live away from the center if you have finalized a tour of a couple of days. You’ll lose a lot of time traveling from the countryside to the center. So, it’s really important that planning is made ahead of the trip. Plan as per the duration of the stay.
- Locate yourself within the vicinity of the food market
Foods could be a real problem. Especially in a foreign land, finding food according to one’s taste is not easy at all. So, one must find themselves located within the vicinity of the food market that is a fusion of several food cultures. So, finding local food is easier.
- Stay close to public transport facilities
Private transport or cabs are expensive. You can’t go for rip-off rent-a-cars especially when you want everything to be reasonable. It’s not suitable to live away from the center when you’re on a tight budget. It’s always advised that some research is done on the public transportation system of the place of destination.