Hotel Alternatives

You want to travel, but your budget does not allow? Think again!

Most of the people traveling abroad use booking.com or another hotel search engine. And yes, it works in many cases. Many, but not all... Plus, this only gives you access to hotels and more luxurious apartments, which as rule are very expensive.

How can you get a more pleasant stay for less? Here are some ideas (tested and verified by me):

• Airbnb - a great alternative to standard hotels and my personal favorite. The idea is brilliant - if you have a spare room in you house or a whole house or apartment, you can host someone in there without having to rent your space for a longer period. Hosts can choose whom to lend the property to and have the flexibility to set their own prices. But, these are much cheaper than the hotels and you have more space for you and your friends. For me the biggest advantage is that you literally feel like in home. And, often you get some perks that make you smile - like free bottle of wine, free breakfast, etc. Another great advantage is that your host is local and will recommend you the best places in town. This could also save you some money. For you as traveller Airbnb is a very convenient way to spend your vacation. And is completely secure. Both the host and the client are insured and Airbnb will pay in case of any unpleasant surprises. You can also rely on the reviews of the others as these are very reliable and representative of the service that you get. If you want to try it, I have a small gift for you - 25€ for your first booking. If you register through here - Airbnb. 

• If you still want to go with a hotel search engine, make sure that you check up the hotel's own website. In some cases they offer special promotions or prices that are lower than the ones on the hotel search engines. 
• Remember to try to search for a hotel on a non-specific hotel search websites. Like an airline website - they often offer very good package deals, so you can save up to 30%-40% from the hotel rates. 
• Search for hotels in a foreign tour agencies. Big travel agencies like ThomasCook offer different prices in the different countries they operate. The promotions are also different. So you may be lucky. From my experience the prices are lower in Germany and Italy than in UK and Spain for example. 
• If you find that your best price is in booking.com, follow this link and you will get 15% off your stay: booking.com You are welcome! :) 
• Soon I will publish a list of hotel search engines I use for my travels. 

And, please remember to let me know how your experience was! :)