Cheap Accommodation: The Best 69 Travel Resources in 2025

When it comes to planning a vacation, the biggest chunk of our budget goes for accommodation.

So, finding the cheapest possible accommodation you’ll feel comfortable with is a huge task.

Fortunately, the Internet has gazillions of resources to help you compare prices and book a cheap accommodation option for your travels.

Unfortunately, the choice is overwhelming.

Luckily, you’re in the right place. This massive list of 69 trustworthy, reliable, and authoritative cheap accommodation resources will provide you with all the information and links for every possible kind of lodging you might want or need.

So, let’s dig in and don’t forget to share it with your friends – I’m sure they’re looking for the perfect cheap accommodation as well.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of them, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping me create free content on this website!

Cheap Accommodation: The Best 69 Resources For Your Travels

After 25+ years of traveling and sleeping in every possible type of lodging, I’ve gathered all my previous experience and tips into this ultimate guide on how to find cheap accommodation.

Let’s dive right in!

Free Accommodation: A Roof in Exchange for Your Time, Skills, and Comforts

What’s even better than cheap accommodation?

That’s right – free accommodation!

The big advantage of free accommodation is, of course, that it’s free.

The big disadvantage, however, is that these options come with limitations. Lack of privacy, lack of comfort, and destination choice, to name a few.

Still, if you’re ready to put up with the cons, the pros might be huge.

If that’s your kind of accommodation, the following resources are for you.

Staying with Friends and Relatives

This one might seem pretty obvious to you, but how often have you actually taken a trip to visit an old friend from school or your cousin at the other end of the country?

1. Facebook: Log in, find your friends and relatives, start (re)connecting with them, and eventually take the trip to their home. Or join a few FB groups and connect with fellow travelers around the world. Eventually, you can home swap with them.

Couchsurfing Communities

If you haven’t lived under a rock in the past 20 years, then you must have heard about Couchsurfing already. Still, if you are unsure what it is and how exactly it works, check out this Couchsurfing 101 guide.

In a nutshell, it is the perfect option to make new friends in new places and explore with the help of a local. Read some of the experiences other travelers have had using this type of free accommodation before arranging to stay in a stranger’s house.

2. Couchsurfing: The biggest and most popular couch-surfing community.
3. Warm Showers: The basic idea is to provide touring cyclists with a place to crash.
4. Global Freeloaders: Make new friends while seeing the world from a local’s perspective.
5. Facebook Groups: You can find multiple communities on Facebook and other social platforms where you can connect with fellow travelers and stay in their homes for free.

Home Swaps

You get to stay at my home, while I stay at yours. A pretty good deal, isn’t it? The sites themselves charge a small membership fee, but that’s also how you know the offers are real.

To learn more about home swapping, read this story.

6. Home Exchange: The biggest platform of this kind, with 65,000+ homes in over 150 countries. You accumulate points that you can exchange for free stays in a fellow traveler’s home.
7. Love Home Swaps: The website works similarly to the previous one. You gather Swap Points which make it easy to arrange trips. There’s no need to match dates and locations with other members. You earn Swap Points when another member stays in your home and you don’t stay at theirs, then use them to travel when it suits you.
8. Intervac: When booking with this platform, pet care might be involved in the deal.
9. HomeBase Holidays: If you don’t find a swap, your membership for the 2nd year will be free.
10. HomeLink: The leader in home exchange since 1953.
11. Seniors Home Exchange: Exclusively for the 50+ age group.
12. Knok: A family travel network. Swap your home or rent an apartment.
13. Invented City: If you don’t find a swap, your membership for the 2nd year will be free.
14. Matching Houses: Holiday house exchange where people with disabilities swap houses with other people who have the same accessibility needs.
15. Sabbatical Homes: Academic destinations, homes for rent, exchange, or house sitting.

House and Pet Sitting

Making sure the host’s property is safe and his pet(s) are fed and loved while he’s away. Almost free, as the memberships usually cost as little as a single night at a hotel.

16. Trusted Housesitters: Stay for free in return for caring for pets and homes. 60,000+ pet-loving members in 147 countries. A small membership fee is due for both parties.
17. Mind My House: Brings homeowners and house sitters together. Only sitters pay a small membership fee.
18. House Carers: The site provides a confidential secure matching system. House sitters pay a small membership fee.
19. Luxury House Sitting: For a small fee, you can stay in luxurious homes all around the world while taking care of the owner’s property and pets.
20. Nomador: There’s a free limited option for house sitters and a paid option with more flexibility.

Volunteering

AKA work in exchange for free accommodation (and sometimes meals).

21. WWOOF: Work anywhere in the world on organic farms. Linking volunteers with organic farms and growers.
22. HelpX: A listing of host organic farms, non-organic farms, farm stays, homestays, ranches, lodges, B&Bs, backpackers hostels and even sailing boats that invite volunteer helpers to stay with them short-term in exchange for food and free accommodation.
23. Work Away: A resource for anyone interested in cultural exchange and learning, who’s ready to help out for a few hours a day in exchange for food and accommodation. Make a difference in the communities you visit, while putting your existing skills to good use, or trying something new you‘d never normally get to do.
24. World Packers: Find amazing spots around the world where you can live for free in exchange for a few hours of work per week. Some of the listings also provide meals, laundry, different tours, and activities.
25. Find A Crew: If living on a boat is your kind of adventure, this is your best resource. I’ve met some awesome boat owners and captains on this platform and had unforgettable adventures.
26. Farm Stays: Work on a farm in exchange for free accommodation and meals. Different resources serve different destinations:
    • Farm Stays International,
    • Farm Stay UK,
    • Farm Stay US,
    • Farmstay Australia.
27. Go Cambio: In exchange for a bed and a few home-cooked meals, all you have to do is spend a few hours of your time helping your host (or their kids) improve their skills, giving them lessons in e.g. English, cooking, guitar playing, or even programming.
28. Work-to-stay at hostels: Show up at a hostel and ask if they need help in exchange for accommodation. Simple as that. Here’s how exactly it’s done.

Unusual Stays

Those free accommodation ideas aren’t for everyone. You need to be a little adventurous or even crazy to do some of these. But hey, that’s how the best travel memories are made!

29. Monastery stays: For an offbeat accommodation, stay at a monastery. Some stays are free or donation-based, while others are as expensive as a hotel room, but offer a totally different experience.
    • Good Night And God Bless: A listing of monasteries’ contact information with short descriptions.
    • Monasteries.com: A booking website for monastery stays. The website features a tonne of historical buildings in Europe. Most of the properties are in Italy, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. Your place to book a cheap room in an 11th-century old building!

30. Tent camping: In many countries, wild camping in a tent is free. For example, on the beaches of Mexico, in the mountains of Norway, in the steppes of Mongolia, or on the Great Wall of China to name a few. The latter is not perfectly legal, by the way. Of course, you have to consider the one-time cost of equipment.
31. Overnight transportation: Not the most comfortable option, but you’ll save money and time, so it’s worth considering.
32. Sleeping in public places: Again, this is not a very comfortable option, but it’s free. Some of the best places to do it for various reasons are airports.
33. Squatting: Stay on a property that’s owned by someone else without their permission. Some estimates suggest that 1 in 7 people worldwide are living as squatters! This includes shantytowns where families build shacks on land that they don’t own. However, in many countries squatting is illegal.

Cheap Accommodation: Low-Budget Options with Basic or No Comforts

If you don’t want to exchange your time, skills or comforts, but instead pay for your bed, below are a few resources to help you find the kind of accommodation to match your needs. In this section, you’ll find cheap accommodation options which will not break the bank.

Camping

Every country seems to have its own rules on camping, so make sure to check them, before heading on.

34. camping.info: Find details for 20,000+ campsites in Europe, as well as ratings and reviews.
35. Reserve America: Campgrounds, marinas, and more, as well as camping tips and guides.
36. Euro Campings: Find the location of your perfect vacation among almost 10,000 campsites in 30 countries, inspected every year.
37. Glamping: This might not be a super cheap accommodation resource, but the listings on this site and the experience they offer are well worth the money.

Huts, Cabins, and Bungalows

Whether high in the mountains or directly on the beach, huts, cabins, and bungalows are always cheap accommodation options, covering your very basic needs. For the cheapest deals, you probably need to search at your travel destination and perhaps negotiate. Very few online booking resources are available.

38. Mountain Huts: For hikers, trekkers, mountain bikers, climbers, and mountaineers. Includes an interactive map and reviews of over 560 European mountain huts.
39. Mountain-Huts.net: An interactive map of mountain huts in the Balkan countries.

Hostels

From a single bed in a dorm with a shared bathroom to private rooms and even suites, hostels offer cheap accommodation for every budget as well as a unique atmosphere you can’t find anywhere else.

While there is a huge amount of online booking sites, the cheapest option remains booking directly with the hostel of your choice. And while the same booking sites offer a ton of reviews, the best recommendations usually come from fellow travelers or friends.

40. Hostel World, Hostels.com, Hostel Bookers: All three websites belong to the same company. Still, with 33,000 properties (hostels, hotels, B&Bs) in 170 countries and over 8 million verified guest reviews, one of the biggest search databases.
41. Hi USA: Unique hostels across the United States. Think of historic buildings, bright lofts, and unusual structures. Hi USA is a nonprofit organization providing cultural experiences at affordable prices.
42. Hostels Club: A young and vibrant company dedicated to providing budget travelers with a one-stop shop for their travel accommodation needs.
43. Hostelz.com: Compares prices on all major hostel booking sites to give you the option to select the best available price. Make sure you compare the type of room and facilities and not only the price before booking.
44. Hotwire: Great deals on hotels. The catch is that you don’t know which hotel exactly you’ll be staying in. The hotel name is first revealed after you pay for your room. Of course, you can still compare prices, approximate location, and ratings before deciding.

B&Bs and Guest Houses

If you only need a roof over your head and breakfast to start your day, this one is for you.

45. Booking.com: The largest hotel booking website has dedicated B&B and guesthouses sections.
46. Bed and Breakfast: An extensive database of unique B&Bs.

Cheap Accommodation Without the Need to Sacrifice Your Comfort Needs

Sometimes having comfortable amenities is worth paying a bit more. Don’t always sacrifice your needs just to find cheap accommodation. Your body will thank you for that.

Short-term Rentals

Do you want to live like a local? A short-term rental provides an authentic experience, which a hotel room or a hostel dorm will not give you.

47. AirBnB: Book homes from local hosts in 191+ countries and experience a place as if you lived there.
48. Home Away, VRBO: These sites belong to the same company. They offer over 1 million live vacation rental listings in 190 countries – a huge database to search.
49. Wimdu: Europe’s biggest portal for city apartments.
50. Trip Advisor Rentals, Flip Key: Both sites belong to Trip Advisor. Search for vacation rentals in 190 countries – cabins, condos, beach houses.
51. 9Flats: A variety of affordable vacation rentals offered by individuals around the world. Choose from over 200,000 locations, including vacation apartments and rentals of all types.
52. Home Stay: Find your next home away from home. The platform connects host families with students and independent travelers who want to experience authentic housing.
53. Tripping: Search other vacation rental sites, compare, and save on vacation homes and short-term rentals in 150,000 destinations worldwide.

Aggregators and Search Engines for the Cheapest Rates

✔️ Tip: Make sure you compare the rooms, too, not just the prices. Some sites will only display luxurious rooms and hence their prices will appear to be higher than the prices on a site where you can book the simplest available room at the same hotel.

54. Trivago: Find your ideal hotel for the best available price at the world’s biggest hotel search website.
55. Hotels Combined: Compare all the top travel sites in one simple search to find what you’re after.
56. Kayak – Hotels: Search hundreds of travel sites and save 25% or more on the same hotel.
57. Momondo – Hotels: Best prices on millions of hotel rooms worldwide.

Hotel Booking Sites

Search directly on these sites or find a hotel elsewhere and book it hassle-free on one of the booking sites below. Don’t forget to check the prices on the hotel’s own website or even call and ask for a special rate. You’ll be surprised how often you’ll get a discount by just asking, making your cheap accommodation even cheaper.

58. Hotels.com, Expedia: These sites belong to the same company, so don’t be surprised if the hotel you booked asks if you’ve used Expedia after you’ve made a booking through Hotels.com.
59. Booking.com: Hotel rooms, resorts, hostels, guesthouses – you can find and book everything here. You’re only charged 10% of the price online, the rest is due at your destination.
60. HRS: Great deals on hotel rooms and special conditions for business travelers. Right, you’re going on vacation, I forgot. But on your next business trip, check the rates.
61. Trip Advisor: Along with tons of useful traveler’ reviews, you can directly book a hotel here.
62. Agoda: Features every possible kind of cheap accommodation, even in the unlikeliest of locations.
63. Travelocity: If you find a better price, they promise to match it, refund you the difference and even give you $50 off your next booking.
64. Hot Wire: Offers last-minute deals.
65. Priceline: You can name your own price.
66. More Hotels 4 Less: Cheap hotel rates that won’t max out your budget. They provide over 905,000 cheap hotels at 76,000+ destinations.
67. Travel Zoo: Search deals from thousands of recommended hotels.

Vacation Packages

Often you’ll get better prices if you book a flight and a hotel from the same site, or a vacation package from a travel agency than if you book every aspect of your vacation separately. Here are a few options for you:

68. Loveholidays: The UK-based provider offers a variety of destinations and cheap accommodation options.
69. First Choice: The home of all-inclusive holidays.

Some people find this option better as it saves them not only money but planning as well. For others, packages are just not flexible enough. But hey, everyone is different and so are their needs!

Start Planning Your Next Big Adventure by Booking Your Cheap Accommodation Now

You know what’s the best accommodation for you. Now, you also have the resources to find it.

Searching for cheap accommodation is a difficult task.

However, it shouldn’t be impossible.

Decide on your preferred travel style, set your budget, search, compare, and book. Don’t forget to look for sustainable accommodations if possible, too.

And don’t forget to have fun and share all about it when you’re back!

✔️ Tip: Now that you’ve found your perfect, affordable accommodation, it’s time to search for a cheap flight to your dream destination as well ;) Check my guide on how to find the best airfare in five simple steps!