After carefully reviewing your cheap traveloptions, including cheapairplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, discounttravel deals, and cheap vacation packages,wouldnt it be great if you could find a way of snagging free lodging at yourdestination?
The following are ways to find free lodging on trips,according to Shannon McMahon:
Petsitting is one of the most popular and reliable ways to find free housing, whichhas become widely popular through sites like TrustedHousesitters. Free lodging in locales ranging from Franceto Australia is possible for a $10 monthly membership which provides access tolistings and the chance to apply for gigs as a background checked petsitter. This type of service can saveusers hundreds on both lodging and pet services such as kennels.
Free sharedaccommodations are available from a site called Couchsurfing. The site is based on reviews by both hostsand travelers. Most hosts, particularlythose in Europe, are former backpackers or seasoned nomads happy to help budgetminded travelers and make new friends. Peoplerecommend that users pay for verification to strengthen their profiles. The site is otherwise totally free to use andhas thousands of listings in most cities. Safety is key so you should only consider hosts with lots of top reviewsand rely on your gut when you arrive, regardless of what you have read.
Travelingovernight on trains or buses can double as free lodging if you are planning onmaking the trip anyway. This is a moreattractive option when traveling via comfortably arranged transportationoptions, such as on coach buses or in first-class train cars when possible.
Byusing the right credit card, you can earn free hotel stays by spending money asyou normally would. Chase SapphirePreferred is a popular travel card. Users pay a nominal yearly fee after the first year and points can be usedat a wide variety of hotels and are generally worth more than other programspoints. Users earn double points fordining and travel related purchases.
HomeExchangeis a house swapping site where both parties score free lodging. This company has thousands of listings acrossthe globe from houseboats and cozy apartments to roomy villas. This site charges a yearly subscription feewhich is waived for the second year ifyou do not find an exchange within the first twelve months of your membership.
Monasteriesand religious guesthouses sometimes offer bare-bone accommodations (often justa bed and communal bathroom) for free or very little. Religious lodging and guesthouses are open tothe public in many places with a majority religious demographic, such as highlyCatholic Spain and Italy. Some can berented for a nominal fee, while others only ask for a donation. A website called MonasteryStays displaysoptions in Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
Housesitting appeals to visitors who do not want to deal with animals and preferdoing simplified tasks such as watering plants as payment for a rental. While this tends to be a more exclusiveoption, there are house sitting sites that can help. International sites such as MindMyHouse andNomador have hundreds of listings available for annual membership fees of $20and $90 respectively.
www.cheapfares.com