- Cheap Travel
- Quick Tips
- Posted: 26/07/2023
Booking Cheap Accommodation
Jenna Carr
The Travel Mum
Finding Cheap Accommodation
Dreaming of traveling more but worried about your tight budget? I’m guessing you have seen the rise in popularity of DIY travel bookings, but like many you have no idea where to start. Finding cheap flights should always be your first task, shortly followed by booking cheap accommodation. There are other complexities to the DIY booking process such as ensuring you book your holiday safely, but we cover these elements elsewhere on the site.
Your main goal when booking cheap accommodation is finding somewhere that meets your needs while staying within your budget. It may sound obvious but many people get caught up on facilities they don’t necessarily need. Do you need a 5* resort with gym, spa and multilingual staff? If you aren’t going to make use of certain facilities, you really don’t want to pay for them.
By changing your perspective and only getting what you need, a whole new world of travel possibilities opens up.
Here we’ll share some tips to help you book cheap accommodation that allows you to make the most of your trip whilst sticking to your tight budget. Use the below button to start planning your trip. Our search makes it easy to look for cheap flights and cheap hotels simultaneously, saving you time and money.
What do I need?
Consider staying in a hostel…
Should I be reading reviews?
Definitely! But don’t always let the numerical score put you off. ‘One (wo)mans trash is another (wo)mans treasure’. People’s opinions can vary widely based on personal preferences and experiences. A hotel with a low score might have specific complaints that don’t concern you, making it a great budget friendly option despite the lower numerical rating. A hotel may receive a poor score from one guest due to it being loud, but a great score from another for being in the centre of the nightlife. What people have to say is much more useful than the number. You may be willing to tolerate a specific negative aspect for the lower price tag. All of the accommodation we source for you here at The Travel Mum are well rated options that fit within your set budget to ensure a great value trip.
Where should I stay?
Selecting the right location for your accommodation depends on the transportation options available at your destination, but also how you plan to spend your time there.
Planning to rent a car and explore? Then consider peripheral accommodation that will likely offer free and easy parking. Visiting a city with a good public transport system? Then you could look for more peripheral budget-friendly hotels close to a bus or metro stop.
If you prefer to be at the heart of the action and don’t have lots of time for travel, you could opt for more basic options but in central areas. When you search on our system we are only selecting hotels in great locations, so you don’t need to worry about ending up in the middle of nowhere. This also saves you time by not having to research where you specifically want to stay.
When should I travel?
Should I pay for free cancellation?
The sensible answer here is yes! Even when booking cheap accommodation, you are often spending hundreds of your well earned money that you likely can’t afford to lose. Not all cancellation periods are equal, some will allow cancellation until the day of check in, others may only offer it up to 14 days in advance, so make sure you know what you are paying for.
The price difference between the non-refundable rate should be taken into consideration. Personally, if the price difference is huge and we can’t foresee any issues arising, we have been known to go for the much lower non-refundable price. It is always a gamble when you do this but by booking on a credit card and buying travel insurance immediately after booking you will still have protection against many problems that could prevent you from travelling. We go into more detail on how to book a safe trip here.
A great benefit of free cancellation is that you can simply decide not to go – something not offered with traditional package bookings. It is also useful if the price of the room drops, if you keep an eye on the live prices you can then cancel and rebook if the price falls. Hotels.com offer a price guarantee so even if your booking is non-refundable, if you find a better price they will give you vouchers to the value of the difference to use on a future trip. Learn more about this and submit a claim here.
What star rating should I look for?
Take the star rating of a hotel with a pinch of salt. The requirements to reach a certain number of stars varies massively across countries. A 4* hotel in one country may not be equal to a 4* in another. Governments set the standards and it often relates to things like the hotel having a pool, a gym, 24 hour bilingual reception staff, conference facilities – it isn’t simply a measure of how ‘fancy’ a place is. Filtering accommodation by the star rating can help you find relatively nicer accommodation options, and is how we source our ‘Bargain Lux’ deals for you, but it is one part of many other things you should be looking at. Don’t be put off by a 2* hotel rating, this doesn’t mean the place is awful, it just means it lacks certain facilities. Use the reviews, location and photos to work out if the place would work for you.
Do I need a credit card?
If you are planning on travelling regularly, a travel specific credit card is a really useful thing to have. Any bookings you make over £100 will be protected under Section 75 of the Credit Consumer Act, so it is always sensible to book your travel using one. It also has benefits when spending abroad, the exchange rates you get when spending on a travel credit card will be near perfect. On top of the savings and protection it offers, it is usually essential to have one when booking car hire. Read our blog post on ‘How to hire a car abroad‘ for more information on doing this.
Consider house sitting. (And use our 25% off code!)
House sitting is a great way to get away on the cheap. Memberships start from around £99 and allows you to use the site all year to source house sits. We currently have a 25% off code that you can use, making it even better value. We have a specific post on our housesitting experience which you can read for more information and to find the discount link. Essentially you look after someones home and pets in exchange for the free stay. We have stayed in some beautiful houses by doing this. You can find the website we use here.
So, what are you waiting for?
Traveling on a tight budget is easy with the right mindset and smart planning. By understanding your needs, booking cheap accommodation to meet these, leveraging reviews and timing your travels wisely, you can embark on more travel adventures without breaking the bank.
Gone are the days of settling for expensive package holidays just because it is easier. DIY planning is often overlooked and can unlock the cheapest possible trips for a tight budget. With our search feature, you take full control of your own journey whilst we handpick the best flights and accommodation to suit your needs. We believe that travel should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their budget, and that’s why we’ve designed this powerful tool to maximise your savings without compromising on quality.
Forget endless hours spent browsing numerous websites for the best deals. Multiple tabs open looking for flights, hotels, blogs open looking for recommendations and the best locations… We’ve streamlined the process, making it easy and efficient for you to plan your perfect trip. As a premium Travel Max member you can also enjoy access to personalised deals that cater specifically to your preferences and interests, and we send these deals straight to your inbox.
Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. We only promote things we genuinely love – Jen
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Written by: Jenna Carr
The Travel Mum
Our little family is passionate about helping you save money. We are real people who understand the need to make your budget go further. With The Travel Mum we have created a vibrant community of over 650k budget savvy travellers who want to travel more while spending less. No problem is too big or small, together we will do everything in our power to make sure you are making the absolute most of your well earned budget!
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Rand farm was about an hours drive from us, but was worth the journey. We’ve done a lot of these pumpkin festivals and pumpkin patch visits, but this is the most fun we’ve had at one. We had a 1 year old, our 3 year old Nephew and our eldest son is 6, so finding a place they all love isn’t always easy - but they all had the best day.
#thetravelmum #randfarm #pumpkinpatchfun #kidsdayout
Oct 12
Looking for a fun day out this month?! I can’t imagine a much better option! 🎃🐮🐷🛝
Rand farm was about an hours drive from us, but was worth the journey. We’ve done a lot of these pumpkin festivals and pumpkin patch visits, but this is the most fun we’ve had at one. We had a 1 year old, our 3 year old Nephew and our eldest son is 6, so finding a place they all love isn’t always easy - but they all had the best day.
#thetravelmum #randfarm #pumpkinpatchfun #kidsdayout
I appreciate this is still a lot of money, but you wouldn’t haven’t to spend much more than this as everything is included ❤️
Missing the last day of school can save you hundreds of pounds, as can reducing the number of days you’re away. Sometimes a long weekend is all it takes to make lasting family memories 🫶🏻
We have a website where you can find your local airport page and view tons of family holiday deals.
Links in my linktree are affiliate links.
#thetravelmum #familytravel #cheapholiday #octoberhalfterm
Oct 12
I appreciate this is still a lot of money, but you wouldn’t haven’t to spend much more than this as everything is included ❤️
Missing the last day of school can save you hundreds of pounds, as can reducing the number of days you’re away. Sometimes a long weekend is all it takes to make lasting family memories 🫶🏻
We have a website where you can find your local airport page and view tons of family holiday deals.
Links in my linktree are affiliate links.
#thetravelmum #familytravel #cheapholiday #octoberhalfterm
I’m putting myself out there with this post and know I’ll get some stick for it, but whether kids should be shared online is an interesting topic (when people can discuss and explain their opinions nicely without being a d*ck) and it may answer some questions you’ve thought but not wanted to ask me.
I’ve thought about it a lot, obviously, given the work we do. This is just my opinion. I’d be interested to hear yours ❤️
#thetravelmum #familytravel #controversial
Oct 11
I’m putting myself out there with this post and know I’ll get some stick for it, but whether kids should be shared online is an interesting topic (when people can discuss and explain their opinions nicely without being a d*ck) and it may answer some questions you’ve thought but not wanted to ask me.
I’ve thought about it a lot, obviously, given the work we do. This is just my opinion. I’d be interested to hear yours ❤️
#thetravelmum #familytravel #controversial
I am SO bad at keeping secrets… and this has been a big one!
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This is more than just a travel book - I share things I’ve never spoken about publicly before, including some difficult moments to revisit, alongside everything I know about bargain family travel.
Thank you @dkeyewitness for bringing my ideas to life, and to @belllomaxmoreton and @mackenzieweller_management for believing in me from the very start ❤️🙏🏻
@dklivinguk #thetravelmum #familytravel #booklaunch #budgettravel
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I am SO bad at keeping secrets… and this has been a big one!
It has always been a dream of mine to publish a book, so when I got a genuine book deal, it was VERY hard to not shout it from the roof tops! Excitement turned into panic when I realised I actually had to write a whole book... but it’s been an incredible journey.
This is more than just a travel book - I share things I’ve never spoken about publicly before, including some difficult moments to revisit, alongside everything I know about bargain family travel.
Thank you @dkeyewitness for bringing my ideas to life, and to @belllomaxmoreton and @mackenzieweller_management for believing in me from the very start ❤️🙏🏻
@dklivinguk #thetravelmum #familytravel #booklaunch #budgettravel
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