Not an ideal arrangement, but surely, one of the best ways to save money on accommodation is to travel to your destination at night by riding overnight buses, trains, planes, boats, etc.
» Others
Be an Au Pair
For websites that handle au pair arrangements, check: www.AuPair-World.co.uk, www.GreatAuPair.com, www.IAPA.org, www.Europa-Pages.com/au_pair/, or www.TransitionsAbroad.com
If you want to stay in a foreign country for at least 6 months, being an au pair is something that you can totally do! A popular practice among young ones in Europe, ‘au pair’ is a nanny job wherein you would also be expected to do some light housework. Apart from receiving free accommodation and food, the family that is interested in hiring you will also give you an allowance.
Camping
For this section, there are two camping options that you can try to score cheap or free accommodation:
- Camping ‘as is’ – apart from camping in a free space of a country’s natural landscape (make sure that it’s legal to do so), you can also do camping by booking yourself into commercial camping grounds that are very cheap (which can be as low as $10 or Php 400+ per night).
- Some people also just use a camper van. Depending on the cost of the camper van from a provider, it can be quite cheaper than getting hotels.
- Work as a Camp Counselor – not only will you get paid (for assisting kids during a summer camp, etc.) but you will also get free food and free accommodation. To start looking for opportunities on this, try: www.SuperCamps.co.uk, www.PGL.co.uk, www.EuroCamp.com, or www.ActionQuest.com
Overnight Transportation OR Your Own Transportation
– – –
As for another form of transportation, surely if you are going on a road trip and planning on bringing your car, sleeping in your vehicle is another option. (There are even certain establishments worldwide that can permit you to park your car in their rest stops in order to stay overnight).
Some people would even sleep at the terminal — this is not ideal and it’s a bit risky too, but it’s certainly one of the ways to save on accommodation costs.
