10 Ways to Get Cheap & Free Accommodation Worldwide (2024)

Where to Get Cheap or Free Accommodation

» Couch Surfing

Couch surfing is a ‘coined term’ that refers to the act of permitting a friend or stranger to stay in your house for FREE, and they can use whatever space available that you allow them to occupy: the couch, the floor, or a whole room.

Through this way, a host can enjoy meeting new and foreign people, while the ‘couch surfer’ can of course enjoy the free accommodation and the chance to experience the city with a local (the host).

Simply put, in these websites you can either be a host or a couch surfer and it’s absolutely free to connect with anyone in the world that’s open to doing a couch surfing set-up.

TIP: Make full use of a couch surfing website’s ‘testimonial’ system that will help give you an overview on what kind of host or traveler you will be dealing with as per the reviews or references left on their profile. What’s more is that couch surfing  platforms typically have a verification system that will help ensure more transparency and trust between members; therefore, it’s best to look for hosts that are ‘verified’.

There are other websites that you can check like www.GlobalFreeLoaders.com and www.Servas.org that have been up and running for years, but going by feedback, it seems that the community isn’t that active anymore. (But I guess, it’s still worth a shot especially if you can’t find anything from the 3 websites above).

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» House Sitting

House sitting is the practice in which a homeowner entrusts his/her home to an individual (referred to as a house sitter).

Under a mutual agreement, the house sitter can stay in the house for free but in return, he/she is expected to watch after the house (as well as the homeowner’s pets if available). Other responsibilities may come along with it too as per the specification of a homeowner, like tending the garden and more.

TIP: Be careful to scrutinize all the details and clear out the expectations between you and the homeowner since, for instance, some of them might want you to cover the cost of utilities during your stay.
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Also, house sitting websites often come with an annual membership fee. Rest assured, they are relatively cheap! And besides, you will only have to pay if you want to get in touch with the homeowners so it’s absolutely FREE to browse the website to search for properties first before you purchase the membership to contact your prospects.

Other websites that you can check are www.SabbaticalHomes.com (geared for academic tenants), www.HomeSit.co.nz (homesits in New Zealand), www.EasyHouseSitting.com (homesits in Australia), and more.

If you are specifically looking for home sits in a certain place, simply type your search on Google and you’re bound to land on a relevant site. Nevertheless, I highly suggest that you try first the top house-sitting websites above since they are already regarded as trusted platforms.

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» Home Exchanges

Home exchanges or home swapping is exactly what you think it is. For a specific period of time, you will swap houses with someone from another country — you will live in their home and he/she will live in yours and technically, it’s a great set-up if you’re someone who owns a home and looking to get free accommodation (i.e. a whole house) in someplace else, anywhere in the world.

• This concept was best portrayed in the 2006 movie, The Holiday

Rest assured, there are some home exchange websites that do not have mutual exchanges, meaning that you don’t have to swap houses with someone at the same time frame (e.g. HomeExchange, etc.).

NOTE: Some homeowners find this as a bit of a nerve-wracking arrangement (much like house sitting) but you (as a homeowner) shouldn’t be afraid at all since all home exchange websites put great value in building trust among its members. Besides, you should also remember that the other homeowner is also entrusting their home to you!
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Also, much like house sitting websites, most home exchange websites have a membership fee but you are free to browse the listings first before deciding on a membership plan that will allow you to connect with other home swappers.

Check out www.GuestToGuest.com and www.MyTwinPlace.com too!

For academics, a website worth looking into is www.SabbaticalHomes.com which only has a $50 fee whenever they match you to a host. Another website is www.WarmShowers.org which is a community of touring (bicycle) cyclists and willing hosts that are open to a hospitality exchange.

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» Volunteering

Volunteering (also called a work exchange) is an act of doing menial work for an establishment in exchange for free accommodation and/or food.

There are volunteering opportunities in a lot of big charity groups like WWF but those have expensive registration fees; so what I will be enumerating below are simply job listing websites where bars, fruit farms, hotels, hostels, restaurants, schools, etc. that are looking for travelers like you to work for them part-time.

Some of these websites are free while others have membership fees — however, you are always free to browse through the job listings first before purchasing a membership fee to contact the employers.

NOTE: Working in exchange for free food and bed is generally a gray area for most countries (it’s neither legal nor illegal; it’s generally tolerated since governments don’t really care if you managed to stay for free by doing a bit of non-paid work for a hostel or hotel for example).
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However, when you start to work for an establishment that pays you in cash, be reminded that this is the kind of exchange wherein you need a proper work permit — NEVER do work and take in cash if you don’t have a work permit or visa. (You can get these work permits yourself, though sometimes, your ’employer’ could be generous enough to support you in getting one). Still, most establishments continue to freely offer paid jobs ‘under the table’ even if you don’t have a work permit. They know that it’s illegal that’s why some of these sites even put up a tip saying that you shouldn’t mention that you’re going to do volunteer work when going through immigration.

Other websites to check: www.WorkingCouples.com which shows job opportunities fit for traveling couples.

If in case you want to see volunteering opportunities for charities (that are often more expensive), you can always check the following websites: www.GoAbroad.com/volunteer-abroad or www.GlobalHelpSwap.com/volunteering.

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» Cheap Hostels & Hotels

If you don’t want to work (or do volunteering) AND if you have more spare money from your travel fund to spend on accommodation, you can always book yourself into the cheapest hostels and hotels around the world!

The best platforms to search for these options would be:

Other websites to try are www.DayUse.com (where you can use a hotel for a few hours during the day and save up to 75%) and www.HotelTonight.com (which offers empty rooms at the last minute at a more affordable price than usual).

You can also use this widget below to browse through all the platforms that offer rock-bottom deals on accommodations worldwide!

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» Short-Term Rentals

This is exactly what it means, it saves you from the hassle and cost of typical rentals that commonly want you to commit long-term (e.g. years).

So when you’re looking into staying at one place for a longer period of time (which couchsurfing or home exchanges won’t usually offer), the websites below will not only give you more flexibility but also a cheaper alternative.

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» Home Stay

Home stay (or homestay) is where local families permit you, as a traveler or tourist, to stay in their home and rent one of their vacant rooms. It’s a great way to immerse yourself to the local lifestyle of a country abroad and it’s hugely supported by the tourism industry.

Traditionally, this is arranged by an educational institution for their students, but nowadays, it has grown into an informal opportunity! Some of the websites that you can use to search for these families abroad (who charge very cheaply per night or month) are:

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» Farm Stay

Contrary to WWOOF which I’ve mentioned above under the ‘Volunteering’ section, farm stays (also called agriturismos) will allow you to live on a farm WITHOUT the labor and in exchange for a small fee.

You can still be involved in the ‘farm life’ though, and it’s up to you to arrange that with the farm owners so that you can experience typical activities that are often done in their fields.

To research the available farm stays available, see:

NOTE: Available farm stays worldwide can also be found on websites that I have listed under the ‘Short-Term Rental’ section. Simply filter your search results and you’re bound to see several listings.

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» Boat Stay

Living in a boat can be categorized under ‘volunteering’ since you are often required to give help as a part of the boat owner’s crew. However, I’ve decided to put this in a separate category as it is somehow ‘different’; besides, by living in a boat, you do not only save accommodation costs but also transportation costs!

The best part? It doesn’t matter if you’re an amateur at boating/sailing because a lot of the websites below would take in amateurs!

NOTE: Depending on the boat owner, in return for your work, you can be compensated, given free food and free accommodation, or be granted both benefits. Sometimes, some would ask you to share expenses throughout the trip. All in all, it’s best to iron out the details first so you know what to expect.

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In a way, I guess most of these choices require a certain degree of openness since most of the experiences (like CouchSurfing) might be a new concept for you.

Nevertheless, there’s no need to fear. As a start, you can always ‘test the waters’ by doing it in your home country first. In this way, you can throw away your inhibitions bit by bit.

Overall, I dearly hope that this helps you. Safe travels!

^{DISCLAIMER: Some links are referral links. This means that I will get a bonus at NO cost to you when you sign up; in fact, signing up through my links will make you get extra points/money on the site. So, enjoy! But of course, like always, I only set up referral links for brands that I personally recommend.}