Everyone who has at least once planned a trip (not used a package tour) certainly knows that online booking services are not only more convenient, but also more cost effective. Prices for booking systems like booking.com and hotels.com are usually lower than directly on the websites of the hotels themselves.
Discounts on early (a few months in advance) and late booking (a few days beforehand) will significantly reduce costs – 20 to 70% on average. The only downside is that special offers do not apply to all available renting options.
Do not forget about the metasearch engines, such as hotelscombined.com and hotellook.ru. Here you can not book a room or suite, but you will find a booking system that offers best prices. Also, take the trouble and visit the website hrs.com, where you can find those highly sought-after discounts for hotels around the globe.
If you are traveling as a large party, consider renting a cottage together. By splitting the rent, you can decently save without compromising comfort.
Going to Asia, keep in mind that the best prices are negotiated locally. Therefore, it is reasonable to book accommodation for just 1-2 nights, and on arrival to look for more favorable conditions. Often, by means of personal communication, you can cut an extra 20-40% off the declared price. For first-time bookings, use agoda.com and asiatravel.com.
If there is a need to spend the night when moving from place to place, do not hesitate to stay at a hostel or a guest house. In Europe there are many clean and inexpensive hostels where you can rent a room for 2-4 people.
If the hostel is not your thing, pay attention to sleeping cars on night trains. Often tickets for high-class trains will be cheaper than paying for a night in a hotel and a day ticket separately.
When buying airline tickets do not miss offers like "air + hotel". Often booking tickets together with accommodation can save a lot of money.
We have already mentioned that renting an apartment or a cottage is always cheaper than booking a hotel room. Use the airbnb.com website, especially if you plan to rent a house for a long time. First, the cost of rent decreases in proportion to the period of your stay, and secondly, you can always ask the owner for an additional discount. However, at once specify, whether it is necessary for you as a result of this arrangement to pay for utilities (the Internet or electricity).
Extreme methods of saving on rent such as couchsurfing and house exchange are still not customary in our society, unlike many Western countries. However, if you want, you can always get acquainted with the offers on the websites such as couchsurfing.com, homeexchange.com and others.
On a journey, there is always a way to spend those saved euros and dollars nicely. After all, saving does not mean impairing the quality of your vacation!