How to Pick your Budget Accommodations

Depending on your length of stay and where you’re visiting, your accommodations could easily be the biggest ticket line item in your budget. I hate spending more than I need to on accommodations since I’d rather spend it on excursions and food experiences. Since I don’t need any fancy amenities, I only look for basic, no-frills places to stay that are still clean, safe, and somewhat decent.

Before listing the steps that I take to decide on my accommodations, here are some general tips I’ve learned to save the money.

• Book early to get cheaper prices and to remain flexible with your overall budget.
  • By starting your budgeting with accommodations, you can afford to be flexible and then play around with smaller budget line items after.
• Find accommodations that offer free cancellation.
  • If you’re booking early, you never know if a hotel or booking website might have a promo down the line, or if your plans might change outside of your control.
• Hotels, motels, and inns are basically the same thing.
  • Hotels might offer a bit more security, but a motel in a safe neighborhood or city can be the exact same experience at a lower cost.
• Set a personal value on accommodations that offer free hot breakfast.
  • Do you eat breakfast everyday? Finding a quick breakfast meal outside could cost anywhere between $5-$10 every morning.
  • Sure, you can buy instant oatmeal or cereal at the local grocery store for $5 that should last you a few days, but is it worth it to you to go out of your way to the grocery store and then make it yourself every morning? You will also then need to find accommodations with a fridge, kettle, bowls, utensils, etc.
  • For me, I will pay $5 per person per night for an accommodation that offers free hot breakfast simply for the convenience.
• Always email or call your hotel a few days before departure to confirm that they have your reservation on file.

Step 1: Do a preliminary check on how much hotels on average are charging per night at your destination.

• Visit any travel booking site (I use Expedia and Hotels.com) and quickly sort low to high, high to low, filter by star rating, etc.
• This should give you a general idea of how much you should be prepared to budget.

Step 2: Set a budget for your accommodations.

• I initially set my budget at 70% of what the average cost might be based on my preliminary research, but I aim for 60% or less.
• For example, the average price of a 3-star hotel in Miami is $140 per night, so I set my budget to $100 per night per room, but I aim to find something closer to $80 per night or less.

Step 3: Search through booking websites using filters to show only accommodations within your 70% budget.

• Read the details and fine print carefully to check that taxes are included in the price (Booking.com does not include taxes in the total price). Check for any resort fees, free wifi, free parking (if applicable), private bathrooms, and any other features you require.
• Use Rakuten to receive cash back and to access any member-only discount codes.

Step 4: Check that the accommodation location is ideal or near public transit (if required).

• Staying outside of the city center is a cheaper option, but decide for yourself if it’s worth the extra travel (for example, I will never again stay in a New Jersey hotel when vacationing to New York).
• Some places might advertise that the bus station is “only minutes away”, but this could be mean, 10, 15, 20 minutes. Always check with Google Maps.
• Between jet lag, extreme weather, and just exhaustion, there will be times you want to quickly take a power nap in your hotel before the next item in your itinerary. Some accommodations aren’t worth it if you’re staying 40-minutes away from the action.

Step 5: If you’ve narrowed down a few options by now, check their TripAdvisor page for traveller pictures and reviews.

• Pictures shared by travellers give you an idea of what you can expect. If you don’t like what you’re seeing in their traveller pictures, you can’t expect anything different for your stay.
• Read the last 10 to 20 recent reviews to get an idea of what the place is like now. Management, renovations, prices, and hotel policies could have changed so I don’t give much merit to reviews that are over 2 years old.
• Read the one-star reviews and note the date it was written. Take into account any management responses. Look for reoccurring themes in the reviews as red flags.

Step 6: If you cannot find a hotel, motel, or inn that meets your budget and requirements, check AirBnB.

• You don’t have to wait until step 6 for this – feel free to start with AirBnB! Staying in a hotel, motel, or inn is just a personal preference for me, but that is slowly changing as I’ve stayed in AirBnBs for my last 3 trips!
• You can filter for “entire place” only, so you don’t need to share the home with anyone else, and also filter by price and location.
• My only advice for AirBnB reservations is to check individual cancellation policies and read all their details.
• As I mentioned earlier, I was looking for a place to stay in Miami for $80 or less. I found a modern and private AirBnB (strict cancellation policy though) for $50 per night.

My experience staying in a 2-star budget hotel in Singapore’s Red Light District.