Looking For Lodging? - Part 1

There are all kinds of questions to ask when looking for suitable lodging on your vacation. What type of hotel do you want to stay in? Does it have to have a pool? What about courtesy vans? Does it have to be a hotel? There are many, many options out there to keep your vacation budget in line and still have a place to lay your head!

Most savvy budget travelers recommend a hotel that offers up a kitchen or kitchenette. This can save you a huge amount of money on meals. Having a kitchen when you’re vacationing with kids can be invaluable. Often the cost on a per person basis can be well worth the time it takes to cook up some of your own meals.

Families should consider condominium-style accommodations as these are often comparable in price to a fine hotel (and even less than the cost of two rooms), and give you the luxury of a spacious apartment with a full-kitchen and amenities like laundry machines - a nice feature when you have young children. Other "non-traditional" lodgings include furnished apartments, house swaps or renting a villa.

If you prefer to mingle with the locals rather than other tourists, look into a home exchange vacation. One couple spent their eight-week honeymoon touring Europe without ever staying in a hotel; instead, they stayed in private homes while their European hosts stayed in their New York City apartment.
Sound risky? Maybe—but tens of thousands of people have exchanged homes since the 1950s. For an annual membership fee (usually around $50), home exchange clubs help members arrange exchanges, as well as offering tips to make the exchange go smoothly.

According to ExchangeHomes.com, a home exchange can cut travel costs by as much as half. More importantly, though, a home exchange vacation makes it possible for you to live like the locals, and perhaps make some life-long friends.

In a slight twist on the home exchange idea, look into joining a hospitality club that will hook you up with people willing to host you on your next vacation. The largest hospitality club has more than 23,000 members in 148 countries.

Membership is usually free, although members are asked to provide hospitality to others (on a voluntary basis) in return sometime in the future. In addition to saving money, staying with others is a great way to meet locals who can give an insider’s perspective on your destination.

Now this next suggestion might seem a little off the wall, but if saving money is your ultimate goal, it might be something you will want to consider. Stay in a monastery or a convent.

Monasteries and convents have a long tradition of providing hospitality to travelers. Aside from being a lot more interesting (and affordable) than the local Holiday Inn, a monastery can be a great place to explore your spiritual landscape.

Many monasteries and convents ask for a donation of $40 to $80 per night; others only ask for a free-will offering. In addition to simple accommodations, monasteries and convents often offer their guests simple meals as well as opportunities to participate in daily prayer and work. Reservations may be required in advance.

You can research this vacation idea by looking up individual monasteries or convents online. Or get a guidebook such as “Europe's Monastery and Convent Guesthouses: A Pilgrim's Travel Guide” or “Sanctuaries: The Complete United States: A Guide to Lodgings in Monasteries, Abbeys, and Retreats.”