Private invitations for holidays and exchange of housing. How to find free housing in any city in the world
We recently spoke in detail about the very first stage of travel - about where and how to profitably book plane tickets.
In the article we will describe both simple and familiar tools to many, as well as more extravagant ones, which not everyone can decide to use - but nevertheless, they have the right to exist.
Let's start with the most extravagant option.
6. Booking systems
This is perhaps the most standard way to search for hotels. There are many reservation systems that have a database of hotels to search for.
Moreover, often the cost of the same number in different search engines can differ significantly.
The most popular systems:
- http://www.agoda.com
- http://hotels.com
- http://ostrovok.ru.
7. Meta search engines
This method can be called the simplest, most convenient and, often, the most effective, especially if your goal is simply to find an acceptable hotel in the desired city.
Meta search engines are search engines that do not have their own hotel database and do not offer booking services, but search a variety of booking systems.
The obvious advantage of this method is the ability to compare many different options and the absence of the need to study each booking system separately. For each hotel found, a list of options with prices is provided, from which you can choose yourself.
In addition to prices, descriptions and photos, some of these meta search engines also collect discount offers and hotel reviews, so you can explore everything in one place.
We have tried many similar sites, many of them are similar, but in our opinion, the most convenient and complete are www.hotellook.ru and.
When choosing a specific hotel to make a reservation, you will be asked to go to the reservation system website - you can try going to different systems and compare the results.
Sometimes it happens that the difference in price is not significant, but in one of the options, for example, you do not need to make an advance payment, or simply some system seems more convenient to you.
So, to summarize all of the above: if you are just going on vacation to Europe or the USA, want to live in comfort, but not overpay and at the same time not spend a lot of time looking for housing, then it will be most convenient to use one of these services:
- www.hotellook.ru
We hope that this review will allow you to find accommodation for your soul and budget and have a great vacation!
The most important and, perhaps, time-consuming part of preparing for a trip is finding accommodation. There are too many factors to take into account, you want to save money on a place where you will essentially spend little time, because traveling does not imply being confined to four walls around the clock.
We hope this selection of housing search sites will help you with this.
Renting a hotel or apartment
On these sites you can find accommodation that suits your budget and in the desired area. The sites take their own commission, but you can do something smarter: find the apartment you like by name or owner’s name on Facebook and negotiate directly, without commission from intermediary sites.
All of the sites listed below have a convenient search engine, you can customize search parameters for the items you need (availability of parking, pets allowed, distance from the center) and a convenient booking system with the subsequent possibility of canceling the reservation if you liked another place or the trip route has changed.
Websites with a database of hotels and apartments:
- Roomguru.ru
- Airbnb.com
- Villas.com
Couchsurfing
This method is good for short trips and involves providing accommodation for a few nights free of charge. Couchservers, as a rule, not only hospitable hosts (they will provide a bed and set the table), but also an unlimited source of information about the place you have come to - they will recommend all the most interesting things, from the point of view of local residents, and this will make your trip more vivid than following the instructions in guidebooks.
The largest and most popular resource now is of course:
- couchsurfing.com
But there are similar sites where you can also leave a request:
- www.bewelcome.org
- hospitalityclub.org (you can use the site in Russian, which is very convenient)
- globalfreeloaders.com
- zotel.com (this site has a fixed price per night – $40)
Hostels
Hostels- these are hotels/guest houses with shared rooms for 4/6/8 people and a shared kitchen and bathroom. In addition, the hostels have free Wi-Fi, a common area where you can work, and discount arrangements for hostel guests with a restaurant nearby.
Hostels much cheaper than hotels and usually conveniently located. Some of them offer free tours.
Sites for finding a hostel:
- hostelworld.com
- hostelbookers.com
- hostels.com
Housesitting
Housesitting is a convenient way in which a traveler can get free accommodation (in a house, on a yacht, in an apartment, or even in a castle), in return, looking after the house, garden and pets while the owners are away.
Housesitting sites:
- Trustedhousesitters.com
- housecarers.com
- housesitmatch.com
- mindmyhouse.com
All of these sites have a small annual fee for use (about $20-30)
Work exchange
A very popular option is providing housing in exchange for performing certain work (for example, helping with housework). Very often this is work on a farm, so think carefully about whether you are ready for such an experience :)
Websites for finding housing in exchange for work:
- www.wwoof.net
- helpx.net
- workaway.info
- staydu.com
- Let the housing be a little more expensive, but in the center, because this way you will save money, time and effort on the road, and the impression of the trip will be better than if you live in a less-than-best area on the outskirts.
- Pay special attention to the conditions for rest and sleep: a comfortable sleeping place (better avoid folding beds and sofas), windows that do not overlook a noisy street or road.
- When calculating the price, keep in mind that the price does not include city tax, it is charged additionally (in Venice, for example, it is 3.5 euros per person for 5 days)
In this article we will tell you which sites you can use to book your own accommodation and give step-by-step instructions on how to do it.
Have you ever had to search for accommodation around the world on your own or do you trust this task to travel agencies? The latter will prepare all the documents for you - this is a plus. However, you will pay them more money, the only exception is last-minute travel packages. In addition, you will be accommodated in one of the typical hotels where all package tourists are taken. And if you want to go on the trip of your dreams, then no one can organize it better than you.
Today we will tell you how to book accommodation yourself. To get started, we recommend reading this article. It will help you navigate housing rental sites around the world. And if you like it, sign up for ours.
Where to book an apartment yourself: the best English-language accommodation search sites for travelers
Previously, in order to rent an apartment in our city, we read advertisements on poles and in newspapers in the “For Rent” section. We asked friends if they had friends who were looking for lodgers. And renting a home abroad, before arriving in another country, seemed like an extremely difficult task. Thanks to the Internet, everything has changed - home rental sites around the world will help you.
1. Airbnb
These Airbnbs Will Blow Your Mind (Not Your Budget) features 79 of the world's most unique travel accommodations, from luxurious treehouses and small trailers to fairytale mansions.
2. 9flats
3. Wimdu
5. Tripping
6.Agoda
8.Hostelworld
10.Outdoorsy
12.Private Islands Inc.
2. WWOOF
Wherever you plan to go on vacation - be it Italy, Turkey or a dacha in the Moscow region, the main thing is to take a good mood with you. And then unpleasant little things, even if they exist, will not be able to ruin such a long-awaited vacation for you.
Any cultural holiday is not complete without choosing a cozy place to stay. When it comes to packing for the trip, this point is usually on a par with tickets and vouchers: no one wants to stay on the street in unfamiliar places. Therefore, having finally confirmed the reservation of accommodation in the point of interest, we sometimes breathe a sigh of relief - another problem has been solved. But is it? Let's look at what pitfalls can await us when choosing a particular place to stay on a trip.
A frequent visitor to Tourist may note that we pay a lot of attention to the hotel booking service Booking.com. Yes, Tourist is one of the largest partners of this site in the CIS, so cooperation with it is a priority for us. But we are not the only ones who make our choice in favor of Booking - millions of tourists around the world find their accommodation on this site. Others choose a different path - renting private apartments and apartments, couchsurfing and other types of housing selection. Here we again come to the aid of the user and provide access to various useful booking services, but we still give preference to Booking.com. The thing is that this site allows you to book not only classic hotels and inns, but also quite apartments. In general, it turns out that tourists have quite a large choice, and this will be the starting point of our review of places to stay while traveling.
Hotels and inns
This is exactly the option that any tourist should associate with the word “reliability”. If we want to avoid problems with property owners, obtain financial statements and resolve all issues with maximum accuracy, then the hotel will be the best choice. However, a distinct disadvantage of this type of housing will be its high cost, which is justified by the services of room cleaning, 24-hour security, Wi-Fi, television, parking, the opportunity to eat and get the necessary information at any time of the day. Yes, mistakes in bookings also happen in hotels, but at least you won’t be left on the street after them and they will try to find you another room.
Another disadvantage is that the clock in hotels usually starts at 12 noon, so if you arrive in the city early in the morning, you are forced to either pay for an extra day or wait until noon to check-in. In such a situation, you can check with the hotel administrator in advance about the possibility of shifting check-in and check-out times.
To reduce the price of staying in a classic hotel, you can replace a separate room with a room in a block. Most often, the block unites four rooms with a common hallway, which also contains a toilet and a bathroom (shower) room. Such a hallway is quite cozy and brings you together with your neighbors much less often than you might think.
If you are not used to saving, you can use other hotel services, such as a gym, solarium, sauna, swimming pool or restaurant. Nowadays, the days when additional services in hotels are much more expensive than similar offers of individual services are becoming a thing of the past; moreover, they can be included in the room price under a special program.
Hostels
Mini-hotels, the rooms in which are rarely individual, that is, they contain everything you need within the room. Most often, a hostel is a set of rooms with a common functional space - bathrooms/toilet rooms, a relaxation area and, of course, a kitchen. Guests here live as if at home, but have separate closed bedrooms for one or several people. Conditions in hostel rooms are often the most spartan - bunk beds in rooms 2 by 3 meters. However, in the common part of the hostel, the atmosphere can be the most inviting, because many people are forced to coexist in a single space. There may be cozy poufs, workspaces, an opportunity to make coffee or tidy up your clothes. Some hostels also offer board games and other ways to have a good time.
Yes, people here often contact each other outside their rooms, but this is not always the negative side of living in a hostel. Often, guests get to know each other and begin to communicate; cultural exchange occurs between residents of different cities and even countries. For foreign travelers, this type of accommodation is very familiar, and they are happy to engage in communication with both other foreigners and native residents.
The cheapest option in a hostel is multi-bed rooms, the number of beds in which can reach up to 12. This is an ideal choice for those tourists who are only looking for an overnight stay and are not afraid of strangers. It is clear that anyone can be placed next to you and there will be some discomfort. In hostels, food is also almost never available and you will have to cook in a shared kitchen, but the administration provides everything you need for your stay, just like in a hotel.
Motels
Most often, motels are located on highways and intercontinental roads and are intended for use by travelers by car. This type of housing is an area with several small houses or rooms in common buildings, the exits of which lead directly to the street. Accordingly, motels almost always have shared or private parking for their guests' cars.
Each motel room is individual and most likely does not offer any common “conveniences” - the sanitary area and kitchen are located indoors. But there may be pleasant additions for spending leisure time in the fresh air - an outdoor swimming pool, a sports ground or a children's play area.
But security in motels is not always present; more precisely, it is often located not on the hotel premises: the services of third-party companies and non-departmental services are used. Hence there is some danger in close coexistence with unwanted neighbors. It’s not for nothing that so many thrillers and horror films have been made about incidents in motels. However, you shouldn’t be too afraid, because cinema is prone to exaggerating reality, and unpleasant incidents can happen in absolutely any place of residence, even in the most expensive hotel. If you are not a fan of playing it safe, then feel free to book a motel room to enjoy the delights of living in an outdoor home.
Apartments and “home hotels”
The answer to all tourists who prefer rented apartments to hotels in the usual sense. In essence, the apartments are ordinary apartments, but they are rented out centrally through administrators and receptionists. The office of a home hotel is most often located in close proximity to the accommodation of guests, so you do not have to fill out documents and receive keys through long trips. And after the check-in procedure has been completed according to all the rules, you are left to your own devices. Apartments usually have a very high quality and pleasant interior, they have everything you need for life. The difference between renting and regular apartments is that you are doing business with a legally registered organization. If conflicts arise, they can be resolved in a civilized manner, without entering into polemics with the owners; in addition, upon check-in, you will already receive the rules of stay, which you will follow. All problems associated with agreements “in words” are excluded.
In addition, the apartments have all the advantages of hotels - the administrator provides everything you need for your stay, in many cases even room service and cleaning are available at the time you specify. Otherwise, you live in a separate apartment, where nothing interferes with your individual time. And the price of such accommodation very often corresponds to the average rent from independent landlords.
Private apartments
This type of housing is in demand among tourists who seek not to overpay and at the same time receive a completely individual accommodation option, which does not include contacts with the administration and other guests. The most famous booking service is AirBnB- provides many accommodation options around the world and provides some guarantee of the legality of all transactions. However, the human factor is still present and you will not receive a 100% guarantee that there will be no problems with the owners. In addition, the site charges an additional fee for its services from both owners and tenants - this is a payment for the guarantees it provides.
However, AirBnB apartment owners often take a very responsible approach to housing their residents. By making friends with them, you can acquire not only a friend in another country, but also an individual tour guide.
Thus, we have considered accommodation options for all categories of tourists. As you can see, there are enough of them for any type of trip and they all have a decent number of positive aspects. We hope that renting any of them on Tourist will provide you with pleasant emotions, an interesting pastime, and the absence of problems of various kinds. And in any case, you can leave your reviews about places of residence both on third-party sites and on your page on the Turister.ru website. You can also make a review directly in the country or city block. The more information is presented on the project, the easier it will be for each user to make a choice in favor of one or more accommodation options while traveling.
Not everyone knows, but very useful travel sites. Most of the travel sites and apps on this list have been tested by us personally; there are still some waiting their turn, but that doesn’t make them any less cool.
List: Travel Sites: Preparing for Travel
Travel websites: buying tickets for Buses in Europe
Ecolines. International bus lines that provide connections between 21 countries and 205 cities in Europe. It is the largest and oldest carrier in Eastern Europe. Ecolines is ideal for independent European trips, because... the flights are very inexpensive and the buses are comfortable. In addition, Ecolines has a cumulative bonus system, and with active travel you can receive free trips. This is more than real! Personally, over three trips I have accumulated bonuses for one practically free move.
Luxexpress. Another European carrier that amazes with its constant promotions and discounts on tickets. For example, you can often travel from St. Petersburg to Helsinki and Tallinn for 400-500 rubles. The number of routes of Lukeexpress is significantly less than that of Ecolines - only 10 countries, but the prices are sometimes simply symbolic, and the buses are more like business class airplanes.
Websites to buy train tickets online
Once upon a time, it became a discovery for me, and then a constant practice, buying train tickets online. As it turns out, this can be easily done on the Russian Railways website. Yes, the interface is not the most convenient in the world, but it is a million times more pleasant than standing in endless lines at the cash register. The electronic ticket is printed and presented upon boarding the carriage. It's simple, fast, and also allows you to choose your own flights and seats on board. By the way, today Russian Railways operates 100 international routes in 30 countries in Europe and Asia.
Tutu.ru. Search engine for air and train tickets in Russia. Convenient, first of all, with a complete and up-to-date schedule of commuter trains.
Raileurope. A service that combines maps, timetables and tariffs of more than 50 different railway companies throughout Europe. The site makes it easy to book train tickets, as well as hotels and travel programs. On a fun note, the site has an encyclopedia of European trains, explaining how they differ from each other and how to have fun while traveling. For those traveling in a large group, discounts are provided - both on trains and in cities.
Websites for booking cruises and sea travel
Mcruises. A site where you can choose and book a sea or river cruise around the world. The service unites all the world's largest and Russian cruise companies and informs about special offers and discounts.
Renting a car for travel
The leading site on the RuNet for car rental abroad. Reservations are possible with more than 800 car rental companies in 150 countries. 20 thousand car rental points, Russian-language support service, low prices and high quality services have made this service the absolute market leader.
Transfer and so on for travel
Kiwitaxi. If you don’t want to rent a car, but public transport doesn’t suit you, you can pre-order a suitable transfer from point A to point B. How does it work? You find the desired route in cities and resorts around the world, book a transfer online, the driver meets you with the name on the sign and takes you to your place. The service operates in 65 countries around the world.
Uber. A service that is gaining international popularity for ordering a driver and finding passengers. A convenient mobile application allows you to search, call and pay for taxis or private drivers. The application is available for dozens of cities around the world, including in Russia. Using the Uber application, the customer reserves a car with a driver and tracks its movement to a specified point; payment is made using bank card information.
Sites for finding travel companions
Blablacar. Another world leader. A service that unites drivers and travel companions around the world. Just enter the city of departure, arrival and date to see a list of drivers who offer trips along your route and choose yours. Before contacting, you can view the driver's profile with a photo, brief information about himself and reviews. The service itself is free, but drivers usually charge money for gasoline. This is not hitchhiking!
Poiskpoputchikov.ru. The site was created to make it possible to find a travel companion on vacation or on any other trip, from a trip to a neighboring city to a hitchhiking trip around the world.
Travel sites where you can book Accommodation, Hotels, Hostels
A well-known site that presents advertisements from private individuals - owners of apartments and houses. Today it is so popular that I won’t even recommend any analogue, because... I think that all landlords already have pages on , even if they previously preferred some other resource. I wrote two whole articles about this site. This is a really cool resource that allows you to find wonderful apartments abroad.
Booking.com. The world's largest site for searching and booking hotels and hostels. A huge database of options, honest reviews, good prices, excellent support service - this is why so many people choose booking. This site is good if you are planning a trip to Europe, North and Latin America, Australia.
If you want to find a good accommodation option in the territory of the former USSR, the search engine Ostrovok.ru is unrivaled here.
For Asia, your best bet is to look for hotels on Agoda.com.
There is an excellent database of hostels on the website Hostelworld.com.
Home Exchange. House exchange. The website's database contains more than 65 thousand real houses in 150 countries. If you own your own home, you can exchange your homes with property owners from another country for the duration of your vacation. The service has existed since 1992, when it all began with a book directory of those wishing to exchange houses.
Well, and, of course, adored by all travelers (and us too) Couchsurfing.com. A site where you can find free accommodation and great company in an unfamiliar city.
Websites for purchasing airline tickets online
ayak One of the most reliable services for searching for travel deals, buying air tickets, booking hotels and renting cars. The site works with hundreds of travel agency and airline sites around the world and selects the most profitable deals for clients. In this case, Kayak redirects directly to the booking pages of service providers
Onetwotrip. About the same as Kayak. True, there are only air tickets and hotels here. Has a great bonus program. For me, the site is not much different from other ticket search engines, but the number of acquaintances who are ardent adherents of this site is so large that it was guaranteed a place on this list.
Momondo. An international travel website that allows you to quickly and easily organize your trip yourself. On it you can find a whole set of free tools for intelligently searching for cheap air tickets, hotels and housing for rent, as well as rental cars.
Anywayanyday. Russian analogue of the above sites. Winner of many travel awards in the field of online services. Worthy of attention.
Websites for purchasing tours online
Level Travel. If you need an organized tour, but are tired of traveling independently, then the best way to find a great tour is the Level Travel tour search engine. The service searches all leading tour operators and allows you to book tours directly with them, without the participation of travel agencies. Those. You won’t see any extra charges, and the tour will cost the same as the operator’s. Too cool to be true, but it's not a dream))
Online hypermarket of tours. Best prices from 120 reliable tour operators.
List of websites for travelers: City maps
Maps.me. Free application for phones on all platforms. These are the only cards we use and they are amazing! After installing the application, you need to download a map of the country you need, and then the map with all the signs, attractions, hotels, hostels, restaurants will work offline! If your phone supports GPS, then when combined with maps.me, you can forget about the awkward communication in crooked French/Chinese/Portuguese trying to figure out exactly where to get off the bus and how to find the museum.
Translators for travel
Google Translator as an application for Android or iPhone will help you find a common language with foreigners without any problems. More than 90 languages are supported offline, although you need to download the necessary language packs in advance. This translator saved us more than once, but, of course, the translation of phrases is not always ideal.
Travel Sites: Leisure and Entertainment
Geocaching. is a worldwide travel game, the essence of which is to hide and search for treasures. Geocaching has been around for 15 years and brings together more than 6 million people from around the globe. Today there are 2.5 million caches hidden in 200 countries around the world, and their number is growing every day. This is a great way to have fun, find unusual places in a new city, and meet curious people.
Izi travel. A service that contains a large, high-quality, and most importantly free collection of audio guides to cities and museums. Before your trip, you can install the izi.travel application on your smartphone and enjoy excursions from professional guides, as well as amateurs. Some content on the site is paid.
A site designed for booking Russian-language excursions around the world. Today it offers 4088 excursions in 566 cities around the world.
Tripster. "Our people all over the world." The service carries out two large projects: unique excursions from local residents and an international community of travelers, which is presented in the form of a giant forum with questions and answers about any city on the planet. If you have absolutely no idea what to do in the city, ask a question on this forum and get recommendations from the locals.
Stay.com. A site that creates for you an individual guide to the most interesting places of the selected city. You select interesting attractions, and the service creates a detailed guide with maps and descriptions, which you can print or download to your mobile device and use offline. And all this is free!
Free Travel Sites
Workaway. The leading site in searching for volunteer work abroad. Volunteering means an extremely wide range of tasks: from teaching English (for example) to building a farm, from working in a hostel to caring for the elderly. As a “salary” for their work, volunteers receive housing, food, interesting communication, immersion in the culture of the country, and often other bonuses (discounts on excursions, participation in master classes, etc.) Transport must be paid for independently.
European Voluntary Service. European Voluntary Service. Within the framework of EVS, dozens of programs lasting from 2 to 12 months operate. All of them are funded by the European Commission, and the programs can be both inside and outside the European Union. These projects, as a rule, have a social orientation and are designed for young people aged 18 to 30 years. The candidate is required to possess certain skills, level of a foreign language, and sometimes have a special education. The European Commission, in turn, covers the costs of accommodation, food, transport, insurance, daily expenses, a cycle of training, including language courses and 90% of the cost of the flight.
Study tours to Poland. STP are study visits to Poland for students, young professionals and professionals from Eastern European countries (North-West region of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova). The program is divided into two large blocks - for students (from 18 to 21 years old) and for workers (no age limit). The trip is completely free: participants pay for travel, accommodation, meals, all activities during the visit, as well as visa processing.
Travel Sites: Other
Wikibook on hitchhiking. If you're planning a hitchhiking trip for the first time, this tutorial has absolutely everything.
Wikitravel. A project whose goal is to create a free, free, up-to-date and reliable world travel guide. There are currently 1,657 guidebooks in Russian and other articles written and edited by Wikitravelers from all over the world.
And a bonus, final link - Travelzakladka. A site that contains sooooo many (more than three hundred!) different travel resources: top LJ, websites, VKontakte communities, independent blogs, magazines, TV channels, TV programs, hotel search engines, maps, forums, train tickets, language tourism, exotic tourism, extreme tourism, visas, guidebooks, tour operators, cruises, diving, car rental, air tickets, insurance, YouTube travel channels, travel blogs on Instagram.
