1. Home Exchange
This method is popular in America and Europe, but due to the Russian mentality, it is not very common in Russia yet. For those who have seen the movie "The Holiday" – it turns out this is not just a director's fantasy, but a real way to travel.
The essence of this method is that you list your apartment/house with a detailed description and a list of preferred countries for travel, and wait for someone to want to come to your city. Or, more effectively, you can independently search for homes that interest you and write to the owners with a proposal to exchange accommodations.
Of course, this option has many limitations:
- it is more suitable for residents of tourist cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg), and the location within the city also matters;
- the apartment must meet a certain standard to be appealing to, for example, a European;
- you need to overcome a psychological barrier to allow a stranger into your lived-in apartment during your absence;
- many websites charge a membership fee for participation in the exchange program.
But despite all the downsides, this option exists and should not be dismissed.
2. Hostels
In many major European cities, renting accommodation, especially in the center, can take up a significant part of your budget. One way to save is to look for inexpensive hostels, which are more familiar to us as dormitories http://gostinica-vdnh.ru/, that offer decent conditions.
Most often, a hostel is a large apartment where individual rooms are rented out. Rooms can be either shared (dormitories for 6-12 people) or private (for 1-2-3 people).
From our experience, they can be quite decent, with all amenities, sometimes even including breakfast, and often located in good areas, not inferior to inexpensive hotels.
3. Cottage Rentals
In some cases, especially regarding ski resorts, particularly if you are going on vacation with a large group and want to rent a cottage, it is best to search for it on local websites.
Often, the offers are posted directly by the owners, which means there will be no additional markup.
Keep in mind that if you plan to travel during the high season, it is better to search for a cottage as early as possible. For the New Year holidays, it makes sense to start looking as early as summer – this way, the selection will be significantly larger. Through these websites, you can rent not only cottages but also apartments.
4. Renting Accommodation in Asia
The specifics of accommodation in Asia are such that in most cases (especially concerning budget options), it is cheaper to look for housing on the spot. Inexpensive hotels and guesthouses usually do not list their offers online, and if they do, they are significantly more expensive. Additionally, in person, you can often negotiate and reduce the price by another 20-40%.
Of course, especially the first time, this may seem like a daunting step into the unknown – arriving in an unfamiliar city without booked accommodation, but if price is one of your main criteria, this is the most acceptable option.
It should be noted that this is true if you are going for a somewhat extended period; for a one- or two-week trip, it is easier to book a hotel in advance and not waste time and nerves searching. As an intermediate option, you could book accommodation for the first night and then leisurely search for something else.
5. Apartment Rentals
This option is also not very common among Russian tourists yet, which is a pity. Unlike home exchanges, there are no difficulties here, and sometimes you can find very interesting offers that are significantly cheaper than hotels.
Additionally, one of the advantages is that in this case, you have the opportunity to live not in a standard hotel room, but in a cozy apartment with a kitchen, sometimes even with a pool, furnished with local specifics, and you may also get a chance to interact with hospitable hosts.
6. Apartments.
Recently, a type of accommodation known as apartments has been gaining popularity in Europe, which is unusual for us. And it's no surprise: they are perfect for large groups, cost less, and guarantee greater mobility for their guests. But let's go through everything step by step.
Apartments are most commonly found in countries near the sea — Spain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, or Greece. However, this does not mean that you can only stay in apartments in coastal resort cities. Major and popular tourist cities (Rome, Venice, Athens, etc.) also offer a considerable selection of "apartments" directly in their historical centers.
But what exactly are these apartments? They are essentially apartments (less frequently — small houses, villas, half-houses with separate entrances) that are rented out to tourists from different countries for varying lengths of time. It is important to understand that apartments and apart-hotels are somewhat different types of accommodation. The latter are usually located near hotels or operate independently but are similar to hotels in terms of type and range of services. A significant difference between an apart-hotel and a regular hotel is the number of rooms in the units and the presence of a kitchen.
Living conditions in apartments are very similar to "home-like": they have everything necessary for living, a fully equipped kitchen, and household appliances (dishwashers and washing machines, microwaves, air conditioning, televisions). Additionally, in hot countries, you can often find pools, parking, balconies, and terraces associated with apartments.
Apartments are also classified by the quality of their services, comfort, area, and number of rooms, but not by the familiar stars, but by "letters":
Type A apartments (studios) typically have one room and a combined living room-kitchen. Area: 40-45 sq.m., accommodating 2 to 4 people.
Type B apartments include two separate bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. Area: 60-90 sq.m., accommodating 2 to 6 people.
Type C apartments consist of three to four separate rooms, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. Area: over 100 sq.m., accommodating up to 12 people.
Luxury apartments are luxurious units in penthouses, separate villas, or residences. They consist of two or more rooms, have personal staff, a wide range of services, private pools, butlers, and so on. In apart-hotels, such units are typically referred to as "presidential suites."
