If you're itching to travel but finding your wallet straining under the pressure of a big experience expense, fear not. Airbnb is an amazing hotel alternative, and it's significantly cheaper. With Airbnb, you pay nightly to stay in a local's apartment or home. The excellent website lets you search properties and narrow down the thousands of places to fit your needs – from number of beds to location to amenities like Wifi or towels, says Investopedia.
Airbnb represents a more independent way to travel, and the experience provides a more "real feel" of a place when you're staying in an apartment and not in a hotel. Trust yourself and your ability to research what you want to see – you don't need to rely on a concierge to give you generic, touristy recommendations! You can also save big by having a full kitchen at your disposal because you won't have to eat out for every meal.
Be sure to check off "entire/whole apartment" when you search, unless you're adventurous and want to save big by renting just a single room in someone's home, which is also a great option for travelers who are happy to bunk and interact with locals.
Airbnb is especially fantastic if you travel in the off-season, as the savings are really incredible. Of course, different locations have different off-seasons, so consult Transitions Abroad's Off Season Budget Travel Guide to choose when to fly. If you plan well and do a little scrimping and saving, you can be taking the trip of your dreams much sooner than you think.
Here are our top 10 cities to visit. They've each got hundreds of Airbnb properties to choose from, and most of them are, on average, less than $100 per night. Some are as low as $50 per night!
1. Porto, Portugal
2. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
3. Montreal, Quebec, Canada
4. Portland, Oregon, USA
5. Rome, Italy
6. Tokyo, Japan
7. Munich, Germany
8. Budapest, Hungary
9. Buenos Aires, Argentina
10. Crete, Greece
Happy travels!
