In my first blog post I talked about how to save money while booking flights. Either buy being flexible with your travel dates or buy using various tracking sites and apps. Just some of the many ways to save money when traveling.

In this post, I will be talking about the next steps of the planning process after booking your flights and transportation.

WHERE TO STAY

Something you need to consider when traveling is what type of accommodations you want. Would you’d rather stay in a hotel, a hostel or maybe get an apartment on Airbnb or similar sites? Which will suit your needs?

Let’s looks at some pros and cons for both options.

HOTELS

PROS: Hotels are usually very convenient, pretty well located, near touristic attractions or airports. You may feel more secure in a hotel. It’s always nice as well to not have to clean up after yourself and have fresh towels and linens on demand. There’s also usually more flexibility for check-in and checkout than with Airbnb rentals.

CONS: With most hotel rooms you are basically just paying for a bed and a place to leave your suitcase while you’re out.  While the security aspect mentioned above is a plus, there’s no guarantee of privacy. Anyone who has spent time in hotels has had the maid come in unexpectedly.

If you are driving and need a parking space, some hotels may charge $25 or more a day depending on its location. Downtown hotels with limited parking tend to do this and some don’t have parking on site at all. This is something important to consider and resolve ahead of time if you will be driving.

Airbnb/other vacation rental sites

PROS: Airbnb are generally less expensive than hotels (for the same “quality” of establishment). The only city where I personally experienced Airbnb being more pricey than a hotel was New York City, especially in Manhattan.

Airbnb has a rating system of the location and the hosts as well which helps you decide on what you want. If a place looks great but the host itself has bad review, you might want to think twice before booking it.

One of the main point with Airbnb is that you get more than just a bed. You get a full place (house/apartment/condo) so there is a “homey” feel to it. You can cook at “home,” you can get comfy in a living room rather than just watch tv on the bed at the hotel.  You can also select what features you are looking for in a rental so if you do need a parking space, you will be able to filter the listings that include one. Right there, this would save you money over paying the extra daily fee with a hotel. Though some Airbnb rentals have parking on the street that can fill up and is something to be careful about.

CONS: Like a hotel room, someone else has the key and could access your personal space and belongings. You never know if the host is going in while you are not there. (I really want to think that they are not, that’s a worrying thought!)

If you are running out of drinks or snacks and want to buy something, there is no “lobby” convenience store or lobby bar available for you. Check out the neighborhood on Google Maps in advance for convenience stores, grocery stores and restaurants nearby. There may be nothing in the area so you’ll need to either drive, take transit or choose another rental closer to amenities.

Hostel

Other options for accommodations while traveling include hostels and other shared spaces. These tend to be fairly inexpensive but significantly reduced privacy. Are you ok with sharing a room with strangers? Or sharing a bathroom on the floor (if you book a private room)? In some cases, hostels are only cheaper if booking in a dormitory. On the other hand, if you are a social butterfly or traveling alone, this would be a great option to meet people. A lot of people end up hanging out together during their trip at hostels. Many hostels also only take people under a certain age. This will limit your options.

Car Rentals

As with all of your planning, there are several things to take into consideration when renting a car. Are you over 25 years old (many rental companies won’t rent to those under)? Can you drive manual? Can you use your license in the country you’re visiting? Insurance?

Depending on where you are renting, some other options may become available to you. If you plan on doing a lot of traveling while away, you would definitely need to compare the cost of a rental versus the cost of public transportation as well group tours. Where do you want to get to while there? If everything is close and accessible, public transport if available is a great way to save money.

Let’s start with the good ways to get fairly cheap car rental. I would highly recommend booking in advance (at least 2 months if possible)

Sites like Priceline and Hotwire are good places to look at. You can also compare prices on the car rental agencies own websites. Quite often you can get cars for less than $20 per day. This is definitely a steal. Busy season prices will go way up so booking in advance is important.

Once you book, you will need to figure out if you need car insurance. This is where it gets really expensive with rental agencies. This is basically where they make their profit. Do you have a credit card? If so, you should double check if you have coverage included for Collision Damage Waiver. If so, this will save you at least $25-30 daily on your rental. Also, if you are under 25 years old, the rental agency might charge you a fee.

Are you visiting a country where they drive on the same side of the road that you are accustomed to? If not, then you might want to reconsider. Driving on the other side might seem easy but it is a little more complicated than it looks like and can even be dangerous. If you are going to Europe, most agencies will try to rent you a manual transmission car and you will have to pay more to get an automatic.

Many countries have well developed train and transit systems and passes that are very affordable, this may be your best option. For example: In Japan, people drive on the left and the distance between cities are quite big. Japan offers a rail pass for tourist that is comparatively affordable and since they have the bullet train, it also cuts on your travel time. In this instance, taking the train is definitely the better option. Do you really want to drive in a crazy metropolis like Tokyo? Europe also offers great deal on train passes with the TGV.

If you go to a city like Los Angeles, where everything is spread out and the transit isn’t the best, renting a car might be your best choice.

Once you factor in everything, you can make the decision that will be the most logical for you and hopefully it will also be the most affordable one for your trip.