How to Save Money on Accommodation While Traveling

Booking Smarter on the Big Platforms

Most of us book our accommodation through the major booking platforms, such as Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, Hotels.com — it’s an easy and reliable option. Personally, I like Booking.com best — but in the end, they’re all pretty similar, so it comes down to personal preference and where you find the best deal.

So how do you actually save money when using these platforms?

1. Book on your phone
   Booking on your smartphone can be cheaper than using your laptop. Both Booking.com and Expedia offer mobile-only prices, which can be 10–15% cheaper than on web — look for the little green “mobile rate” label in your search results on Booking.com. I personally hate this, because I'm a millennial and I think travel booking is a “big Internet” activity, so I will usually do my research on the laptop and then switch to mobile as a last step to check if there are any extra discounts available.

2. Use loyalty programs
   Create an account or log in before booking — some hotel platforms automatically enroll users in a free loyalty program. Booking.com has Genius program, which can get you 10-20% discounts, free breakfast, or room upgrades at select hotels. There are multiple levels to Genius, and you’re automatically enrolled in Level 1 when you sign up — but the more useful perks kick in at Level 2, which you reach after completing five stays within two years. That, along with the nice UX, is probably the main reason I book most of my stays through Booking.com. Just don’t let loyalty stop you from checking prices elsewhere – the same hotel might be cheaper on another platform or via direct booking, and it only takes a couple of minutes to find out.

3. Always compare prices
   Instead of going straight to a booking platform, you can also start your search on hotel aggregator sites. The biggest one is trivago, which compares prices across booking platforms, hotel websites, and even Airbnb. Just be aware of two things: the first price shown in the search results on trivago isn’t always the lowest — the cheapest one is marked with a red “our lowest price” label. Also, trivago only shows prices from its partner platforms and hotels, so it doesn’t always include direct deals or smaller booking sites. If you want to be thorough, it’s worth googling the hotel separately to see if an even better deal comes up.

4. Don't forget cashback extensions
   If you’re not already using a cashback browser extension, you should — it’s one of the lowest-effort ways to save a bit of money while booking or shopping online (read more about how they work in this guide). Booking.com sadly doesn’t work with any cashback platforms at the moment, but Expedia and Hotels.com both offer around 5% cashback via Shoop, which can add up to a significant amount, especially for longer stays or pricier hotels. Plus, you get a €15 welcome bonus when you sign up for Shoop — definitely worth a look.

Secret Hotels (That Aren’t So Secret)

Opaque pricing is when a hotel offers a discounted rate without revealing its name until after you’ve booked. You’ll see the area, star rating, amenities and one hotel photo — just not the actual hotel name. This model is used on sites like Hotwire (in the Hot Rate section) and Priceline (in Express Deals), and it allows hotels to fill empty rooms without advertising those lower prices under their brand.

If you’re not into surprises and want more control over your trip, there are multiple ways to figure out which hotel you’re actually gonna get. One of the easiest is doing a reverse image search on Google on the hotel photo shown on the listing — this will usually lead you straight to the hotel’s name. Another (more time-consuming) method is matching the number of reviews: go to Expedia if you’re using Hotwire, or to Priceline’s regular search if you’re on Priceline Express Deals, and look for a hotel in the same area with the same star rating and same number of reviews. There are also Chrome browser extensions like TripChipper (TravelArrow) that can do the work for you.

While writing this article, I actually discovered an even easier hotel reveal trick on Hotwire. On the Hot Rate hotel page, Hotwire says: “Your hotel is guaranteed to be one of these three” — and shows you three hotel names. But if you refresh the page, you’ll get a different set of three. The hotel that keeps showing up? That’s probably the one.

The Art (and Risk) of Skipping Airbnb Fees

Let’s be honest: Airbnb isn’t the budget-friendly option it once was. Between cleaning fees, service charges and local taxes, it’s often priced similarly to a decent hotel — especially for shorter stays.

One workaround some travelers use to save money on their stay is messaging the host (with their phone number written out in words so that it’s not blocked by the platform) and moving the conversation to WhatsApp to arrange a direct booking — often for 20–30% less. A word of warning: this isn’t allowed under Airbnb’s terms of service, and yes, your account can get suspended if you do this. More importantly, you’re giving up platform protections: no support, no refunds, no help if something goes wrong. Not something I’d recommend, of course — just something some people do. Or so I’ve heard. From a friend. Who may or may not have saved 30% on their stay in Rome.

If you’d rather play it safe and stay on-platform, you can still get up to €50 discount on your first booking with this referral link. Note: these links expire fast, so if the link doesn’t work for you, email me at smartlivingde (at) gmail.com and I will send you a new one.

Kindred: An Elevated Home Swap

Kindred is a relatively new platform that works a bit like a house swap — except instead of a direct exchange, you earn credits by hosting and spend those credits to stay at other members’ homes. One night hosted equals one night of stay. The homes are usually high-end, and it feels more curated and design-forward than the classic home exchange platforms.

Here’s the part that makes it interesting: when you sign up with a referral link, you get five free nights, which is a very generous starting point. To unlock those, you just need to upload a few photos of your home — no need to clean, and no need to host anyone. You don’t have to provide any proof of rent or ownership either (though that might be needed later if you eventually host).

There’s no annual membership fee, but you do still pay a service fee and cleaning fees every time you travel, so your stay won’t be entirely free. That said, even with those added, the total cost is usually far lower than booking a comparable Airbnb. With your starting credit, you can stay in Lisbon or Barcelona for 5 nights for $265. In Paris, it would be $315; and in expensive cities like New York or San Francisco, $500 – which is still 2-3 times less than what you’d pay for a comparable Airbnb or hotel. And if you end up hosting and earning more nights, you can book longer stays, which brings the per-night cost down even further and makes it all the more worthwhile.

HomeExchange: A Home Swap Classic

If Kindred is not your vibe and you prefer something less polished and more community-driven, HomeExchange is the classic home swap option — it’s been around for decades and has a much bigger user base. Instead of Kindred’s credit-per-night system, HomeExchange uses GuestPoints, which work similarly but with more flexibility in pricing, since hosts can decide how many points a night in their home is worth. You earn GuestPoints by hosting or offering your home, and you spend them on stays.

There’s a €160 annual membership fee, which you’ll need to pay if you want to book or host — but after that, there are no nightly fees, service charges, or cleaning add-ons. The listings vary from quite basic to very nice, and if you’re open to hosting others at your home, it’s a great way to travel essentially for free.

You’ll get 250 GuestPoints when you sign up with this referral link, plus 100 GP when you add your home and 150 GP when you activate your membership. That’s 500 points in total, which could already be enough for a whole trip — one-bedrooms in Barcelona, for example, start at around 100 GP per night. Just keep in mind: you’ll need to activate your membership to actually use the points, so, unlike Kindred, it’s only worth it if you’re actually planning to host.

Luxury Escapes: When a Splurge Still Feels Smart

I’m not usually one for expensive hotels — I tend to go for simpler places and spend my money elsewhere. But several friends of mine had good experiences with Luxury Escapes — one of them recently had a great holiday in Maldives for a very reasonable price.

Luxury Escapes is a travel platform that offers competitive prices on high-end hotels, often with extras like free meals, spa treatments, airport transfers, and room upgrades included. The prices are usually lower than what you’d pay booking directly — and once you factor in all the perks, it becomes an even better deal. You’ll get the best value if your dates are flexible, since the offers are tied to specific availability windows. If you want to give it a try, you can get €30 off with this link.