Author: Carter Lowry

Hey adventurers, it’s Atypical Vagabond here. Let me share my personal take on this topic:

As much as
I love hostels
, there is something nice about the luxuriousness of a hotel: the clean room, comfy bed, desk, iron, strong shower, and bottled soap for the taking (errr…I mean borrowing). They are a quiet, relaxing respite from the world.
But luxury comes at a price.
Hotels aren’t cheap and I
hate
spending money on a room I am only going to be in for a few hours. Often, even at my age, I would much rather stay in a hostel (private room though!), which costs less, has more social interaction, and doesn’t make you feel as removed from the destination you’re staying at. I always feel hotels are isolating, like a concrete bubble keeping you out of the place you’re visiting.
That said, the older I get, the more I use hotel points, and the more I travel for work, the more I find myself staying in hotels, especially if it’s a short trip.
I’ve spent years looking at websites trying to find the best ways to get the best rates on hotel rooms because the budget traveler in me hates spending a lot of money. Post-COVID, hotel prices have increased a lot and it seems there are fewer and fewer bargains these days.
But there are a lot of ways to actually get a good deal and stack deals on deals to lower the cost of your room.
Let me show you how.
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How to Book Cheap Hotels
Here is how to find the cheapest hotel in one simple step:
First, go to Google and type in where you want to go. For example, “New York City hotels.”
That’s it. Google will pull results from all the major booking websites and tell you what site is the cheapest. You just go there and book your hotel. That’s why it’s the best booking site because, rather than searching every website individually, you can just go to Google, find which website has the cheapest rate, and book there. It saves a lot of time!
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Click on the “View hotels” button at the bottom of the first result section to go to Google’s hotel searching hub.
Next, put in your dates and filters to narrow your search until you find a hotel you like in your price range. You’ll be able to sort by lowest price and look at the map to book by location. You can even see typical pricing trends for your dates by clicking on “what you’ll pay.”
Click on the “view prices” button for a hotel and you’ll be presented with all your booking options. Find the lowest price and head to that website. Just keep in mind that the top results are usually ads, so scroll down to make sure you aren’t missing out on any deals.
Once you’ve found the lowest price, book at that website!
But, before you
actually
book the room, there are a couple of other tips you need to know about to ensure you get the best price possible:
1. Contact the hotel directly
Find the hotel, call them up, and ask them to match the offer (they usually will since it saves them on commission). If they are a big global brand, the big benefit to direct bookings is that you only earn loyalty points and status when you book direct, so if you love
earning points and miles
, don’t book their rooms elsewhere!
2. Use points
The best way to save money on a hotel room is to not have to pay for it. Collect hotel points through branded credit cards or transferring them from a Chase, Capital One, etc., and book a free room. I save thousands upon thousands of dollars a year doing this.
Here are my favorite hotel cards to get you started
.
3. Use discount rates like AAA or AARP
If you are part of the AARP or AAA you can get special rates that are cheaper. Fun fact: Anyone can join the AARP. I’m a member. They have amazing travel benefits (including deals on hotels and British Airways flights). It’s well worth the membership.
4. Use
Mr.Rebates
or
Rakuten
If the lowest rate is through a major booking site like Booking.com, Expedia, or Hotels.com, go through
Mr. Rebates
or
Rakuten
. By using their links, you’ll get 1–10% back. It’s a little extra savings that can add up over time. I never do any online shopping without going to these sites (they have deals for everything).
5. Book a mystery deal
Both
Priceline
and
Hotwire
offer cheaper rates on hotel bookings where you don’t get the full reservation details up front. On Hotwire’s Hot Rates and Priceline’s Express Deals, you’ll see the general neighborhood as well as star rating of the property and amenities offered, just not the exact hotel itself. With Priceline’s Pricebreakers deals, you’ll be guaranteed one of three hotels that they group together (you just won’t know which one until you book). You can save 30–60% off with these deals if you can tolerate a bit of the unknown!
6. Sign up for Booking.com’s loyalty program
Booking.com offers members 10–20% off bookings. They definitely helped a lot. Before you sign up for their loyalty programs before you book with them!
7. Get discounted gift cards
You can book major hotel chains with hotel gift cards. Check out a website like
Giftcardgranny.com
for discounted gift cards and use it to book your hotel. (Gift card purchases also count toward point earnings and status.)
8. Buy someone else’s reservation with Roomer
Often people can’t go on a trip and can’t cancel the reservation, so rather than lose the money, hotels put these rooms on
Roomer
, where they sell it at a discount to earn some money back. I’ve never used this website, but I’ve heard good things about it.

Hotel pricing is a lot more set than airline pricing and tends to fluctuate less. I wouldn’t spend hours searching hotel websites or days tracking prices like people do with airline prices. I’d spend, at the most, 30 minutes on booking a hotel.
Just follow the steps above to get a cheap hotel by using my favorite (and what have been shown to be the best) hotel booking websites listed here so you get a good deal and enjoy your trip quicker.
And if you find yourself staying in a lot of hotels, it might be worth looking into getting a
hotel credit card
so that you can start earning points towards free stays (free is always better than cheap)!
Stop paying full price for travel!
Download my free guide to points and miles and learn how to use points and miles for free travel! It’s how all the pros travel so much! In this guide, I’ll show you:
How to Pick a Credit Card
How to Earn Up to 10x Miles on Your Spending
How to Redeem Your Points
And a Ton of Other Money Saving Tips!
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Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using
Skyscanner
. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with
Hostelworld
. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use
Booking.com
as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
SafetyWing
(best for budget travelers)
World Nomads
(best for mid-range travelers)
InsureMyTrip
(for those 70 and over)
Medjet
(for additional evacuation coverage)
Want to Travel for Free?
Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out
my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites
to get started and see the latest best deals.
Need a Rental Car?
Discover Cars
is a budget-friendly international car rental website. No matter where you’re headed, they’ll be able to find the best — and cheapest — rental for your trip!
Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip?
Get Your Guide
is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.
Ready to Book Your Trip?
Check out my
resource page
for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.