It has been a practice for some people to find out if they have friends or relatives in the places they're traveling to so they could stay with them during the duration of their trip and save on accommodation expenses. It also allows you more time to stay in your travel destination so you would be able to enjoy the place a little more. My cousins were able to save on their trip to Singapore last year by staying in their sister's apartment while they were there for vacation. I think they stayed there for more than a week so they were able to maximize their trip and were able to enjoy a lot of places in Singapore. My husband's cousin has been staying with my in-laws for more than a month now and he's really enjoying his stay not worrying about having to leave immediately. My mom's cousin is also coming to stay with us for a week while he's here for vacation. We're also planning to travel out of the country soon and I'm planning to contact my cousin who lives in our planned destination so we could stay with her while we're there for vacation. So basically, it's like a cycle of sometimes being the host and sometimes being the visitor. What do you think about this idea?
Some years back, we got several invitaions for vacations in the province. Near or far, the accommodation is included in those invitations so all we worry about is the transportation. If you will compute, the cost of accommodation for 2 nights is almost the same as the cost of the transportation so in effect we save 50% of the total expenses when we get free accommodations from relatives and friends. My nephew in Hongkong provides our accommodation in a room in his condo. That saves us a lot that's why we always go to Hongkong every year.
This can save money but it can also take up precious time. If you are taking a short vacation and your friends or family is going to expect you to spend a lot of time with them, then it might not be worth it to stay with people you know. In a hotel, you can keep the hours you want and do the type of sight seeing you want. That being said, staying with locals can enrich a trip as they usually know the cheapest ways to do things. So I think it depends on the type of family you have. We have had both good and bad experiences with staying with people to save money. One point to note, is that it usually works both ways. If you stay with someone they may want you to return the favor one day so make sure you are ready to do whatever it is that someone else has done for you.
My family always does this when possible and I'm personally not much in favor of it. I think they get along a lot more easier with family but I just don't really care as much and I prefer the freedom of being in my own place when traveling such as being in a hotel, but I do understand that it's a lot more practical as a choice and I do allow myself to just enjoy it when I feel it's a much better choice to just go along with it, but I think splurging a bit on getting your own hotel room isn't so bad of an option either because you get your money's worth that way anyway.
You do have a good point @H.C. Heartland. This can happen most especially with friends or family members whom you haven't seen for a long time and they would like to catch up with you regarding your life stories and other stuff. This will lessen your time for the main purpose of your travel, which is to experience as many places as you could.
To me, this is a little tricky. Yes, you are saving money but at the cost of bothering other people. If it's a close relative and they are always inviting you over it is ok, but for a far relative, friends you are not so close to and people you met on trips, to me it's a horrible thing to do.... You never know who actually wants you there or who is just being polite. Not to mention, the time you were going to their houses my not be the best for them - and they're probably not going to let you know about this because they're polite. For example, my aunt asked me if she could come to my house this week because she had some things to do in the city I live in and didn't want to spend the money on hotel, and of course I said she could stay with me, it would be rude to say she couldn't. However I have a lot of things to do this week, I'm really low on money, I'm working and I will have to take some time to clean the place and make the guest bedroom in order so that she can stay there... So it's going to bother me for her to stay here. It is not ideal at this moment. But obviously it wouldn't tell her this. So with that in mind I wouldn't make make other people go through this just so that I can save some money at the cost of making them uncomfortable and bothering their lives.
I think that's a good option particularly if someone close to you happens to reside in the country you're visiting. Hotel rates are quite expensive these days even when it's off-peak. Most of my relatives are stationed in the Middle East, though, and so far I've only been to countries where I practically don't have a single relative or friend such as Vietnam and Singapore. I may have a few acquaintances in those places but unless you've developed a level of closeness, I'd be wary I might overstay my welcome.
The whole concept is great for it not only saves money, but you can visit your relatives and get closer if everyone likes to do it and like you reciprocate the offers too. I think it's fun staying with relatives though you've got to go on their schedules for meals maybe. I stayed at my relatives when I was little and we had stay overs here at home in Hawaii all the time. We got to know each other and find we are like siblings instead of cousins, so it's so great to do the stay over's long distance too and get acquainted and stay close as a family while visiting the country too!
Most of the time when I travel, I stay with family or friends. If I am thinking of travelling, I think of places where I have relatives or friends who can accommodate me during my stay. This works out a lot cheaper for me in the long run. These friends or relatives, as long as they have the time and transportation, will take me sightseeing or shopping. While staying with them, I can opt to give something towards the purchasing of food. When staying at a hotel, one has no choice but to pay for all the services offered, including accommodation. There are only 2 occasions that I remember having stayed at a hotel during my travels. One of these times was during a group trip to Disney World, and another time was when I travelled with a group of friends from college. These were short stays though. My stays with relatives have been much longer.
No i really don't think so that it would be a nice idea for saving some money, as i am an independent person and really passionate about my traveling, i don't like anyone's interruptions in my traveling and relatives mostly are habitually do that... But yeah if i have a good friend of my there and single so i could think about to go there it would be less disturbance for him and for me. Other then i will prefer my hotel room so i could get up fresh next day to rock on travel.
Taraa, That is nice, You are so passionate about traveling and this will be really amazing to see the world. I would like to know more regarding the places you had been visited during your traveling period?
