Travelling seems to get more costly every year and with the upsurge in airline prices, you might be looking to make savings on the cost of your trip abroad. Since accommodation is one of the largest outlays, it’s good to know that there are some sure-fire ways to cut your hotel budget. Here’s how to spend a comfortable night at zero cost.
Go to the theatre
A fabulous new concept hit London last month; Lullaby is a theatre production which provides more than just a seat. The pit of the Barbican Theatre transforms into a huge bedroom, complete with single, double and triple beds.
You do need to buy a theatre ticket for around €47, but for that modest price, you can enjoy story-telling and songs in your pyjamas until you drift off. Apparently, a good sleep is all but guaranteed even for insomniacs. Earplugs are provided in case your fellow theatre-goers happen to be snorers, and you also get a hot shower and a boiled egg in the morning.
If you tend to drop off while at the theatre anyway, this is the production for you. Lullaby runs until July 24 (but reruns are on the cards) and you can book at www.barbican.org.uk.
Get on a train
Be Audrey Hepburn for a night and travel from the romantic cities of Florence, Venice or Rome all the way to London via Paris. You won’t have to worry about overnight accommodation as you’ll be zipping along in the comfort of a sleeper carriage, with a croissant, an excellent espresso and a newspaper delivered to your door the next morning.
If your budget doesn’t stretch to first class, try a couchette (usually shared with four or six others) and if you’re seriously poor and a heavy sleeper, there’s always a plain old seat. Either way, it beats Easyjet and a room at a dingy bed-and-breakfast. Book at www.internationalrail.com or with your travel agent.
Use your frequent flyer miles
It often seems that you need to fly several times around the globe before you save up enough points on any airline to actually qualify for a free flight. However, you might be able to put those hard-earned miles to good use if you use them to book a hotel. Most schemes have partnerships with hotels, so give it a try next time you book a flight.
Couch surf
If you have a laissez-faire attitude, are open to new experiences and want to bag some free accommodation into the bargain, you could try www.couchsurfing.com.
This international network puts travellers in touch with each other to share hospitality; in the name of a cultural exchange, they open their home and offer their sofa (or spare bed, if you’re lucky) to you, and then at some point in the future, you can reciprocate. Members on the site are of every age, colour and creed and most of them rave about the mutual benefits of swapping accommodation and life stories.
Be aware of your rights if delayed
Airlines in Europe have a duty of care and must feed, water and accommodate you in the event of protracted delays or cancellations (their obligations vary depending on the length of delay and thedistance travelled).
If your airline doesn’t offer adequate facilities up front, then keep a record and receipts of what you spend and you should be able to claim it back afterwards by writing to them. Tell them that under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 Articles 5, 8 and 9, you should be reimbursed or re-routed and offered accommodation, meals and transport.
Even under “extraordinary circumstances” (such as the recent volcanic ash clouds) where you may not be entitled to compensation, you are still eligible for hotel accommodation, food, beverages and transport.
Outside Europe, similar rules may also apply; after a cancelled flight in Peru, I stayed in five-star luxury in the heart of Lima for three nights and having politely asked for an upgrade, flew home in business class, which more than made up for the delay.
Pick your airline carefully
Some airlines, such as Emirates, will include a night of accommodation if you have a long stop-over en route to your destination. Having a break in the comfort of a decent hotel can help you acclimatise to a new time zone and get some much needed horizontal sleep, so it’s well worth shopping around to find out which airlines offer this deal.
Even if your hotel stay is not officially included in your ticket price, it’s worth asking very nicely whether the airline might put you up due to the inconvenience of your long connection time – it has worked a couple of times for me.
Take a tent
In many parts of the world, you can pitch a tent for free as long as you are discrete and leave the site just as you found it. I’ve even managed to persuade kindly home owners in remote locations to let me camp in their garden and had breakfast thrown in for free.
A small, portable tent will pay for itself very quickly and guarantee you some expenditure-free nights in the most unexpected of surroundings.