How We Scored These Stays Without Going Broke
Travel isn't always inexpensive, especially when it comes to where you lay your head at night. People love to tell you that you have to splurge on the fancy cave hotel or the super central apartment “or you’re doing it wrong.” But guess what? That’s just not true.
Over the years, we’ve sniffed out some killer accommodation deals that didn’t involve sleeping in a broom closet or giving up hot showers. We’re talking real gems - great design, great prices, and even better stories.
Here are a few of our all-time favorite finds that prove travel doesn’t have to drain your bank account:
🏜 Cappadocia, Turkey - $60/night Tiny Home Dream
🙅🏻♀️ Most people: “You have to stay in a cave hotel in Göreme with balloon views at sunrise."
✅ Us: “What if you stayed just outside the tourist bubble, had your own little oasis, and saved $140 a night?”
We had a car (pro tip: freedom = savings), so we skipped the big-name towns and found a charming little tiny home tucked away down a dirt road in nature. Just $60/night, totally private, and a short walk to the valley with views of the balloons floating by at sunrise. No crowds, no noise, no price tag regret.
🇮🇹 Rome, Italy - $70/night Apartment Just Outside the Center
Rome in the summer? Amazing. Rome under $100/night? Basically unheard of.
Unless… you’re cool with being 10 minutes outside the tourist center (which, honestly, who isn’t if it means not sleeping in a questionable hostel bunk bed).
✅ We found a newly renovated one-bedroom apartment, complete with a kitchen, for just $70/night. A 5-minute walk to the metro, 10 minutes into the city. Done. Dusted. Pasta money saved.
🇭🇺 Budapest, Hungary - $85/night Historic Apartment (Last Minute!)
We booked this stunner the day before arriving. Risky? Maybe. Worth it? 1000%.
✅ A two-bedroom historic apartment with soaring ceilings, unique antique furniture, and two bathrooms - right in the center of Budapest. $85/night. In July.
How? Sometimes platforms like Booking.com drop prices hard to fill random last-minute openings. So if you’re flexible (or a little spontaneous), you can score big.
Final Thoughts: Travel Smart, Not Broke 💡
Good deals aren’t magic... they’re mindset + timing + a bit of internet sleuthing. Saving on accommodation doesn’t mean sacrificing quality. It means spending smarter so you have more left for the good stuff (like amazing food and experiences).
