Apartment Rental
This is becoming the more and more popular and is by far my favourite type of accommodation to use while travelling. There are two types of apartment rentals, serviced and non-serviced, both of which you will stay in a fully-equipped apartment with not only a bed and bath but also a kitchen(ette), living space, sometimes dining space and laundry facilities.
In the instance of 'serviced apartments' the apartment is usually serviced similar to a hotel where they will come and make your bed and replace your towels, the rest of the usual services you'd find at a hotel like room service, laundry services, porters and daily room cleaning usually aren't available in serviced apartments, meaning that costs are kept to a minimum. A non-serviced apartment is more likely to be privately owned, you basically rent out someones house or apartment for the length of your stay.
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| http://www.meritonapartments.com.au/ |
- The apartments are usually fully-equipped which means if you are staying for a long period you don't have to live off take-out, with a kitchen/ette you can buy groceries and prepare your own food, saving tonnes of money
- You have more space and facilities like a laundry which you would otherwise not have or have to pay extra for
- With less overheads the cost is usually a lot lower then a hotel
- Quite often the owners of the apartment will be readily available to give you advice and information on the area and attractions, places to eat and catch some entertainment
- Serviced apartments have less servicing then standard hotels, there are no chances for room service or chocolates on your pillow
- Non-serviced apartments mean you have to leave it the way you found it, wash up any dishes you use and sometimes even bring your own bedding and towels
- They usually don't have the same amenities as a hotel, no gym, pool or spa. Although some serviced-apartments do have these.
https://www.airbnb.com.au/ - world wide, one of the more popular sites (my favourite)
http://www.cross-pollinate.com/ - Europe and the UK only
http://www.venere.com/?kwp=100-255&ref=1650950 - world wide, also has hotels & B&B's
House Swap
House-swapping reminds me of the movie 'The Holiday' with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet... Basically you swap houses with someone! This can be a cheap alternative to an apartment rental, where you stay in someone else's fully-furnished home and they stay in yours. The only recommendation I will make is that you use an online site that is reputable and does a comprehensive check on everyone using the service. Most likely you will have to pay a fee and register to the site, but apart from that there should be a clean swap of living situations for whatever length of time you can agree on with your 'swappee'.
Pros:
- Cheap alternative to staying in an apartment rental or hotel
- You can immerse yourself in someone else's living situation and can avoid high-trafficked tourist areas
- Someone is watching your home while you're away
- You might meet Jude Law and fall in love (only if you're Cameron Diaz though)
Cons:
- There is a scrutinous process before you can be eligible for house-swap
- You really need to do a lot of research to make sure you don't end up swapping with the Manson family or something
- You're stepping into the unknown and can't rely on hotel policies or tripadvisor reviews to back you up
- Jack Black will most likely sing to you and embarrass you in a Video Rental Store in front of Dustin Hoffman (another 'The Holiday' reference if you haven't seen it)
Nomading
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| The worlds most expensive caravan http://www.marchi-mobile.com/en/world-of-elemment/luxury-rvs/ |
really cheap alternative (although not almost free like house-swap), or a really glamorous accommodation alternative. There is a massive variety of choices when it comes to nomading, you don't need to be confined to a single-berth rickety old caravan, now you can spend more then you would on a hotel room to rent a state-of-the-art mobile home with more amenities then you have in your own house.
Pros:
- You can see more because you are not confined to staying in one location
- Can be very cheap comparable to hotels
- You have the freedom to go more places then you would if you relied on public transportation
Cons:
- Staying in a caravan or motorhome can be cramped and unpleasant (especially if you have a toilet that needs emptying)
- You end up with extra costs of paying for camping sites when you do stop for the night
- Petrol costs can be expensive
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