Travel Tip Tuesday returns and talks about how to discover budget-friendly and unusual places to stay while traveling.
Maire from Temples and Treehouses gives insight into some of her most memorable travel accommodations – from giant birdcages to bamboo nests, read on for why searching for the unusual can be a beautiful travel memory.
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How to choose unique and budget-friendly accommodation
That’s why one of my favorite budget travel tips is to seek out unusual accommodation, rather than blowing all your cash on bland corporate hotels. And this approach has actually led to some of my favorite travel memories.
When I was traveling around Southeast Asia, I made this discovery by accident. As a solo traveler without a partner to split the cost of accommodation with, I’d been staying mostly in hostels or budget guesthouses. I had always wanted to stay overnight in a treehouse but assumed that it would be way out of my backpacker budget. And there are definitely lots of luxurious treehouse hotels that do indeed break the bank.
But when I arrived in Bali, I couldn’t help doing a bit of research just for fun, and discovered so many amazing affordable options that I now have to go back to try out some more! In Ubud, I stayed at an eco-lodge. My “room” was a woven bamboo nest, stacked on top of other nests to make a tall swaying tower that I had to climb into with a ladder.
The eco-lodge was surrounded by bright green rice fields and there was an outdoor bathtub that looked like a giant shell. At night as I lay curled up in my nest, listening to the sounds of insects and reading by the light of my Kindle, I felt like I was in a fairytale (but one with excellent wifi). And the best bit was, it was as inexpensive as staying in a hostel.’
Since then, I’ve stayed in a beautiful rustic treehouse on an organic farm, also in Ubud, for around the same price as a 3-star hotel. In Langkawi, Malaysia, I stayed in a slice of concrete drainpipe in a fantastic seafront location — for way less than regular hotels in the area. And in Penang, I spent a few nights in an Airbnb home in the historic old town center, which boasted a swing and a giant birdcage.
If this sounds like your type of travel experience, my top tip is to do online searches for treehouse accommodation and unusual places to stay in your destination. Airbnb is a fantastic place to start, as this is where a lot of the treehouse options are listed, as well as other options like tiny homes and lighthouses.
You might have to do a little extra research and be willing to go off the beaten track. It’s also a good idea to plan and book ahead because offbeat budget accommodation is often a small setup with only a couple of rooms that get booked up way ahead of time. But in my opinion, the end result is totally worth it!
Hostelworld and Booking.com are also great places to find unique accommodation on a budget.
About Temples and Treehouses
Maire is a South African travel blogger based in London, England. She loves quirky attractions, rooftop bars, walking tours, and street food. Maire blogs at Temples and Treehouses about offbeat travel experiences and solo adventures for beginners.
Questions about Travel Tip Tuesday?
Got any questions on why seeking out unusual places to stay is a budget-friendly option? Questions or suggestions about Travel Tip Tuesday? Leave a comment below!
Come back next Tuesday for more great travel tips!
Thanks for reading!
Happy and safe travels!
