Are you stuck on the couch week after week, instead of traveling the world (or your own country) because your budget doesn’t allow for it? You are not alone. Millions of people are in the very same boat, but it’s not all doom and gloom. You can still travel, even on a tight budget. With all the low-cost options on Mango flight bookings, you can get to your favourite local and international bucket list destinations at a fraction of the expected cost.

We take a look at how you can spend less on travel accommodation costs that won’t just save you money, but actually help you to have a more authentic experience with the locals.



Slash Your Travel Budget with a Different Approach to Accommodation

Of course, your flight isn’t the only expense that you are faced with when planning an adventure or escape to a new destination. You also need to think about places to stay, and we all know that accommodation in hotels, guest houses, and lodges can rack up quite a bill.

Here are some innovative ideas that avid travellers are already using:

  • Couch surfing

With an app for almost everything these days, you’ve guessed it- there’s an app for that and it’s called Couchsurfing.com! The app invites you to sign up with your Facebook account or your email address and once registered you can then seek out authentic experiences with the locals in each of your chosen destinations. The app is well supported, so you shouldn’t struggle to find a couch to sleep on in just about every country across the globe.

Of course, this is probably not the best idea for a traveling family, but for solo travellers and couples, it’s a great opportunity to have a travel experience with a difference.

  • House sitting

If you want to experience a destination like a local and you aren’t scared of a little responsibility, you might be interested in doing some house sitting while on holiday. Imagine just how much you can save with low-cost Mango flight bookings and free accommodation for your stay! There’s a great online service called Trustedhousesitters.com that can hook you up with some great house sitting gigs across the world.

There is an annual membership fee to be part of this service, but it’s well worth it when you consider just how much you will save on accommodation.

  • Home exchange

Home exchanges are slowly becoming a popular holiday option for people who want to save money. There is a charge per night, but it is minimal. Some hosts might charge a cleaning fee. What’s great about a home exchange is the privacy involved as you will be swapping your home with another family for a few nights (or weeks). Homeexchange.com is a great place to find potential home exchanges for upcoming holidays.

You should only sign up for this service if you are comfortable with strangers staying in your home while you are away.

Alternative Options

If couch surfing, home exchange, or house sitting isn’t your cup of tea, you could choose more traditional money-saving options, such as hotel loyalty programs or waiting for resort and holiday specials to come around. This is the best option for those deem hotels and registered tourist establishments to be the right type of holiday accommodation.

You could also look for cheap accommodation options by using apps like Air bnb, which has been helping people save on accommodation costs for many years already.

Safety First…Practice Caution!

As with many things in life, nothing comes for free and you would be well advised to note that these accommodation options can pose a few risks. But, if you know what to watch out for you could be saving yourself both from unwanted hassles and higher costs.

Don’t be caught out by a deceptive host or you could find yourself taking on a house sitting job that is far more demanding on your holiday time than you initially thought it would be. Ask all the questions that you would want someone to ask if they were coming to look after your home.

It’s important to practice caution before agreeing to meet up with strangers in a foreign place. Before you finalise your Mango flight bookings, take the time to learn a bit more about the hosts or property owners. You can search for them on social media, ask them a variety of questions, and make sure that you have a backup plan, just in case things don’t go as planned. It’s also a good idea to make sure that a few friends and family members know where you are. You could even activate friend tracking services on your phone, just until you feel safe and comfortable.

Cheap Mango Flight Bookings Online

Now is the time to put your budget constraints aside and look for innovative ways to travel and explore the world. While cheap Mango flight bookings will help you get to destinations on Domestic flights in South Africa,you can also use the above money-saving accommodation schemes to visit foreign destinations too.

You can search, compare, and securely pay for low cost flights with Mango and other leading airlines by using our easy to use flight search feature.