For anyone on a budget (and I would hope that includes everyone, of all income levels) traveling can seem daunting. The hospitality and travel industry are increasing their pricing every day and very few options seem to be available to people who want to travel at a decent price. Over the years, I've heard and tried many tips on how to reduce costs. Budget travel is no easy task; it requires extensive research, an incredible amount of flexibility, and a thick skin, but it can be done.

Tips on Finding Cheap Lodging:

Try alternative methods of lodging like hostels, local accommodations, or even sublets.

Hostels: The best internet resource for hostels is hostelworld.com. I've stayed in many of their hostels around the world and if anything can be said is that uniformity is lacking. Not all hostels are your average run-of-the-mill dorm room look-alikes. You can find really amazing accommodations for cheap prices. Make sure to read the reviews and look at the hostel's site. Some hostels restrict their visitors by age, so please check with each place, but overall these are great accommodations for anyone. I once slept in the same room with a 67 year-old Australian woman.

Local accommodations: These can be tricky to find and you might not always be able to book in advance but they can be a great avenue of cultural immersion and savings. In places like Portugal, Africa, and parts of Latin America, you can stay in family homes and communities for a fee. These also benefit the local areas by providing income that goes directly to them.

Sublets: International subletting is a huge market. For anyone visiting Australia, Europe, Argentina, and major cities in the U.S. for an extended amount of time (at least a month with the exception of some places, which may accept visitors for as little as a week), subletting provides a chunk of savings.

Non-traditional methods: I once knew a woman who spent 3 months in South America and spent $1800 for the entire trip, including air fare. She camped. If you have the time or comfort level to camp or couch surf (meaning stay in strange people's places for free) you can save on average 80% of your lodging costs. Swapping homes is another method of creative lodging.

Traditional methods: If you want to stay in a traditional hotel, your best bet is to extensively research discounts. Follow the simple discount rules: book directly through the hotel's website online or call to negotiate a better price, stay away from

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