These Hotel Alternatives Are the Fun Way to Save Money in the UK

Possibly the newest way to find cheap accommodations in the UK is through the global short-term flat sharing website Airbnb. The website is based on a simple, elegant idea that needed the Internet to become reality, People with rooms to rent for a few nights or up to a month list them on the Airbnb site, with accompanying pictures, descriptions, facilities and rules.

You simply search the site for your destination and dates, check out what's available and apply for the accommodations you like. Rooms and apartments are rated by previous guests, who can add comments so you have a good idea of what to expect. Owners can also rate you - did you leave things as you found them, were you a considerate guest, and so forth. So be nice and everyone will want to host your visit.

Some of the rentals give you the run of the property while the owner is away, and others involve renting a spare room, often with breakfast thrown in, while the hosts are around. There are plenty of both kinds of accommodations to choose from.

The money you pay is held in escrow by Airbnb until after your stay so both you and the property owner are protected.

Not Just London - All Over the UK

And don't assume that only London flat shares are available (though it's a great idea for visitors to the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee). I just did a search, using the site's nifty interactive map facility, and came up with rooms, houses, whole flats all over the country in popular places as well as villages you probably never heard of:

• £30 per night per person for the two spare rooms in a really beautiful, 350-year old cottage in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales
• An entire flat near Edinburgh's Royal Mile for £60 per night
• A city center flat in Liverpool for £25 per night
• An entire castle/wedding venue near Glasgow for £5,per night.
• Rooms within a few Tube stops of the Olympic Park for £35 per night
• £40 a night for a Portobello Road/Notting Hill stay.

The site includes plenty of pictures as well as picture, profile and contact details for the owner - so, if you are going to share, you can decide if you'll be compatible.

It's a sort of grown-up version of couch surfing and I think it's a great idea. And a lot of other people, including celebs who've used the service, like Conan O'Brien and Ashton Kutcher, must think so to because they're now in 192 countries and more than 19,000 cities. Some lodgings are even dog-friendly.

To find out more, visit their website Airbnb.co.uk.

Camp in My Garden is a website dedicated to bringing local residents together with visitors who like to camp. Using the site, you can find a place to pitch your tent, park your RV or rent a caravan on someone's private property. Campsites range from grassy corners of lovely private estates to tiny backyards along terraces of inner city homes. Some hosts provide breakfast, showers and toilets, some just offer you a bit of space. It's a brand new idea, pioneered in the UK and now spreading to other countries. And, yes, there are London back gardens close to Jubilee and Olympics venues listed on the site.

If you missed the 2007 film, The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, rent the DVD to see Hollywood's romantic view of house swapping. Most house swaps may not be as scenic or end in glowing transatlatic happy endings, but they are still a great way to use what you own to go globe hopping.

In essence, you swap your home with someone else for a short holiday stay. You may or may not have use of a car; you may be expected to look after pets or make sure the cleaning lady gets her envelope of money, but in essence you stay for free and make yourself at home in someone else's digs - while they do the same at your place.

Of course, it helps if you live in a particularly popular location - but it's not always necessary to live in a key tourist spot. The best, and safest way to do it is to join a membership organization that can advise you on rules and insurance while providing thorough information on the properties and their owners. Hey, it's a bit of a leap of faith but thousands of people have swapped homes for vacations quite happily all over the world.

Read more about house swapping

Join HomeExchange.com, one of the world's leading house swapping organizations.

In a country that has some of the oldest universities in the world, staying in college dorms rooms can be a more interesting experience than you might imagine. College rooms stays range from student dormitory rooms available on a b&b or self-catering basis during school vacations, all the way to exclusive guest accommodations in historic buildings.

Staying in dorm rooms may give you access to hallowed and historic precincts not open to the public. You may be able to have big English breakfasts in historic halls.

Or not.

Dorm room stays are as varied as the universities and colleges that offer them. But it's certainly worth looking into for interesting, characterful and cheap alternative ways to stay in the UK.

Learn more about dorm stays and campus rooms.