Accommodation is one of the main reasons for the constantly increasing holiday budget for most travellers around the world. But as a travel company in Sri Lanka, we have noted that holiday expenses can be considerably lowered using the free accommodation facilities, in fact, we arrange many holiday packages every year without accommodation. Those holiday packages are customized Sri Lanka tours and accommodation will be arranged by the participants.

The demand for Sri Lanka trip packages without accommodation is creeping up because a large number of travellers are looking for Sri Lanka tour packages without accommodation. This type of traveller looking only for a private, comfortable vehicle with a driver-guide from us. What else they required on the Sri Lanka trip such as accommodation, entrance fees, and activities they arrange on their own?

After having done a fact-finding session, we discovered the main sources of free accommodation available for travellers in Sri Lanka and formulated this article based on the information collected from the research.

How to find free accommodation during the holidays is not known to many travellers around the world. Finding free or cheap accommodation definitely good news for any traveller, especially people who travel on a tight budget. There are several ways to procure free accommodation in holiday destinations around the world. They can be broadly categorized into three categories volunteering, self-organized and acquaintance.

Places where you can stay free during the holiday

Camping
Temples and monasteries
Accommodation with acquaintance
Volunteering

Camping

Usually, camping is categorized under adventure holidays. But you must not necessarily be an adventurer to make a camping holiday. Most solo travellers not forgetting to include camping gear on their holiday checklist these days.

It can be very handy in a situation when the hotels are overbooked, closed for renovations, flooding or other natural calamities, therefore not being able to find accommodation. It does not only save money for you but also allows you to have great flexibility with regard to time management. You can spend plenty of time with your Sri Lanka sightseeing, while you have no pre-planned place to reach for the overnight stay.

This type of accommodation can be very handy during the high holiday season in Sri Lanka.

There are camping sites in every country allowing free access. Some sites may charge you a very nominal fee to grant access. Camping is very practical during the summer in countries with four seasons. But in countries such as India and Bangladesh allows having travelled with camping gear throughout the year.

Some of the best camping sites are located on the beaches. In most countries, the beaches are protected areas and people are not allowed to build permanent constructions. Therefore surely you have plenty of space for your camp in beach holiday destinations. Patches of forests, mountains, estates, city Parks River banks are also can be used for camping.

Camping allows you to enjoy nature as well, while you have wide exposure to the surrounding. A sleeping bag or sheet, a tent and a sleeping pad are the required equipment to arrange your camp. Camping can be very handy when you go to explore places such as rainforests, mountains and remote areas because you have no accommodation facilities in most of these places.

Temples and monasteries

Temples and monasteries can be the best alternatives for hotels and other forms of expensive accommodation during the holidays. These places open their doors to travellers who need help. In most Asian countries such as Japan, China, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, Buddhist temples are providing free accommodation for visitors. It is not mainly due to religious factors but because most of these countries are very hospitable.

Maybe the accommodation is very basic but more than enough to spend a day or two. In fact, you might not spend the whole day in the room. In the remote area, this can be the only possibility to have a good sleep. Most religious institutions do not charge money for providing accommodation but you can donate a few dollars to show your gratitude. This is a highly unpopular accommodation facility among travellers, due to the fact that it is not published through the media. This accommodation facility is spontaneous and no advance booking is available.

Accommodation with acquaintance

This is the most popular free accommodation facility in Sri Lanka like in any part of the world. With knowingly or unknowingly our friends and relatives provide us with free accommodation. Some travellers make friends in the destinations, where they often take holidays and arrange accommodation with these acquaintances.

Living with a local family saves you money as well as gives you a thorough knowledge of the culture, tradition and traditions of the native people. A large number of foreigners have sought refuge in Sri Lanka during the last several decades, and most of them have fallen in love with the beautiful island and the palm-fringed coastal line. Today these foreigners attract a large number of foreign travellers on short vacations.

Tsunami, the natural catastrophe that took place in 2004 is a natural event that created an unprecedented bond between a large number of tourists and local families.

In the wake of the devastation of the infrastructure along the coast, a large number of tourists were stranded in beach areas, especially on the west coast, without any support from the outside world. These foreign travellers were accommodated for about a week by local families until they got the opportunity to leave for their home country. This acquaintance has created a strong bond between the local families and tourists, today these local families are visited by foreigners and whenever they visit Sri Lanka stay with the local families.

Volunteering

Volunteering is most popular among young people, who like to mingle with the local communities. Volunteering is one of the best ways to help the people of the country while staying with local families. As a volunteer, you can work for a school, religious institution or various organizations that are involved in charity work.