As the summer holidays rapidly approach, many of us are trying to figure out how to afford a nice little vacation this year. Fortunately you don't have to go without food in order to afford your annual break. You can drastically reduce one of the biggest chunks of your travel budget by skipping the hotel this year and choosing a more affordable alternative to lodging during your trip.

Here are some of the best cheap alternatives to a hotel:

• Stay with relatives or friends. We all have people in other places that we can stay over with if we ask nicely. Think carefully and you're sure to stumble on friends by the sea or in lovely overseas destinations. However, don't take them for granted. Be a good house-guest otherwise you'll never be welcomed back.

• Stay with strangers. You have to be very careful here. But there are sites through which you can find safe strangers who offer a room in their home to travelers for no cost or a small fee, such as Couchsurfing.com.

• Stay in a convent or monastery. If you're traveling to a city where there are convents (such as many cities in Italy) or a place with monasteries then you are traveling to a place that offers cheap lodging. Meals are usually included, but be aware that there may be limitations (such as bare accommodation) and more rules than you're used to when you travel.

• Trade your time for housing. You can trade work or volunteer hours for many different types of free lodging. Volunteering on an organic farm, working in international schools, or doing housework for a host family are all ways that you can stay in a destination for free.

• Trade your house for housing. Home swaps are an increasingly popular way to go to a destination of your choosing. You simply let someone else stay in your home, while you stay rent-free in theirs.

• Camp out. Camping options range from truly roughing it with a sleeping bag to staying on the grounds of nice places that offer hot showers and a place to cook your meals.

These are the most commonly used alternatives to staying in a hotel. By choosing to do one of these things, you can cut your travel budget by a significant amount and you'll get the chance to travel in a style that you may never have tried before.

Guest post by Kathryn Vercillo. Kathryn is a writer for Promotionalcodes.org.uk which gives away free discount codes like this Vodafone one and also offers money-saving tips.