Making plans for a summer break is perfect cold weather escapism. But if money is tight, brochure prices can be a cruel dampener. With research and a flexible approach, however, you can wipe out much of the cost of conventional travel, sourcing free accommodation and free, or cheap, flights. Moreover, a shoestring trip is an adventure, giving you the opportunity to be involved in extra cultural contact.

Getting there

If you are a member of a reward scheme, such as Nectar or Airmiles, check your account. Points do not expire and you may have collected more than you realise. If you are not a member and shop at affiliated retailers (see Nectar.com and Airmiles.co.uk for lists), it makes sense to register. A spend of £85 a week at Tesco nets holders of the retailer’s Clubcard 1,000 Airmiles each year. One return flight to Paris with British Airways (BA), including taxes and charges costs 750 Airmiles.

If you do not have reward points, budget airlines are the next best bet. At the time of writing, return flights from London Stansted to Berlin Schönefeld in June cost “2p” with Ryanair. Add £38.11 in taxes and charges and a further £4 for credit card bookings. EasyJet’s prices, meanwhile, include “all taxes and charges” – but not a “transaction charge”, from £4.95 for credit card use.

Watch out, too, for extra charges per item of cabin baggage – £5 or £10 with Ryanair and £3.99 with easyJet. At popular times, such as school holidays, budget fares can hit premium prices, so compare deals at eBookers.com or Expedia.co.uk .

For a long-haul break, BA offers two courier flights a day to Tokyo and one to Bangkok. Passengers carry documents on behalf of a company in return for a discounted, or free (though rarely), round trip. Call BA on 0870 3200301 for information.

Accommodation

International hospitality exchange websites, such as CouchSurfing.com and HospitalityClub.org, allow members to offer a few nights accommodation on a spare bed or sofa, or the chance to meet for coffee or a meal. All users have a profile page stating what they can offer and when, with information on themselves and comments – de facto references – from other members. Each of the sites has more than 350,000 members, most of them in Europe, Australasia and the US.

Some hosts offer a couch and key while others throw in home-cooked meals and tours of the town. The sites are free and members cannot charge. However, some help with chores and contributions to shared food are expected. “Exchanges” need not be reciprocal. Some members host but do not travel, while others travel but cannot – or choose not to – host.

If staying with a stranger does not appeal and you are a homeowner, a home swap could be a comfortable alternative. Members pay about £30 to £120 a year to list their property at websites such as www.homebase-hols.com and HomeLink.org.uk. Listings give a description and photographs of each home, plus the owner’s availability for travel and preferred destinations. Other members whose requirements mirror their own, can offer a rent-free exchange. Homes in Europe, the US and former British dominions, such as South Africa and New Zealand, are best represented.

Lois Sealey, of Home Base Holidays, which charges £29 a year or £39 for two years, says that location is key – a mansion owner in Florida may be happy to swap for a small flat in Central London, for instance. John Onken, 41, an architect, joined the scheme in 2000 and has used it to make regular trips to Europe and the US with his wife and two children.

Their four-bedroom house in Thames Ditton, Surrey, is two miles from Hampton Court Palace and a 20-minute train ride from Central London and attracts regular offers. He says that some of the best have been from expatriates keen to visit family in the South East. “We no longer book hotels,” he says. “Cost is part of it, but we also like entering a community. One small drawback is the last-minute rush to make the house presentable.”

An idea

Tom Hill, editor of Lonely Planet travel guides, tips Romania and Bulgaria as ideal for a cheap short-haul break. He says that both offer unspoilt natural and historical sites, plus the chance to trek. “Visit the Saxon villages in Romanian Transylvania. In Bulgaria, I would go for the medieval monasteries and Black Sea resorts.”

Return BA flights from London to Bucharest or Sofia come to 2,500 Airmiles, including taxes and charges. Returns from Gatwick to Bucharest in September now total £56.96 with easyJet. Hospitality Club and Couch-Surfing members offer spare beds in both countries.

CASE STUDY

Neilson Siqueira joined Hospitality Club five years ago and has since stayed with ten “HCers” on his travels across Europe. In turn, the 31-year-old accountant has hosted dozens at his flat in Acton, West London.

Mr Siqueira, pictured with his latest house guest, Outi Behm, 27, a political researcher from Finland, was drawn to the site by the promise of free accommodation. However, he says that the “best bit” is the chance to meet people from other countries.

He adds that he has had no bad experiences, beyond a few “boring” guests. “It has all been great,” he says. “But my first trip, to Munich, was the best.”