Working away, cheapest accommodation.

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As I've been a homebody my entire working life and it look like I'm going to have to start living/working away from home, I was wondering what the lowest-cost accommodation was that I could use? As I have completely no knowledge of this sort of thing, when people refer to digs I presume they mean a boarding house/B&B? If so what sort of figure will I be looking at as I never use them normally. I realise my other option is to use our caravan but depending upon where it is and frequency of trips I've the cost in diesel of hauling it there and back which won't be cheap.
Any advice/barrackling on being such an unworldly individual accepted

 

[BrokenBiker]

I used to travel back and forth to Manchester and Birmingham for work, used to stay in a travel lodge or holiday inn, prices were around 19 quid a night in some, found one for 12 quid a night but it really was dire.

it did for the 2 nights I had to stay there but I couldn't have stayed a week or more.

never considered a caravan (probably because I cant legally tow on the roads) but to be honest I would rather not have the worry of trying to find somewhere safe to park up each night, and the stress of having to manouver it around small towns that I wasn't familiar with. caravan parks usually work out more expensive than b&b's too

 

[rtbcomp]

Digs (Victorian "Diggings") is where you live with a family as a lodger or boarder. There are lodging/boarding houses which are like a small hostel run by a manager and are usually grotty. Bed & Breakfast may be an option, you should get good rates off season.

Avoid hot-bedding, this is where someone on the night shift sleeps in your bed during the day.

 

[matt1978]

It's kinda like a how long is a piece of string question. Rates vary wildly from place to place week to week.

I used to do a line of work that required lengthy stays away from home. (Contract site welding) it's all dependant on how long you will need a room for consecutively. Obviously the longer you need it the cheaper you can negotiate. I have stayed on holiday parks in the off season as they were just glad to have the chalets etc filled, rented a room in a family's house, rented a complete house with other contractors and stayed in conventional b&b's and hotels. Renting a room in a family's house is probably the cheapest (but most awkward for obvious reasons) renting a empty house or flat is probably next cheapest but requires a few of you and no good if only for short term. B&B would be your best bet for short stays, I recon anywhere from around £20 a night inc breakfast esp in Winter months. Can also pay double or even triple that though for a B&B so helps to shop around

 

[atomant48]

You could always put your itinerary up on the forum and hope for some offers of a bed?

 

[pedrobedro]

Join the caravan and camping club and you can find a site nearby and pitch a tent. Prices can be really low after the £38 membership cost is paid.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Mate used to work away from home installing suspended floors. In London they tried to kit out one room of the building first and lived there !
Another, long term project, a group of the workers got together and rented a holiday caravan "out of season".
Due to low pay and no overnight allowance another mate kitted his van out as a capable of overnight stops. Now he's a member of the YHA and rents a room cheaply / long term -
http://www.yha.org.uk/
A relative had a canal boat that he used as mobile base when working away from home.
Me - I used to commute (drive) just under 200 miles every day. At one time my wife was commuting 360 miles a day albeit on train.

Paul h

 

[J_K]

It's mostly dependant on how many of you there are if you are part of a team and when and where you are working.
I've had contract builds in penzance in november where we got 4 rooms in a B&B for 3 weeks for £75/night for all.
A 2 week contract in october near St. Austell worked out cheaper to rent a holiday cottage for 5 of us.
One contract on the Isles of Scilly, the owner of the place we were working provided us with a house to live in for 3 weeks in november. That same house is £1200/week during the holiday season but empty at that time of year..

 

[toddy]

well i would go with a bed sit

these are quite cheep... and for normally a longer stay.
but
spareroom.co.uk

http://www.spareroom.co.uk/

 

[rtbcomp]

There's an organisation, who's name I've forgotten, that lets out rooms in empty buildings, you get a cheap room and they get a presence in the building for security purposes.

You could end up in a palace or a factory!

 

[ford34/2]

Accomodation

For my two penneth, we worked away a great deal over a lot of years Shopfitting all over the British isles, Like most of you, we always looked for the cheapest and the nearest B/B.
Till one day we dared to have a go at a top notch Hotel, A spokesperson decided he would do the negotiating and all the Talk. The first time we had six persons. Asked to see the Duty manager, said we had X ammount of Pounds allowed each, for an overnight stay and a meal. -- What could he do?? On the first try at the very first Hotel we got 6 rooms, use of all the facilities, saunas, swimming, fitness, bars, resteraunt. Our Promise to him was we would eat drink and socialise in the Hotel, His only request --No trouble, and come in the back entrance if you have your work gear on.
After that no matter how many personnel were in the squad, sometimes only two sometimes eight, No matter where it was in the country It was Hotels every time, Not always first try - but never failed, 3* and 4* regular. Generall about 2 weeks,I wouldnt work away if I had to rough it in some tosser house, You deserve whatever you would enjoy at home. Never settle for less.Spend the allowance thats what its for.Eat well and enjoy the luxury, we even got some cash -no questions deals. Current HSE and head counts in case of fire etc might well make that difficult these days

Stan
And we had idiots packed in to caravans on Holiday sites on the floor in sleeping bags trying to save a few bob.