AirBnB.com

For those of you unfamiliar with it, AirBnB.com is a website that facilitates individuals renting out rooms in their house (or their entire house) as if it were a bed and breakfast. The nice thing about AirBnB as compared to a standard B&B is that you can find some really great deals.

For my first stop in Portland, I rented out a woman's finished basement for $300 for the week. It had a private entrance, a private bath, and all the other amenities you would expect of a nice hotel room, but it was quite a bit cheaper.

After Portland, I went down to Mapleton, OR, where I stayed in another AirBnB place. This one was just a room in a house, but it was only $25/night. The ladies I stayed with were very nice, and you can't find a hotel room anywhere for that price.

Some of the places are very similar to couchsurfing, where you are in close quarters with your host, but many of them are much nicer. There are also quite a few luxury places to rent listed on there, though they were well out of my price range.

Anyways, next time you're traveling, check out AirBnB. There might be someplace cheap and nice where you're heading. And if you have a guest room in your house, it might be a nice way to make a little extra cash as well.