If staying in the same boring style of accommodation when you travel has you a bit lackluster about booking your next adventure, then check out these unique and affordable ways of staying the night around the world.

Home Exchange:

The concept is simple. You stay in someone else's home while they stay in yours. The goal is to experience another culture or community and live like a local. There are a few websites offering home exchanges, but most will cost an annual fee to become a member. ExplorerGirls.com ($24.95) is a great site to list your interests in exchanging houses or even willing to offer accommodation to new friends.

On ExplorerGirls.com you might find a few offers in some of the coolest places on earth with excellent waves or snow-covered slopes at your door step. For a few other home exchange sites check out: www.homeexchange.com starts at $99; International Home Exchange Network (www.ihen.com) charges $39.95; HomeLink International (www.homelink.org) is $110.

Monasteries and Convents:

Monasteries and convents can be a great affordable hotel alternative when traveling through Europe, especially in Italy and Spain. Operating monasteries with accommodation are known to be clean and comfortable and the scenery truly unique and beautiful. Most are preserved and refurbished to their original state.

Prices range widely, from mere donations to $180 a night (Always check, some don’t take credit). Also, be sure to ask about rules such as curfews. Check out www.monasteryhotels.com for a list of Itay’s finest or www.Reidsguides.com for some budget friendly stays.

Farm Stay:

Farm stays can be a great way to see a locals view and get to know the lay of the land in another country. Most hosts are willing to involve guests in daily activities on the farm and give guided tours of near by hot spots. It provides a unique window into another culture. Agritourism, as it is also known, varies widely from working sheep farms in Australia to vineyards in Tuscany.

For a great farm stay while visiting Australia check out www.TomsTours.com. You not only sleep in a 100 year-old farm house and witness sheep sheering, but head up to the hills of the Flinders Ranges on the edge of the outback where you see kangaroos in abundance amongst other natural Australian wildlife.

Yurts and Fire Lookouts:

If you don’t know what a Yurt is…check out www.yurts.com to get an idea. These nomadic style tents are now the trendiest and environmentally friendly accommodation structures around. The round structures originated with nomadic tribes of the Central Asian steppes, but they're catching on in the U.S. and other places around the world. Check out Treebones Resort on the California Big Sur coast, where yurts start at $155 per night. Other yurts can be rented in state parks around the country, often as low as $45 a night.

Other places to sleep in state parks with the best view are ‘fire lookouts’. They are part of the rustic style cabins and camping alternatives that are available for reservation through the U.S. Forest Service (www.recreation.gov) for a minimal nightly fee, often around $25.

Make sure to check what "Amenities" come with your booking. The can vary widely from a fully stocked kitchen with pots and pans and running water to portable water. If its seclusion your after and the “pack in, pack out” way of life doesn’t bother you then it’s the way to go.

www.ExplorerGirls.com / Courtney Crow

Photos: Yurt (Treebones Resort), Sheep (CourtneyCrow.com)

Reference:MSN Travel