I mentioned earlier this week that I’m interested in the idea of owning a bed-and-breakfast someday and that I’m toying with the idea of trying to rent out an extra room in my apartment to people who are vacationing in the area to see if this is something that I’d truly enjoy doing later in life. The one big concern that I have is the safety risk that you open yourself up to when you open your home to strangers.

For the most part I’m not worried about this. I’ve done a lot of traveling throughout the country and done a lot of things that could have been risky – such as using Craigslist Rideshare to get from one place to another or staying in the home of a pen pal who I’d never met in person. I believe that I’m good at screening people online and am willing to trust my gut instinct and end any endeavor that seems like it could go awry.

Nevertheless, the thought does have to cross your mind that you never truly know what you’re going to get when you bring someone into your home. And for that matter, travelers themselves face risks when going to stay in someone’s home. (See my recent article that offers safety tips for couchsurfers.) When you decide to engage in budget travel practices, you open yourself up to more threats than you face when staying in luxury places.

Is it worth it to save the money? I tend to think that it is but only if you’re smart about it. Learning about how to be safe when using budget transportation and staying in budget accommodations is simply the responsible thing to do if you’re going to be safe while traveling. You can have some great experiences when traveling on the cheap but don’t be dumb about it!

Tags: budget travel, frugal travel, save money, Travel, travel safety