Five ways you can still plan an affordable Labor Day weekend

Labor Day weekend is coming up, and not all of us are excited to spend a ton of money on a getaway. But never fear, there are some ways to save, whether you're doing a staycation, or even a trip abroad.

Here are five travel hacks that will help you keep more money in the bank while also enjoying a few glorious days away from the daily grind.

1. Trusted Housesitters

Trusted Housesitters is an online site that trades pet-sitting for a place to stay. You can browse beautiful homes and apartments in San Francisco and all over the world. Don't like dogs? Don't be discouraged. You can search for homes with other animals like cats, birds, reptiles and farm animals. Yep, you can take care of a real-life farm while on vacation, or, maybe that doesn't sound like a vacation after all.

Trusted Housesitters does have a caveat, though. You'll need to pay $119 for a year-long membership and get verified in order to stay in people's homes.

2. Free camping

The book California Camping by The Chronicle's Tom Stienstra will give you the inside scoop on over 1,400 campsites for tents and RVs all over California. And believe it or not, some of those are free, with three of those campgrounds within a stones throw of San Francisco in the Marin headlands. Yes, you may have to hike in a mile with your stuff, but free is free, right? You can book those with the Marin Headlands Visitor's Center.

You can also browse the book and find a campsite for just what you need, whether it be by price, location, or whether or not it has RV hookup. All in all, a great resource for Californians who like to adventure outdoors.

SFGATE recently profiled places where you can camp for free on government land. Some of the locations are listed in the slideshow below.

Photo: Sarah Rice, Special To The Chronicle

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Cow Mountain Recreation Area

Get stunning views of Clear Lake atCow Mountain Recreation Area near Ukiah. The area includes over 13 wildlife reservoirs and 120 miles of vehicle trails for ATVs and other off-highway vehicles. To get more off the grid, try campgrounds like Goat Rock where there are 17 miles of foot trails.

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Cow Mountain Recreation Area

Get stunning views of Clear Lake at Cow Mountain Recreation Area near Ukiah. The area includes over 13 wildlife reservoirs and 120 miles of vehicle trails for ATVs and other

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Photo: Sarah Rice, Special To The Chronicle

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Steiner Flat Primitive Campground

Steiner Flat Primitive Campground

is an ideal spot for hikers looking to explore the Shasta-Trinity National Forest (seen here). It offers eight tent sites that can accommodate small trailers. There are vault toilets but no potable water.

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Steiner Flat Primitive Campground

Steiner Flat Primitive Campground

is an ideal spot for hikers looking to explore the Shasta-Trinity National Forest (seen here). It offers eight tent sites that can accommodate

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Photo: Tom Stienstra, Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle

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Laguna Mountain

If you like waterfalls,Laguna Mountain Recreation Area has a series of waterfalls accessible by hiking trails. Camping facilities are new and feature fire rings, picnic benches and vault toilets. No reservations are required although there is a 14-day camping limit within any 28-day period.

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Laguna Mountain

If you like waterfalls, Laguna Mountain Recreation Area has a series of waterfalls accessible by hiking trails. Camping facilities are new and feature fire rings, picnic benches and vault

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Photo: Bureau Of Land Management

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Cedar Roughs Wilderness Area

If you want to enjoy Lake Berryessa for free, the adjacentCedar Roughs Wilderness Area is the economical answer. Boat-in access from the lake is available past Pope Creek bridge. A jeep trail off Pope Canyon Road offers access to hiking and camping. There are no developed campgrounds so be prepared to pack out what you pack in.

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Cedar Roughs Wilderness Area

If you want to enjoy Lake Berryessa for free, the adjacent Cedar Roughs Wilderness Area is the economical answer. Boat-in access from the lake is available past Pope Creek bridge. A

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Photo: Andy Murdock, Special To The Chronicle

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Forks of Butte Creek

Want to get really authentic? Pretend you’re a Forty Niner atForks of Butte Creek, where you can pan for gold. There are no toilets or potable water at the site so bring everything you need and take everything you brought. Forks of Butte Creek is open from May to November.

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Forks of Butte Creek

Want to get really authentic? Pretend you’re a Forty Niner at Forks of Butte Creek, where you can pan for gold. There are no toilets or potable water at the site so bring everything you

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Photo: Kurt Rogers, The Chronicle

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Massacre Ranch Cabin

This one is technically across the border in Nevada, but it’s too good not to include. You’ll have to have a certain sense of humor to appreciate the cabin at Massacre Ranch near Modoc County. The cabin is available first-come, first-serve and has a wood stove and electrical outlets (you provide the generator). The BLM recommends the region for its hunting, hiking and “ample opportunity for solitude.” Don’t plan on moving there to escape Bay Area rents though; it’s only available for 14 days maximum.

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Massacre Ranch Cabin

This one is technically across the border in Nevada, but it’s too good not to include. You’ll have to have a certain sense of humor to appreciate the cabin at Massacre Ranch near Modoc

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Photo: Bureau Of Land Management

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Williams Hill

The Monterey County site is known for its vistas of Salinas Valley and also offers biking, horseback riding and star-gazing.Williams Hill has designated campsites with vault toilets and also dispersed camping.

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Williams Hill

The Monterey County site is known for its vistas of Salinas Valley and also offers biking, horseback riding and star-gazing. Williams Hill has designated campsites with vault toilets and also

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Photo: Bureau Of Land Management

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Carrizo Plain National Monument

Get up close to the San Andreas Fault, which runs through and helped shape Carrizo Plain National Monument, less than two hours from San Luis Obispo. For brief periods, the plain blooms wild with flowers. The area also contains hundreds of cultural sites, including 10,000-year-old Native American campsites and Painted Rock, a sandstone formation with ancient pictographs.

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Carrizo Plain National Monument

Get up close to the San Andreas Fault, which runs through and helped shape Carrizo Plain National Monument, less than two hours from San Luis Obispo. For brief periods, the plain

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Photo: Scott Haefner, Associated Press

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Indian Valley/Walker Ridge

Indian Valley is a good spot if you’re looking for hunting. The hills are home to blacktail deer, quail, doves and wild turkeys. Fishers can enjoy salmon, bass and rainbow trout at Indian Valley Reservoir. Blue Oaks Camp has six campsites with fire pits and vault toilets. Kowalski Camp has no facilities and is hike-in or boat-in access only, if you’re looking for a more remote experience.

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Indian Valley/Walker Ridge

Indian Valley is a good spot if you’re looking for hunting. The hills are home to blacktail deer, quail, doves and wild turkeys. Fishers can enjoy salmon, bass and rainbow trout at

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Photo: Marcia Wright, Wikimedia Commons

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Home exchange is just what it sounds like. Have a nice pad in San Francisco or Oakland? Trade it for one in the south of France. This program lets people list their homes, search for other homes around the world, then exchange with the homeowners. It's a win-win for everyone, and really helps cut down hotel costs when traveling.

Havne't figured out your vacation dates yet? No worries, there are also "late minute" options available on Home Exchange for the procrastinating travelers.

This program has a fee associated with it. To participate, you have to pay a $150 flat fee every year.

The San Francisco-based company Tripping.com is basically a search engine to find you a place to stay while you're traveling. Instead of visiting sites like Airbnb, VRBO, Orbitz and Booking.com individually, this website puts them all together for the dates you're traveling so you can compare prices.

This may not necessarily save you a ton of money, but at least you can get the best deal for the dates you're looking at. Plus, there's a lot of variety, from large homes, to condos to hotel rooms.

This app is interesting because you don't have to input dates if you don't want to. Just put in your starting city and deals will show up to cities all over the world. For example, I saw a flight to Iceland from San Francisco for just $340 roundtrip. If you're flexible with travel dates and times, you never know what types of options will come up.

The problem with this app is for now, it's only available for the iPhone and the web extension is only for Chrome. Android users will have to wait.

So, there you have it! Hopefully these budget-friendly websites and apps will help you book your next vacation for free or on the cheap!

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