Lodging is a place where you stay temporarily, especially when you're away from home. When your family takes a vacation, the hotel, cabin, or rental house where you sleep is your lodging. Travelers might search for lodging near a national park, or a business traveler might book lodging close to a meeting.

The word comes from the idea of being “lodged” somewhere, like a temporary home base. A lodge can be a rustic building in the woods or mountains, and lodging extends this to mean any temporary accommodation. People talk about finding affordable lodging when they want to save money on their trip, or comfortable lodging when they want a nice place to rest.

You might also hear the phrase room and board, which means lodging plus meals. Summer camps often provide room and board, giving campers both a place to sleep and food to eat. Colonial travelers in America often stayed at inns that offered lodging for both people and their horses, since everyone needed a safe place to rest on long journeys.