WHERE’S THE BEST AND CHEAPEST PLACE TO STAY WHEN YOU TRAVEL?
One of the very best places to stay is also the cheapest: with friends in private homes. For starters, it’s free, but the biggest benefit is that you also get an insider’s look at the culture. If you have any long lost relatives or pen pals, look them up. If you meet travelers from other countries on trains, always get their email address and phone numbers and ask if you can crash on their sofa when you pass through. The last option is to try to arrange a free stay via websites like www.globalfreeloaders.org. The deal is that you make your bed/sofa available to travelers and they make theirs available to you. Maybe you can work out a deal with your parent’s guest room if you don’t have one to offer.
HOSTELS? PENSIONS? GUESTHOUSES? PRIVATE ROOMS? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE AND ALSO BETWEEN PRIVATE HOSTELS AND OFFICIAL HOSTELING INTERNATIONAL HOSTELS?
The hostel concept was hatched in 1090 by German schoolteacher Richard Schirrmann, who wanted a cheap place to take his students on excursions. He was also the architect of the philosophy behind them: that thoughtful young people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other and get drunk and sleep on pee-stained mattresses. Okay, Mr. Schirrmann didn’t yet arrive at the second part of that philosophy, but it was probably just a matter of time.
Hostelling International is the governing body of hostels that meet certain criteria of cleanliness and environmental standards. It’s about $20 to join, but you don’t need to be a member to stay at them. Without a membership you pay an additional $3 that goes toward your membership, and you can stay six times without becoming a member. Most of theses hostels are a bit like the YMCA - a bit quieter but also a bit out of the way, and many of them are closed for a few hours during the day (doesn’t really matter as you’re out exploring anyway) and have a curfew in the evening (not good if you’re planning on some nightlife).
The private ones typically feel more like freshman dorms - centrally located and noisy and the standards are all over the map. That’s where a guidebook (and earplugs) comes in handy. They may have kitchens you can use, sell cheap meals, run a rocking bar, and offer internet access (for a fee). There are a few discount cards that offer some value (you ISIC card doesn’t help much in this way), such at the VIP Backpackers Card (vipbackpackers.com), but check first. In some areas, they don’t have many hostels that accept them.
Both types of hostels are commonly called backpackers and typically cost $20-$25. A pension
(pronounced: PEN-SEE-YON) in Europe is about the same price. This is typically a little old lady who has an extra room or two in her apartment now that her sons have moved out and is trying to
supplement her retirement fund. This is essentially the same thing as a private room. You’ll see signs for “room” or “zimmer” (German) all over the place. The difference between these and a family stay is that with the family stay, they typically want to meet you. With a private room it’s hit and miss, mostly miss. A guesthouse is typically found in Asia and is just a euphemism for cheap crappy hotel. These are also sometimes referred to as backpackers or hostels. Again, a guidebook comes in handy; it will point out which ones are truly crappy and steer you toward the ones that are merely a bit run down.
IS IT OKAY TO CAMP OR SLEEP IN TRAIN STATIONS? AND WHAT PRECISELY IS SQUATTING?
The freebie alternative more common among Eurailers is to spend the night on the train, or part of the night on the train and the rest sitting in the train station until you get scootched out by the police. Spending a night in the train station is almost a right of passage among Eurailers; it’s not pleasant, but most can survive a few hours in close proximity to drunks pissing themselves and passing out. If you want to sleep in the park, it’s better to party all night then take a nap in a busy part of the park during the day. Big city parks, even in Europe where it’s considerably safer, are not that safe.
Camping in Europe can be downright luxurious. There are 4-star campgrounds with pools and walk-in tents with real beds – you don’t even need a sleeping bag. Many of these are cheaper than hostels, and can be found just 15 minutes outside of town, and worth a try.
Squatting – the living arrangement, nothing to do with Asian toilets -- is a free place to stay, but the distinction lies in the legality. You’re essentially trespassing, or breaking and entering. There’s an odd rule in some countries (like Great Britain) that if you break in and then change the locks, it’s not that easy to throw you out. If you ask around in some seedy parts of town – university students may be able to point you in the right direction – you can find a group of youths squatting an abandoned apartment, or even one where the people have gone on a long vacation. |
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