You’ll Never Stay in Another Hotel After Reading This
Hotels are so… 20th century. Why sit in a generic, overpriced room when you can spend the night in a submarine? How about partying the night away with your new native friends at an underground hotspot then crashing at their place?
Hotels are from a time when people were just looking for a bed, TV and shower. Today we live in an age of customisation. We expect everything to be personalised to our unique needs and desires. Fortunately, the travel industry has gotten the messages and now our accommodation options come in every size, shape and colour. Check out the top three best options for a night, or lifetime, away.
The traditional alternative: hostels
Hostels are a well established alternative to hotels but most of us have a very narrow picture of what hostels look like. Sure, you can find a ton of hostels catering to the 30 and under crowd where everybody sleeps in one giant room but that’s not the only option.
An increasing number of hostels are offering a wide range of room options. They’ve still got rooms with half a dozen bunk beds but they’ve also got rooms that work for small groups and couples. Check around and search by room type. Often they have double rooms that are just as nice as any hotel and offer the same amount of privacy for a fraction of the price. If you’re travelling with a small group, you can save a ton of cash by finding a room that has three or four single beds.
Living like a local with Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is another travel option bogged down with stereotypes. If you’ve never heard of it, the premise is simple. Hosts offer you a free place to stay in their home. While there are a lot of couches on the site, it’s a whole lot more diverse than that. A lot of hosts have free spare bedrooms that would be perfect for a couple or even groups of three.
Not only does Couchsurfing save you a lot of cash, it’s also a great way to explore the city. Get personalised recommendations and invites to local parties. Find the neighbourhood bars and restaurants that they don’t mention in the guide books. See the city like you’ve lived there your entire life.
Find your own home away from home
Like many free things, Couchsurfing can be a bit limited. If you want a bit more privacy, upgrade to Airbnb. The site has apartments for rent alongside every other type of place you can possibly imagine sleeping in. In fact, Airbnb operates in 190 countries and has over one million listings including 80,000 villas, 4,000 castles, 9,000 boats and 2,800 tree houses. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, you won’t find it anywhere!
You can use Airbnb to find the exact accommodation for you. You can grab an ultra cheap couch to sleep on in the city centre while you’re exploring or book a castle for 200 of your closest in the countryside. There are a massive range of options for every person and every budget.
