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Thursday 23 September 2010

Hotels and Hostels

One of the key parts of a trip or journey is accomodation [or lack thereof].

Whether you like hotels, hostels, couchsurfing or sleeping rough, it makes up one of the most annoying and important parts of any journey.

Personally I'm a fan of hostels. Whereas hotels can be nice, having your own room and all, hostels provide a sociable atmosphere which i love and which is an integral part of the travelling experience. Couchsurfing provides this often even moreso, however it completely surrenders personal control.

Couchsurfing, by the way, is the wonderful system by which people let total strangers who are travelling sleep at their place, if theres room. Usually this means making friends, and experiencing the place you're visiting from a far more local perspective, nopt to mention getting a foot into the local social scene.

For more information on couchsurfing: couchsurfing.com

When going on short formal or business trips, hotels are pretty ideal. Having your own place, own room, and control over your schedule. Although I love socialising, I also need time alone, and one night in a hotel is often perfect for that.
Depending on budget you can choose the standard of a hotel. for me three star hotels are fine. However on a big payday i love going  four star.

When budget travelling though, I pretty much exclusively couchsurf and hostel.

This is a great site for hotels:

booking.com

and for hostels:

hostelbookers.com
hostels.com

Good sites all.

Next post will be a recollection of the beginning of my recent world travels

but also a segment on insurance. Travel insurance, although often overlooked [by me] is actually important. It fills you with a bit of comfort when you're left violated in a hong kong alleyway that you can probably claim a couple of hundred back :3

So yeah.

Sorry about the WALLOFTEXT

Next time, insurance and Where my trip began: ROME.

27 comments:

  1. Also 5 stars doesnt mean a lot. I've been to plenty of '5 star' hotels and some are obviously WAY better then other 5 star hotels!

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  2. yeah, 5 stars means shit. i stayed in a 5 star that had rats comming out the ceilings

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  3. Couch-surfing is sometimes involuntary...in which case, one might grow to prefer hotels XD

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  4. Stayed in a 3 star hotel and that was already pretty fancy (switzerland0

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  5. Hotels = bed bugs
    Hostels = Bed loves

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  6. I don't have enough money nor for hotel or hostel ;(

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  7. I love hotels :D Great blog. Supporting.

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  8. It's true. Hostels are a home of promiscuous sex amongst young travellers as well.

    Another reason for their attendance.

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  9. Good tips bro. Might use them on my next trip.

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  10. Good post, it will definitely be useful on my next trip.

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  11. are you in the states? i have never tried hostels here but i'm curious

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  12. i love going on trips, this was a big help man! thanks!

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  13. For some reason I don't trust them as much as I should.

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  14. lol oh wow i did not know that, good post! :D

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  15. How much like Dorm rooms are hostels?

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  16. in all my travel, i have always stayed at hotels. but after reading this, i'm actually considering staying at a hostels for my next travel. hostels sounds kinda fun.

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  17. I stayed in a hostel for a week while on spring break in London and well I can definitely agree with you on the social aspect.

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  18. it hurts not sleeping in your bed.

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  19. Hostels are better imo. Its cheaper, and either way your sleeping in a place where is strange to you and you have to rely on the persons word to know your safe. If you have the money for a hotel hey go for it, but hostels are homlier and more affordable.

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