Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with europe and hostel

Cheap, but fun Europe!

lattiboy — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:19:10 -0800

Help me plan an October European vacation (starting/ending in Madrid) on the cheap! Since AskMe was SO helpful last time, I thought I'd try a bigger project:

I picked up a pair of airline tickets to Madrid for an incredible price about a month ago and now I'm freaking out about 10 days in Europe and the costs associated with that. I'll be traveling with my fiance and we're open to just about anything (we would like to avoid non-private hostel rooms). The travel dates are from October 1st until the 10th.

We'd like to see as much as possible (Paris and London especially) for as little as possible.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

PS The conversion rate being what it is, if EASTERN EUROPE is realistic, I'm all over that!

more bang for my meager buck

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:35:50 -0800

I'm going to Rome for one week in February. How can I cheap out on lodging while there? I'm traveling with my boyfriend. The trip itself is only affordable to begin with because of the awesomeness of EasyJet. We're planning on trying to couchsurf but, if that doesn't work out, do you know of any hostels/hotels/monasteries where we can stay for less than 30euros/night total cost? (if you have any other advice on enjoying oneself in Rome while not spending much money, that's welcome too!)

Making hostel reservations is what this question is about.

theiconoclast31 — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 13:54:21 -0800

I'm going to Europe in December/January. How do I make hostel reservations? I'll be traveling with one friend for about a week, and then by myself for another week and a half. My ideal hostel is warm, safe, and my stuff won't get stolen. We're not too afraid of roughing it, but we're going in the winter. So how (much) should we plan?

When should we book? My dad says that hostels might get filled now, but we'd like to wait until we're on the road (for the sake of flexibility).
For the backpacking MeFites, how did you plan your trip? What do you wish you had done differently?
What are some good forums or websites with hostel reviews and travel tips? I've already read the threads regarding travel guides.
What are some alternatives to hostels and hotels?

Answers need not be specific to Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland, but that's where I'll be going. Thanks!

Screw Chevy Chase

Christ, what an asshole — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:03:51 -0800

I'm looking for underrated, obscure European vacation stops. A couple friends and I are going to Europe for a month (Nov/Dec), and we plan on doing the whole Eurorail/hostel thing across several countries. 1/3rd of the destination stops are for my choosing, and while I know they'll be making the saturated, obvious choices like Rome, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, etc., I'd like to spice things up with places that don't automatically spring to mind but offer the same level (if not more) of awe. Ideally, cities that aren't automatic tourist stops where most everyone speaks English and there's a McDonald's on every corner (but also not so far out of the way from mid-Europe like some hole-in-the-wall, Eastern-European Caspian city).

What sort of places have you visited that you would recommend?

Help me find a place to sleep.

defben — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:02:10 -0800

I'm currently backpacking through Europe and was given an invitation to Oktoberfest for this Friday. I'm really excited about this, but can't seem to find any places to stay that aren't booked or very expensive. I'd like to spend Friday and Saturday night there, giving me the opportunity to see the rest of Munich. What are my options in the area to find a place to sleep? Are there non-hostel options or perhaps one that isn't well known?

How do I get off the urban circuit with a Eurail pass and a backpack?

ontic — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:57:19 -0800

Backpacking through Europe: Help me find places other than big cities to explore using my Eurail pass. A little background may be helpful. I'm from the US, just finishing up a semester teaching abroad in London where I've done the big city thing quite thoroughly. Long ago I bought a Eurail pass for a trip around Europe after the semester was over. Originally, that trip was supposed to be Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Rome, etc. I still want to see a few of those, but I'd also like to find non-urban places and smaller towns accessible by my Eurail pass, ideally with cheap, hostel-like lodging nearby. My Eurail pass is the "any 15 days in 2 months for all of Europe" variety.

As an example, I'd like to see the Alps, but would love to stay in a hostel outside of urban areas. Yet I have no idea how to find such places.

(Also, I'm doing this for all of May, so about four weeks, and if anyone wants to meet up anywhere, drop me a line!)

Traveling alone in Spain - how to meet other travelers, and how to book rooms and train/air tickets on the fly?

inatizzy — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 13:35:59 -0800

It's my first time traveling alone! I'm spending 10-11 days in Spain, and I need some advice. How to meet people to share the experience with? How to book accommodations and train/airline tickets on the fly? I'm traveling alone to Spain for 10 days, flying in and out of Madrid, and I'm really excited because I've always wanted to visit Spain. (And to just do more international traveling in general!) Thanks to everyone who responded to my earlier question about what to do with my vacation time. I almost picked Costa Rica, but I found an amazing flight deal to Spain that I couldn't pass up.

I have plenty of sights to see and I'm sure I'll have no trouble finding things to do with myself once I'm there. I'm hoping to experience three areas: Madrid (maybe Toledo), Barcelona, and Andalusia (specifically, Seville & Granada). I'm traveling light (hopefully just a backpack and daypack) and hopefully staying in hostels, pensions or other cheap accomodations.

I'm trying to ignore my innate tendency to plan everything and instead do it on the fly. I've read that it will make my trip more fun and enriching, and I believe it. However, I'm not really sure how to do that once I'm in Spain and also keep my spending down as much as possible. (Do I go to a travel agent? Train station? internet cafe? And, how much time do I need to book rooms or flight/train tickets in advance to get a decent price and avoid things selling out?) Other than hostels, what accommodations are cheap but a good value? (as in, not a s***hole and in the city near public transport) And, is a Eurrail pass worth it? I've seen some cheap airfares recently, and I'm thinking that would be a better way to go than the train, and when it's not, the one-way train prices don't seem too bad... (STA Travel quoted me about $200 for a 3-day Eurrail pass and I don't know whether that's really a good deal. I don't know how much it will be to buy train tickets at the counter on the day I want to leave. Maybe it is worth it to spend a little more $ total, but take planes in some cases and train in others?)

I'm also really interested in meeting other travelers to share the experience with. The hostels that seem to be really good at promoting community are booked for this weekend already so I'll need to rely on some other method to meet people, but I don't know what that would be. (I'm still figuring out what's available at the end of my trip, but if I book things on the fly, I bet the best ones will be sold out again.)

I'd love any advice you can give me on this. Mostly, I just want it to be an enjoyable experience while keeping my costs down. I'm new to this so any insights you have will be much appreciated! Thank you so much!

Can I bring a sleeping bag on my European hostelling trip?

fugitivefromchaingang — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:17:50 -0800

Can I bring a sleeping bag on my European hostelling trip? My sister and I are going to Europe for a month and will be backpacking/staying in hostels for a good part of the time. Neither of us have ever been to Europe before. Our friends who have done the hostelling thing have brought sleeping bags with them to sleep in. However, in the book my mom bought us about hostelling, it says not to bring a sleeping bag because some hostels don't allow them. (Apparently they're worried about people camping outside and then bringing in bugs and other outdoor critters.) The book recommends getting a "sleepsack" or just bringing sheets instead.

I kind of mistrust the book (it has some inaccuracies.) Can we bring sleeping bags or not? What do people recommend?

(My sister and I are Americans, a 24 y.o. guy and a 21 y.o. girl; we'll be there for most of June and some of July, and we're going to be staying in hostels in Bratislava, Vienna, Florence, Rome, and Paris.)

Enjoying NW Europe on the cheap?

knapah — Fri, 19 May 2006 10:14:22 -0800

TravelFilter: This summer I and 3 friends are planning on travelling around part of Europe by train and are looking for advice on the main areas we plan to stay in. Information on hostels or other cheap accommodation (first hand if possible) would be great (more inside) We are students in the UK and are planning on getting the Interrail pass for Zone E (France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) so we can travel with relative freedom for 16 days.

We plan to stay in these cities primarily (although advice on other places in the general area would be accepted):

Lille (2 nights)
Brussels (3 nights)
Amsterdam (4 nights)
Luxembourg City (1 night)
Northern France including Paris (6 nights)

What I am looking for in particular are cheap (in the vicinity of €20 to €30 per night) hostels in each of the first 4 cities and also general advice for places to stay/see in Northern France.

Any other advice from people who have had InterRail or Eurail passes before would also be appreciated.

Many thanks

Where are the two-stars?

lampoil — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 08:38:22 -0800

Are there travel booking sites that have really cheap hotels that aren't hostels? I'm looking for a place to stay for a week in Barcelona next month. I'll be with one friend and we're on a tight budget.

It seems that the big name travel websites have only three-star and up, and don't designate between Barcelona proper and resort towns 35 miles away. Hostel websites have mostly true hostels--difficult to find a private room with a bathroom for the dates I need.

The STA site lists a few places that look right for me, but I can't for the life of me get the website to work. (I put in all the info, click "continue" and nothing happens. Ever).

Are there websites other than STA that actually have one- and two-star hotels? Should I suck it up and choose between a hostel and a three-star? Should I go to an in-person travel agent? Any thoughts welcome.