Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hostel

Travel UK on the cheap

lockstitch — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:39:04 -0800

A friend and I are planning a trip this summer for early August to London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. We're looking at flights, hostel stays, and food/entertainment for a 1.5-2 week trip, and hoping to do it somewhat cheaply. All the flights we've found are in the $1700-$1900 range, so that would be most of our budget for the trip, leaving not much left for anything else. (We were originally hoping to spend less than $2500 each) Is there some secret we just don't know? A site for finding the deals? We've looked at travelzoo.com and expedia, but what's the best way to find cheap flights? (is it a travel agent?) I've seen older questions on here about this, but most of the ones I've dug up are a few years old, and it seems as if a lot has changed since. I know we're going at peak travel season, but it's really the only time that works for us, so we're stuck, datewise!
Any other advice for cheap travel is greatly appreciated. We've both done a study-abroad trip in college, but of course we weren't in charge of planning those and so we feel a bit out of our depth.

The Travelling Programmer

Anonymous — Sun, 05 May 2013 15:57:18 -0800

I'd like to travel the world for a few years and work on some iOS app ideas at the same time, with the hope that if one of 'em makes enough money I can keep doing it forever! However, I reckon hostels probably aren't the most productive places in the world. Have any of you ever done something like this? What's the best approach for getting in the zone and being productive when you're on the go and surrounded by people? Are coffeehouse programmers as common in Europe as they are in the Silicon Valley? What about work-life balance -- is it possible to maintain a healthy hostel social life while also getting stuff done? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Gotta be safe and avoid those bedbugs!

timespacewheredoifit — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 00:54:35 -0800

Hello, Mefites- Is Hostelling International- New York (UWS) a safe, bedbug-free place to stay for a solo woman in her 20s? Hey Mefites, I am planning a trip to the Big Apple next month, solo, and I am on a budget, with ideally less than $100/night going to hotels. I was considering staying at Hostelling International in the Upper West Side, right by 104th st and Amsterdam Ave, in a shared room. I am unfamiliar with NYC and have never been to NYC alone, but I wanted to save money, and I come to the hive to see if this is a safe option. Is this a safe part of the city? If anyone has ever been, were there any bedbugs or other concerns? I think that bedbugs and safety are my main concerns, as I will be there for a week. Any insight or alternate suggestions are most appreciated. Thanks so much!

Stuck in Toronto - boat is full

philip-random — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:28:01 -0800

Stranded in Toronto. New in town, have a job and a place (but not until Oct-1). Film-fest + returning students have filled all hostels and every half-way affordable hotel. Any other options? I'm asking this question for my nephew. Nineteen, with a pretty good job but ... he couldn't have chosen a worse time to arrive in T.O.

A guide to Hadrian's Wall

SpringAquifer — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 08:46:50 -0800

I'm taking a week to hike Hadrian's Wall in mid-to-late August, and I'm looking for a useful guidebook. I'm planning on camping (and hosteling, if need be) along the way, so I don't want a guidebook that focuses too much on hotels and B&Bs and the like. Does anyone have any experience with any of the guidebooks out there?

I'm leaning toward the Stedman guide, but I'm wondering if anyone has anything to say about the Richards or Burton guides.

Thanks!

Where can I find cheap(ish) last minute-hotel accommodations in or around San Francisco?

joeyjoejoejr — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:19:44 -0800

Where can I find cheap(ish) last minute-hotel accommodations in or around San Francisco? So I need a hotel or B&B that has the following:

- room for two people
- under $150/night
- has availability for the next one or two weeks
- located less than 30/40 minutes outside the city center (via public transportation)

Should I be looking in a particular neighborhood? Yelp has been helpful but I was wondering if the hivemind has some insights. Do I just need to buck up and pay a lot more money?

Cheap, safe and in New Delhi- any ideas

Tamanna — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:29:51 -0800

Where can a single woman stay in Delhi for a few days that's both cheap and safe? A friend wants to spend a few days in Delhi (24th-28th of this month) and needs a place to stay. She's a single woman in her early 20s and is pretty concerned about safety. Plus she doesn't have much money and would prefer to spend under Rs 1000 a night. Location doesn't matter as long as it's reasonably close to a metro station, but she'd prefer to avoid anything too far out of the way. Central/South Delhi would be nice, but other locations are good, too.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Where is the coolest, non-spendy place to hang your hat for three nights in Detroit?

OlivesAndTurkishCoffee — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:57:30 -0800

Hostel Detroit is sold out the weekend we are planning to go; help me find another cheap but awesome place to stay. Three people taking a road trip to check out urban farming, crepes, blues and the other general goings-on in Detroit, but the hostel has sold out and we were hoping for something in central location and affordable. Any stellar recommendations?

Is Cheap(er) Lodging in Oslo, Norway Possible?

larthegreat — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 08:38:32 -0800

Oslo Lodging Query! Myself and 3 friends will be traveling around Iceland and Norway in April 2012. We're all seasoned travelers, but we've been taken aback by how expensive Oslo is. Emails to Hostels have gone unanswered, and given we're planning early, and not going during peak tourist season, we didn't expect to see $300+ rooms in 2-3 star hotels.

In Iceland we'll be renting an apartment, and staying with friends in Bergen, but we're only in Oslo for 2 nights, so getting an apartment doesn't seem viable.

Is there some sort of secret hotel/hostel that prices around $200 a night? Dorms in hostels look like they start at $58 per person!!! or if the hostels are cheaper, then they aren't open until May. We're in our late 20's, and would prefer to not deal with Hostel Dorms (we're cool with getting a 4-person dorm to ourselves), but if that's what we need to do, that's what we'll do.

So Mefites, What are my options for affordable lodging in Oslo in Late April?

previous questions deal with cheap activities, we just need cheaper lodging! we were planning on spending our $$ on good food and weird muesums.

Where should I stay to see the Daily Show?

ChrisR — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:45:31 -0800

Where's a cheap place to stay in New York, near the Daily Show studio? My wife and I have tickets to see The Daily Show tape in late October, and we're on a bit of a budget, both money- and time-wise. We're usually Hostel travelers, so we're not looking for anything fancy, just clean, safe, and honest. And close to the studio.

Bonus points if you happen to be a hostel-operating Mefite who has space free on October 26-27.

Advice?

(Also, if you happen to have insight on how to guarantee that I get into the taping -- I've got reserved tickets and a confirmation -- please let me know if there's anything I need to do)

A place to sleep in the City that Never Sleeps

Chicken Boolean — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:50:45 -0800

NYC hostel or other cheap place to sleep. It needs to have air conditioning and be quiet enough for me to sleep--I don't care about anything else. Suggestions? Preferably Manhattan (preferably near Chelsea or along the A/C/E subway), but anywhere is OK.

I'd also like an idea of how much I should expect to pay--I'm seeing some in the $60-70 range, but I don't know where to look. I'd like to pay less than that.

Snoring introvert looking for a hostel in Amsterdam

TrinsicWS — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:47:39 -0800

I usually stay in hotels, want to try out hostels for a change. I snore. Help? I am visiting Amsterdam the last week of August. I'm a solo traveler, and usually book hotel rooms for one. However I want to mix things up this time, and stay in a hostel for a change. I have two issues:

a) I snore. Loud.
b) I'm an introvert

Would love recommendations on hostels in amsterdam that do not cater to the "party" crowd. I won't mind

Also, one reason I try to avoid hostels is that I snore. Bad. I've read some tips on mefi with nose strips and ear plugs for fellow hostel room mates. Any other tips?

Thanks!

Where to stay each night after a day's walking in Cornwall?

mdonley — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:25:23 -0800

I am trying to organize a solo, self-guided walking trip to bits of coastal Cornwall for late August and am having trouble planning a 6- to 8-day itinerary that has me end a day's walk where there's budget accommodation like hostels/backpackers/campsites. I've been poring over OS maps of the area and know, roughly, where I'd like to go - somewhere along the stretch of coast between Newquay and Falmouth (not necessarily contiguously). I'd like to see some of the coves on the Lizard, but beyond that the whole coast looks gorgeous and I'm not too picky about where I actually do the walking.

But the planning of the walking itself - how far each day, where to start and end, etc. - is eluding me, because I can't figure out how to space accommodation, and how that marries up with public transport.

I'm imagining doing about 8-15 miles a day (so, all told, about 50-80 miles), but I'm going to want a rest day or two in there somewhere; and while I'm not an experienced long-distance overnight walker, I have been on a number of medium-distance (15-20 km/9-14 mi) day hikes.

I know this much so far:

1. August 21: get to Newquay or Penzance (from London, probably by bus)
2. [walk, primarily on the coast, maybe with bus/public transport assistance?, for 6-8 days]
3. August 28/29: leave Cornwall, head up to Birmingham, again by bus

A final complication: I need places I can book without sending a cheque in advance as a deposit (!) as I'm in Poland, cheque-less. (Two great campsites I found wouldn't hold my place without a cheque!)

Thanks, hive mind!

Autumn in Paree

benito.strauss — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:59:52 -0800

Looking for places to stay in Paris in October. My sister and her friend are planning a trip to Paris in late October, and based on previous AskMe questions I thought there might be some good suggestions here.

Details:

They'll be staying in Normandy initially, and will go in to Paris for 5-8 days. First time in Paris.
Two middle-aged women, kind of crunchy Berkeley types, friendly and open to new people and new experiences. The kind you might run in to at a hostel anywhere in the world.
Don't want to stay anywhere that might be unsafe.
The lower the cost the better.
Doesn't have to be at all fancy, but dirty isn't good.
They'd love to be located down in the middle of the city. Being able to walk to major sites is a plus, and having a nice boulangerie around the corner would be nice too.
Interesting is good.

They have some resources, but if you know of some hidden jewel, or places you've stayed in the past that sound like a fit, love to hear about them.

Sleeping 8 in NYC...pref not in an alley

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:22:49 -0800

Need to make accommodations for 8 in midtown NYC for mid-august weekend. My improv team got into a big improv thing that happens in NYC in August (I'm sure you can guess..I'd rather hoard the hive-mind to myself, thanks for not calling it out).

Anyway I need to make arrangements for 8 chicks to have a place to crash in midtown for a fri-sun situation.

What's my best course of action here? Thoughts? If you want to tell me something privately say so in-thread and I'll MeMail you.

help us bunk down in berlin!

genmonster — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:53:01 -0800

what hostel should we stay in in Berlin? I'll be traveling with another mid 20s lady to Berlin in June. I think we want to stay in Mitte or Kreuzberg. We want a hostel that's not overly institutional but not full of crazy loud 18 year old club kids. Any thoughts or advice for Berlin is appreciated!

Where to go on a budget in Europe?

Sara C. — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:29:57 -0800

One of my best girlfriends is living in Rome. I'd like to go and visit her. That's where the simple part ends. I have about two weeks available for a trip to Europe centering on Rome this spring.

While Rome is a fantastic city and Italy is an amazing country, this will be my third trip to Rome, Naples, and/or southern Italy. Meanwhile, I've never been anywhere else in continental Europe.

I am on an extreme budget (hoping to spend around $2000 on the entire trip).

My ideal trip would be to fly into another city in Europe, preferably somewhere cheap yet central, spend a week or so, then travel to Rome to spend 3-4 nights on my friend's couch.

I've always wanted to visit Berlin, but it doesn't seem too convenient to travel between Berlin and Rome. France, Spain, Belgium, and Ireland seem like better bets travel wise, though I'm worried about the potential for blowing my budget. I'm pretty interested in most European countries, though it seems like Scandinavia and most of Eastern Europe would make little or no sense on this trip. Kayak Explore shows great fares for St. Petersburg at that time, and I've always wanted to visit Russia, but that seems to hit the trifecta of expensive, inconvenient, AND a pain in the ass regarding visas and red tape and such. What about Vienna, Trieste, or somewhere in Croatia? Maybe Greece? Amsterdam?

I would also be open to flying directly to Italy, spending the bulk of the trip seeing parts of the country that I haven't been to (most of the north and Sicily), and then spending those same 3-4 days in Rome with my friend. Obviously Italy is a wonderful travel destination, and I agree that I'm being a bit of a travel snob looking this unbelievable gift horse in the mouth because I happen to have already been there.

I would be fine with taking a shorter trip - maybe it's better to just enjoy a 3-4 days in Rome (or perhaps adding a day trip or two and calling it a week). This seems like it would be both the cheapest and the simplest option, but my passport cries for more stamps!

What's the best bang for my travel buck, here? Should I bother to try to fold another destination into what was originally supposed to be a trip to visit a friend? If so, what should that destination be? Is it even possible to spend two weeks in Europe for $2K?

Last year I spent a month in Peru for quite a bit less than my budget for this trip, so I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how far my money will really go in Europe.

Facts that may be important - I'm flying from New York, traveling alone. English speaker with some ability in French and Spanish but very limited Italian and no German. My travel dates are a flexible, but I know I'm coming up on high season in Western Europe. I am a very experienced budget traveler, potentially open to WWOOFing or Couchsurfing. I am really not looking for luxury on this trip - if I didn't have a friend in Rome I'd be looking to blow this financial windfall in Central America or Turkey.

Seeking New England winter weekend retreat ideas

AlmondEyes — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:35:06 -0800

Anyone know of hostels that are open in the winter in New England? I'd like to take a retreat this weekend within 2-3 hours' drive of Boston. Going solo and looking forward to some private time, so don't want to do anything too structured (or expensive), but also wouldn't mind sharing meals with random folks and being open to chance happenings. I've been thinking a hostel could be perfect, but so far no luck finding one that's open in the winter.

Any room at the inn?

verisimilitude — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 05:03:52 -0800

Last minute accomodation in Paris this NYE? My girlfriend and I are heading to Paris for a couple of nights this new years eve. We are traveling on the Eurostar from London first thing on the 30th and leaving on the 1st.

Everything I've tried to find online on is booked up (not too surprising, but we're trying not to let that spoil our spontaneous last minute trip) and I'm thinking we might be better off finding something on arrival. My girlfriend would prefer to set off with something in place. Please help us weigh up our options.

We're hoping to get something relatively central (or at least accessible by metro) but appreciate we're not going to have a huge amount of choice at this stage. Cheaper options preferred but we'd probably pay over the odds if we have to.

I'd appreciate any tips for taking advantage of last minute cancellations etc. Any ideas for where to start looking when we get there would also be helpful.

6 AM flight out of Budapest?

reductiondesign — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 21:14:33 -0800

How can I catch a 6 AM flight this Wednesday, the 29th, out of Budapest (BUD)? A friend and I are planning to stay in a hostel in Budapest on the night of the 28th. We're not sure, though, about how to get to the airport for our 6 AM flight on time, since it looks like public transport doesn't start until 5:00. (The flight is through Wizz Air, if that matters.) Is our only choice a taxi? Should we find a room closer to the airport? Any other crazy ideas?

Thanks so much, MeFi.

Where to stay in Melbourne?

nvly — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:25:05 -0800

Melbourne, Australia for the food and wine festival - Where to stay? Looking for recommendations for moderately-priced accommodation - preferably something central and / or interesting (e.g. The Nunnery). Thanks!

staying in a quirky place with all of my friends?

three bear minimum — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 17:44:37 -0800

What cool places (that can occupy 15-30+ people) can I rent in the United States or Canada (similar to Shady Dell)? In the continental 48 (or Canada near the border), and preferably in the same price range as Shady Dell. I've seen other fun places like the Big Bay Lighthouse and the Red Caboose Motel, but I want to find more!

Do you have any recommendations? The quirkier the better!

One night in Milan

krilli — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 04:00:48 -0800

Where should my girlfriend and I stay in Milano for one night? For cheap. Hostel or hostel-finder recommendations? We have an overnight stopover in Milano on the way to Sicily. We were planning on staying with a friend's brother, but he had to back out of hosting us as he's moving to South America on short notice :)

I found this thread on AskMeFi: Cheap Hotels in Venice and Milan, which recommends laterooms.com and venere.com. Any specific hostel recommendations from MeFites would be ace.

To be honest, I would prefer staying at a private residence – paying for it. Meeting the locals is always interesting, more personal, and you see the truth of the place much more clearly. Any MeFites up for hosting a computer scientist and a flutist?

I'm also checking CouchSurfing.

Thanks for any advice!

Interesting budget places to stay in Berlin?

shivohum — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:23:10 -0800

I'm going to be staying in Berlin for nearly two weeks in the summer. I need to pay hostel-style prices (10-40 euro/night), and would like to stay at a great location in a space that attracts and makes it easy to chat with interesting people (writers, artists, or just an eclectic crowd...). Don't want a heavy party atmosphere. Any hostel recommendations? And are there non-hostel accommodations I should consider?

Where to stay in Beijing?

lucy.jakobs — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:07:51 -0800

I am a student traveling to Beijing in July. Where should I stay? This summer I'll be studying abroad in Hangzhou, China. At the end of my stay I'll be traveling to Beijing (from ~July 1st to July 10th) with four other students and so I'm looking for recommendations on places to stay while in Beijing. As we are students, we are looking to keep the price as low as possible. Of course, we still want to stay in a convenient and safe part of the city. Factors that may be important are: There are 4 males and 1 female. We are willing to share a room/rooms. A few of us know basic conversational Chinese, but none of us are fluent.

Also, I have no idea whether this is the best idea or what the prices are comparable to but my program director said that "If you want to stay on Qinghua campus you can get double rooms for about $70 (unless they have raised the price). This is a really nice place, but it is not in the center of Beijing." So this is an option as well.

As a side note if anyone has any tips, must see places (for Beijing or Hangzhou), or other words of wisdom please feel free to comment or send me a message. Thanks!