Accommodation

Accommodation is a part of traveling and everyone has to solve every evening where they will sleep. There are many different types of accommodation. It all depends on what you expect and what your budget is. The easiest way, of course, is finding the local accommodation in the destination you stay. This requires bargaining, at least in countries where it is possible and a common practise. However sometimes it is necessary to plan everything in advance because there might be events during which accommodation is difficult to find for  a reasonable price. Even we have planned and calculated the preliminary costs of accommodation during our preparation. And even though it will probably be absolutely different during our actual travelling, at least we  have  discovered where we can cheaply and conveniently find accommodation.

CouchSurfing – accommodation with the locals and for free

CouchSurfing is an absolutely amazing way  to meet other  travelers,  exchange with them experiences from  trips and information about the country they live in or the city where you live.  You can also find many new friends with whom you can stay in touch and meet them all over the world. CouchSurfing is a website built on trust. For us it is important to be part of the community and CS for us seemed like the perfect helper for preparation of our trip around the world. We have invited  many couchsurfers  to our home. They advised us about places to visit in their countries, and in return we gave them advice. We told them where to go in Prague, what places are less visited by tourists but still worth seeing, where to eat good food or where to drink at normal prices. We gave them many other inspirational advice and so did they. Thanks to CouchSurfing we have now friends from all over the world and we look  forward to meeting  up with them again during our round the world trip.

Camping – back to the nature

Camping is great. And if you are lucky and you’re somewhere where it is not expressly prohibited to camp in nature, it’s a really powerful experience. Unfortunately if you camp in a traditional camp with dozens of other campers, the experience might not be so good. It is a very cheap way of accommodation, however it’s not for everyone due to your personal  comfort requirement level. But it might give you different view for certain things. We love camping and look forward to camping around the world. The most beautiful views out of our tent will surely be in Patagonia. There are 2 types of camps located in the National Parks – one is actually very natural and the other one has all necessary amenities for travelers. Camping in New Zealand will be generally more comfortable, but also a great experience. We will also enjoy sleeping in a tent during our trekking  in Nepal – with a view of the Himalayas immediately after waking up. Doesn’t it sound wonderful? And those are just a few examples  of what you might experience during camping. So cheers to nature!

Hostels – accommodation not only for the young and students

Many people nowadays dislike hostels. They think this type of accommodation is suitable only for young people. But they would probably be pretty surprised how clean and comfortable hostels are these days.  And the prices? At some places absolutely unbeatable! Finding the right hostel is not easy. It is surely recommended to look for those that have references and check some of them carefully in order to avoid unwanted surprises. It is always good to have a place where one can cook something. In the reviews  you can find if the hostel has a kitchen and how well equipped it is. And where to search for the best hostels? We often use the website HostelWorld but another suitable website is also Hostels. Two websites are always better than one because it is the only way to compare prices and get the best deals. It is good to know that there are still places where staying in a hostel is not the most economic option. Why? At certain places you can book a hotel room for the same price and breakfast included. Search and compare so you are sure you get the best deal for your money!

Hotels – even backpackers  stay there sometimes

Certainly it does not make sense to list here all the hotels. It is obvious we do not even know  all the hotels personally. But we do know where you can find relatively cheap hotels. Experienced travelers might be disappointed but it is definitely worth looking at Booking.com. Another very helpful website, with not only budget hotels but also with wider accommodation possibilities, is Priceline. Another way to find the best deals is at Momondo. If you are traveling to Asia try to search on Agoda. (Nevertheless we think that in many places in Asia it is best to find accommodation onsite and bargain.)  Although everybody likes to stay in a hotel from time to time, it is important to point out that hotels in many countries are still more expensive option compared to other alternatives of accommodation.

Private accommodation – apartments &  vacation rentals

It’s cheap and still a good way of how to spend your holiday comfortably . The advantage is that in most cases you can cook. It comes handy  in countries where eating out is expensive. Our favourite and probably the most useful website is Zilyo (formerly Outpost.travel). There you can find offers from 23 companies such as Airbnb, Roomorama, HomeAway, Wimdu and others. It saves a lot of time. If you have plenty of time you can explore these website individually of course. Renting a room, holiday home or apartment is simply amazing and you can communicate with the owner directly.  Everything is clearly defined in advance.  And it is possible to search only for deals with references so there is a big chance everything will run smoothly.

Wherever you choose to stay overnight don’t forget for one old Indian proverb which says “sleep pampers all living things“. Keep that in mind no matter where you stay.

Tento příspěvek je také k dispozici v jazyce: Czech