From Hostels to Guesthouses, Housesitting to WWOOFing
When it comes to planning a trip abroad, accommodation is one of the most important considerations. After all, where you stay can make or break your trip! There are several different accommodation options available for student travelers, so it’s important to do your research and choose the one that’s right for you.
The most popular option for students is hostels. Hostels are a great way to meet other travelers. They can offer a variety of amenities, such as kitchens and laundry facilities. It is particularly essential for students who are going abroad to study. For example, an essay writer will need a place to write and concentrate on a topic. Guesthouses are another popular option and are usually a bit more comfortable than hostels. If you’re looking for a truly unique experience, you could try housesitting or WWOOFing (working on an organic farm).
So what are you waiting for? Start planning your next adventure today! Here’s our round-up of the different types of accommodation options for students on the road:
Hostels
Most students opt to stay in hostels when they travel because they’re the cheapest option and allow you to make friends with fellow travelers of a similar age.
Hostels can also save you money if you book tours and activities through them.
The disadvantages are often not getting a good night’s sleep if you’re staying in a dorm room, or you might have roommates you don’t get on with or who have poor personal hygiene. Sharing a bathroom is never pleasant, either.
Guesthouses
Guesthouses are primarily found in cheaper parts of the world (Southeast Asia, Central America). They are similarly priced to private rooms in hostels and usually don’t offer dorm rooms.
You could save money by staying in guesthouses if you were already planning to stay in private rooms in hostels. This way, you can be guaranteed a decent night’s sleep too. Guesthouses are best if you’re going to be traveling with a friend or partner and can split the cost of the private room.
The downside to guesthouses is that they’re often not as well set up for meeting people as hostels are – you’ll have to make more of an effort to meet people.
Couchsurfing
If you’re traveling on a strict budget, couch surfing could be the answer, as it allows you to stay in someone’s home and sleep on their couch for free. You’ll often only be able to take advantage of this for a couple of nights, but if you can find a few places in the same city, this can be a viable way to save money.
Avid couch surfers say that it’s not about the free accommodation. It’s all about the experiences. It’s not often that you’ll have a local open up their home to you and give you an insider’s look into a city. You’ll often make lifelong friends through couch surfing and discover parts of a city you wouldn’t have otherwise found.
The main downside to couch surfing is having to sleep on a couch and having little privacy. Safety can also be a concern for female travelers, though as long as you pick hosts with lots of positive reviews, you should be fine.
WWOOFing
Want to save money on accommodation but don’t feel comfortable sleeping on a stranger’s couch? WWOOFing stands for Willing Workers on Organic Farms and is a way for you to volunteer on local organic farms as you travel in exchange for free accommodation and meals. You’ll get lots of exercise, will be able to give back to the local community, and will have no travel costs overall!
The downsides to WWOOFing are that it’s highly intensive physical work, and you often won’t have much spare time to explore where you’re working.
Housesitting
Housesitting is probably the most enjoyable way of receiving free accommodation, but it also requires much more effort.
Housesitting involves looking after somebody’s home and pets while they’re away on vacation. You’ll need to spend a lot of time building up a decent profile, and it won’t hurt if you can add some references too. However, if you go down the housesitting route, you’ll be able to live in gorgeous houses for weeks or months at a time at no cost to you. Housesitting works best if you have the flexibility and don’t have fixed dates and places you need to be at certain times.
The main disadvantage to housesitting is the stress of taking care of someone’s home and pets. Things can go wrong and often do, and it’s up to you to figure out the solution.
Short-Term Vacation Rentals
Like privacy and home comforts while you travel? How about taking a look at a short-term vacation website such as Airbnb? With short-term vacation rents, you can browse apartments rented out at daily, weekly, or monthly rates. This allows you to spend time in a city living like a local.
The apartments often have kitchens and workspaces; if you share the travel costs with a partner, it usually won’t cost much more than a hostel. Airbnb works best if you’re going to stay somewhere for a reasonably long time. We rented an apartment in Portland for a month, and the $100 daily rate turned into $1000 total for the month.
