As a backpacker, you’ll be sleeping at hostels, on strangers’ couches or possibly camping out. Although hostels are not as common in the United States, they are a popular option in most places around the world. And now, with the ever growing world of couch surfing, you have the option of sleeping at the homes of complete strangers you meet on the internet. Bottom line is:  you’re young and flexible so luxury can wait till you’re fat and old.

What are Hostels?

Hostels are low budget short-term housing usually setup like dorm rooms that sleep 2-12 people per room. You can expect to meet young backpackers who are traveling through and looking for a good time just like you (with the exception of some harmless, yet creepy, questionable old dudes). Hostels range from modern resort-like hedonistic party palaces with gorgeous views packed with hotties, fully stocked cheap bars and built-in club to ancient ruin-like holes where water heaters haven’t yet been discovered to grimy undecorated dens set up solely for sleeping purposes. At the least, you should be provided the minimum accommodations such as a bed with sheets and a pillow, community bathroom/showers and a roof. Hostels make you feel officially part of the backpacking circuit and you may even meet a whole group to travel with.

Prices

Hostels cost anywhere from $5 -$60 p/ night depending on exchange rates, season and location. Hostels in larger cities are priced based on their proximity to tourist attractions and general transportation conveniences.

Booking

If you are traveling throughout the high season, book your hostel at least 4-6 weeks in advance. Otherwise, you can book your accomodations as you go along (24-48 hours in advance.) We recommend using HostelBookers.com for your bookings as they provide a comprehensive list of international hostels with recent reviews, pictures and availability. You can start using it in our sidebar if you look just a little bit up and over to the right.

Safety

Don’t let the disillusions about hostels scare you. Here a couple simple things to keep in mind:

• Most hostels will provide you with a locker space but you will need to provide your own lock. Don’t leave anything valuable at the hostel (i.e. cash, credit cards, passport, etc.) We suggest you pack all paperwork and daily necessities in a daypack and leave your main backpack locked at the hostel when leaving for the day. As usual, use common sense and take precautions.
• If you are unsure about the locality of your hostel, do some research. If you choose to stay in a “grungier” part of town, keep an eye out and walk around with confidence. When booking your hostel, don’t just go by pictures you find on the internet, check out some reviews and try to make your own best judgement.

Still not feeling to sure? Check out, Hostels vs. the movie Hostel

• If you are a light sleeper, bring earplugs! There WILL be noise. Sometimes, lots of it – all different kinds of noises…
• If you are traveling as a couple or a group, ask if private rooms are available and/or if there are group discounts available.
• Etiquette: There is no room for snotty noses at a hostel. Remember, you are giving up luxury and privacy for a social atmosphere at budget price.
• Don’t forget to use your ISC card for discounts..Find out more at OTP Backpackers Guide 101: Budgeting + Costs.
• You can be sure the hostels listed in any Lonely Planet guide book will be the first to get booked. You will also be part of a typical crowd of backpackers following the lonely planet guide book circuit. Don’t be too quick to make the obvious choice; look into some other interesting options.

“There are many dangerous people who want to take things from Americans…and also kidnap them. Goodnight”  - Eugene Hutz, from Everything is Illuminated

Couches

Why? you ask yourself, would someone you have never met let you stay in there house for free and how is that possibly safe? Couchsurfing.com has developed a very large trustworthy global community of like-minded travelers who work on a “If you scratch my back, i’ll scratch yours” system…hopefully no actual itchy backs need a scratch…

How it Works

You can go to Couchsurfing.com and setup a profile like any other online social network. You then upload some pictures, they’ll ask you about your interests, travel-related hobbies, places you’ve traveled to, future traveling plans and if you would be available to host a couch surfer yourself. You get to know people, people get to know you and you can begin to ask around for someone to host your bummy ass! With 1.5 million members worldwide, finding a host almost anywhere in the world shouldn’t be a problem.

Nothing is totally free, what does it cost?

Most often your stay is completely free with no strings attached, but it may involve a little bit of a trade off. For example, you mention you’re a Beatles guitar playing guru and your hosting buddy happens to be in the market for a guitar lesson. Maybe a host is looking for someone to brush up their English with…or it just so happens a host plans on flying  to your neck of the woods next season and needs a place to crash. For the most part, couchsurfing hosts are travelers or ex-travelers on downtime who want to share stories and show you their town. Being open to provide free English or guitar lessons or to reciprocate the hospitality at a later time is a small price to pay for otherwise free accommodations. As a bonus, you’ll get a chance to experience local hospitality and culture. 

How is this Safe?

Couchsurfing is a “certified” system in the sense that it involves a small fee and an identification check process. If you are certified, members feel more confident to let you stay or stay with you. Regardless, couchsurfing keeps track of every detail about you and your history on the site including a feedback section. They’ll even publicly display how often you return peoples messages on their site to weed out the flakes. To our knowledge, there have been NO incidences of grave danger reported by couchsurfers other than an occasional “weird” person alert.

Of course, there are no guarantees. If you are uncomfortable with the idea,  do some of your own research and try talking to others outside of couchsurfing.com to get some unbiased feedback. If it makes a big difference to your budget, we suggest trying it out at least once. Couchsurfing continues to be a growing trend amongst budget backpack travelers and is worth a shot.

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• Backpackers Guide 101: Budgeting + Money
• Backpackers Guide 101: Planning & Research