So, you know where you want to go, you know who you’re going with, and you know roughly what you have to spend – it’s accommodation time – but what’s going to be best for your trip? Let’s break it down.
Now, just because one is the cheapest doesn’t mean that it’s instantly a winner. I love a scrimp and a save as much as anyone, but sometimes paying a little bit more for a better location or better services might save you more in the long run.
Another little disclaimer before we get cracking – I’m a big believer in not being in your room on a trip, so for me, it’s less about the room itself and more of what the entire place offers. If I wanted to stay in and watch movies, I can do that for free at home. The majority of the time, when I’m away, accommodation is somewhere for me to crash and recharge my batteries, that’s about it.
Okay, without any further ado, let’s get into it.
Hostels
Hostels have been my go-to option for a while now, predominantly because I tend to travel solo. The main place where I book is on the Hostelworld app because they have extra discounts versus the site. This way I feel safe in my surroundings, can meet other people, and take advantage of concierge services such as pub crawls, walking tours, or excursion deals. They also have the added benefit of having no single supplement, which is something that tends to sting a lot of solo travellers.
Price-wise, hostels are normally the cheapest option, but the cost of that is privacy. If you’re a light sleeper then I’d avoid dorm rooms, especially the bigger 8+ bed ones. Chances are at least one person is gonna roll in at 4am and someone else is going to have an early flight and turn their phone torch on to make sure they have everything.
Of course, privates are an option, especially if there’s a couple of you going away. Travelling as a couple is pretty much always cheaper because you can split the bills, but for larger groups, this works too. I’ve done this before where there were five of us and we just hired the whole dorm at the single-bed rate.
The main benefit that comes with hostels are location and the open vibe. Hostels are normally pretty central or on main transportation lines, and more often than not, they’re staffed by fellow travellers or locals that are used to being asked for recommendations. In a lot of hostels, they’ll also have a tour desk where they’ve got deals with local providers at local rates – this is especially useful if the tours are out of town and transportation is an issue.
Also, the vast majority of hostels that I’ve stayed in have had bars attached or downstairs. Now, depending on your stance this might be great for you – no taxis to get home, somewhere to meet people, and a good chance of a good time. Alternatively, this might indicate that this place is going to be noisy during the small hours, which might not be on the cards for you. It’s your call – you know what you need from your accommodation.
Hotels
Okay, so hotels, the hostel’s older, more sophisticated sibling. That’s the perception anyway, but I’ve stayed in some horrible hotels and some amazing hostels, so it really does depend on the specific place you’re choosing. Hotels are great if you’re looking for more facilities from your trip such as business centres, gyms or pools. Booking.com normally has a full list of amenities to check out. Some hostels will have some of these, but especially in cities, these are few and far between.
Of course, hotels are great for an even number of people. Whether that’s a couple, a group of friends, or a family – anything that adheres to their room occupancy numbers is going to be great. Unless you’re willing to pay two people’s worth of accommodation, it’s less of an option for individuals, but deals can always be found – especially as you get closer to your dates and they’re trying to fill rooms.
The other thing to consider, especially if you’re an even number of people looking for resort holidays or city breaks, is that staying in a hotel as part of a package deal might be cheaper than separately booking flights and a hostel. I’ve been on city breaks where it’s been £99 each for a couple of days and there’s no way that I could beat that price including cheap flights.
Another thing to consider is loyalty programmes, many chain hotels have them, or your bank or credit card might have cashback deals on certain hotels or airlines. This is always worth factoring in when you’re looking at accommodation. Suddenly, a fancy hotel in the middle of town with a spa, full concierge, and breakfast might become more affordable than you first thought.
AirBnBs
Moving onto AirBnBs. Now I love a good homestay or whole rental, especially when there are a few of us. Personally, I wouldn’t rent one if I were travelling solo because I’d miss out on meeting people and getting local recommendations like you do if you’re in a hostel. That being said, I’ve stayed in several places where the owners have left giant binders of recommendations and advice, and you can stay in a spare room with the owner still staying in the apartment or house, so if you’re a self-starter, choose your own adventure, kinda person this might be an option for you.
If I’m doing a short city break with a friend and we know roughly what we want to do already this can be a really great option. Particularly in Western capital cities, hostels can be pretty expensive so renting a studio apartment between two people is often cheaper, and you have your own kitchen/fridge to store breakfasts and snacks without the risk of hostel food thieves…
Even recently I’ve converted my diehard hotel family to AirBnBs on a road trip in California. There were four adults, we needed parking and we were only staying a couple of nights in each place, so we knew what we wanted to see. My folks definitely weren’t going to opt for a hostel and we would’ve had to pay for two hotel rooms in every place I don’t know about you, but California accommodation is expensive.
Especially if you’re looking for a more chilled, relaxing holiday, hiring an AirBnB with a pool or some outside space can be a much better option for a group than going to a resort where you have to share all the facilities with other people. You only have to fight your friends for the loungers here.
So, when it comes to picking a style of accommodation for your trip, there’s no hard and fast rule. I’m currently planning a trip to Costa Rica where a friend and I are doing a mix of hostels and AirBnBs depending on the location. Just because you’re used to traveling a certain way and staying in a certain type of place doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try something different every now and again. After all, it’s an adventure, right?
