How To Find Economical Accommodations Abroad?
There are 4 types of cheap accommodations that you can find abroad.
1. Shared Rooms (Hostels/Dorms)
In this category, you only book a bed in a room of a total of 4/6/8 beds, depending on the hostel. This comes with basic facilities like a personal locker with a key that can fit your backpack or expensive personal items. Second, is your bunk bed (a type that has 2 beds on one above the other). Washrooms will be shared.
This is the cheapest paid option that you can get if you are just looking for a space to spend the night without fancy towels or toiletries. Hostels are just like Hotel rooms but just shared with someone. It will have AC/Heater, a view outside, etc. There are Mixed dorms that accommodate both male and female guests and there are gender-exclusive dorms too.
Unlike Hotels, Hostels have kitchen facilities to cook for yourself if you are on a budget. Self-Ironing, Self-laundry, and a lounge to gossip with all other solo travellers from different parts of the world to listen to their stories and share yours. It becomes very interactive sometimes.
Hostels are recommended for Solo Travelers, or a group of friends. It is not recommended for Pakistani families usually.
How to find a Hostel?
The top websites that I use for finding a hostel for my travel are booking.com, Agoda, and Hostel World. These websites give you a reward in your account once you complete your booked stay with them. That can be used for future bookings.
Some important tips while searching for a hostel are,
- Search in the city centre (The most happening place in the city)
- Set your price range per night
- Use filters like, within 1 km of the centre, 8+ ratings, most reviewed by guests, including breakfast, etc.
- Look closely at the pictures.
- Pay close attention to the value for money and WIFI part in the ratings.
- Hostel beds can range from 2,000 – 4,000 PKR for 1 night and they vary from city to city.
A photograph taken in Goreme, Cappadocia where I rented this Bunk Bed in a room of 4 people. This is a Cave Themed Hostel.
In this one, you have the option of renting an entire apartment or house for 1 night or more. It has all the facilities that usually are present in a normal house.
It is recommended for a group of friends travelling together who wants a personal space together without spending so much on expensive hotel rooms. You can even have sofas to sleep on to accommodate more people and cut the cost. Families can also rent these properties for an exclusive personal experience. Let's say you are a group of 6-7 friends, you can easily book a 2-bedroom apartment and a lounge with a sofa. When you will divide the cost among all people, you will see that you got an amount equivalent to or less than a hostel bunk bed with more facilities like a personal washroom, etc.
- Look for Host Reviews by previous guests. This is very important.
- Secondly, look for property reviews by previous guests.
- Look for basic facilities like WIFI etc.
- Search in the city centre (The most happening place in the city)
- Set your price range per night
- Look closely at the pictures.
- If it looks too good to be true according to price and pictures, do not rent it as itcan be a scam.
A small apartment accommodating 6-7 people can range from 15,000 – 20,000 PKR for 1 night and it varies from city to city.
3. Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is an app name to be specific. It is basically a free stay hosted by someone in the city you are travelling to. You can install this app and create your profile on it. Then you can find a list of people offering a space in their homes like a couch, a bed or a sofa to spend the night there. It is absolutely free and fun in most cases. But you have to find the host way before your travel dates and share your intention to come over. It will be on the host if he/she allows you to crash in for the nights you requested. This kind of accommodation is famous among hitchhikers (the type of travellers we will discuss later). So, if you want to win a free sofa for a night or two, make sure you make a good profile!
Caution: Since it will be used by solo travellers, It is recommended to check for locations that must not be in shady places. You can confirm that by google maps street view. Also, it is recommended for female travellers to avoid this option unless they are hosted by an all-female home like for example a university girl hostel. If you are a first-time traveller, then you should also avoid this option. Get a hostel instead.
4. A private room in a Hostel.
This is a unique category of accommodation that is a mix of hostel and hotel. It is basically your private room with a private washroom like a hotel but in a hostel. Not all hostels have this facility but you can look for it if you use the filters well. The benefit of renting a room in a hostel rather than a hotel is that it is cheaper in price and has almost all the facilities of a 3-star Hotel like a private washroom, towels, room cleaning service, and toiletries. Moreover, you will have a kitchen to cook for you which is not available in a proper hotel.
This option is good for a small group of friends or young couples. Let's say you are 4 people, instead of renting 4 beds in a hostel you can have your own room with 4 beds with minimal extra price. You can easily search for rooms in each hostel when you go to the list of options in apps like booking.com.
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