Logistics

Other accommodations

The accommodations you plan to use while you travel should fit your budget, mode of transportation, goals for meeting people, and time limitations.

Arrange for how you plan to travel abroad, how much time you have, and most importantly, what you really want to do.  Make reservations in advance for peak season travel.

Hostels are inexpensive ($5 to $20 per night), but occasionally may be dirty, crowded, noisy, or unfriendly.  Since the range of quality is so great, it's best to consult veteran travelers about specific hostels.  Some look like hovels and insist on strict enforcement of regulations.  Others ignore the rules, put on four-course feasts, and may be reconstructed castles in beautiful natural settings.  Hostels listed with Hosteling International and with Hostels.Com are usually among the best hostels you can find).

There are many advantages to staying in hostels, particularly if you travel by yourself.  You can meet and make friends with other hostelers from all over the world!  Membership costs $25 and applications are available at Hostels.Com and from most travel agencies.  International Youth Hostel Handbooks are available for purchase at bookstores.  These handbooks list the addresses and phone numbers of hostels, number of beds, the nearest train station or bus stop, whether laundry facilities are available or meals served, the approximate price ranges, and whether reservations are accepted or required.

Clustered around railroad stations, inexpensive hotels are a great alternative for students visiting major cities.  Rooms without private baths are considerably cheaper.  It's financially worth sharing a bathroom and foregoing daily showers.  Showers may cost extra.   Pensioni and Bed-and-Breakfasts (B&BS), which are hotels that include breakfast with the price of a bed and may serve lunch and dinner at an extra charge, tend to be friendly and homey.

Use national tourist information offices and hotel booking services at train stations for assistance in locating accommodations.  Student travel bureaus in many cities also have information on tourist homes, rooming houses and pensioni.  To beat the hordes of tourists searching for bargain hotels, make reservations well in advance if possible.  Without reservations, look for a room early in the day.