In the two previous posts, I analyzed the ways to have a low-cost holiday choosing the cheapest destinations and the cheapest transportation.

In this post, the final one of the trilogy (!), I want to put in evidence the ways to save money for the accommodation. There are many possibilities, from the classic hotel to the camping, but I would like to focus about two main (and cheapest) options: the hostels and Couchsuring.

A classic dormitory in a hostel
The first hostel was created in Germany in 1912... Nowadays there are more than 4500 hostels all over the World. Hostels offer cheap accommodation, usually in a dormitory with a variable number of beds. People choose hostels for saving money but also for the environment. There are usually open spaces in which the guests can interact each other and hostel can become not just a place to sleep but also a place to meet people and sharing experiences.

If hostels can look too expensive, there is always the possibility to sleep somewhere else for free, thanks to Couchsurfing. This is a hospitality exchange and social networking website. People can offer a couch to sleep (for free) or, if they don't have place available, they can just offer a coffee and maybe a tour of the place they live.

Couchsurfing is present almost everywhere, with more the 3 millions of users. It is very common in Europe and Us, but we can find couchsurfers also in China, Russia, Australia and Brazil. Despite few negative episodes, the network of couchsurfers is safe and hosts reliable. It is interesting to notice the average age is 28 years, the 71% of members speaks English, the 20% are from United States. The common values are social integration, anti-discrimination, open-mindedness.


Couchsurfers in the World

Finally. which is the best way to have a low-cost holiday?

I would say that it depends from your budget and from your open-mindedness. If someone has a very little amount of money, the option couchsurfing + hitchhiking gives the opportunity to spend money just for food, not giving up to an holiday.

After all, the most important thing is that if you really want to travel, to visit places and to share experiences, you don't have to be rich, you just need to be open-minded, and maybe a little bit daredevil.