Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Traditionally, hostels are the first option that springs to mind, whenever gappers or back-
packers are looking for cheap accommodation.
Today there is a range of hostels available, which offer clean, safe and reasonably priced
accommodation, some even have 'luxury' extras, such as internet connection, games rooms
and laundry facilities.
There are a number of good apps available for booking accommodation, including book-
ing.com, hostelworld.com and TripAdvisor.
Here's some advice from a Gapwork.com blogger: “I would actually be lost without these
apps, as they make it easy to book places to stay, and all have good reviews! The reviews
on each are really useful when determining where you want to stay, and sometimes TripAd-
visor will show you prices from different sites, helping you find the best price and cutting
down on your efforts.
“In addition to the apps, I listen to the recommendations of fellow travellers when deciding
on where to stay. The best piece of advice I can offer in respect of reviews you read and
hear: think about what it is that you want. I recently stayed in a hostel that received a bad
review due to music being played in the evenings, and noise in the common area due to
socialising. My response to this was: brilliant! There will be people around to meet! And I
booked it and had a great time!”
Use your common sense and always check where the fire exits are when arriving at a hostel,
because it's too late to look if there's already a fire and you're trying to get out of the build-
ing.
If you do find you're staying in a basic, no frills-style hostel, it's wise to make sure there's
some ventilation when you have a bath or shower - faulty water heaters give off lethal and
undetectable carbon monoxide fumes and will kill you without you realising it as you fall
gently to sleep, never to wake up again. For this reason, do consider taking a small carbon
monoxide reader.
Use your instincts - if you think the hostel's simply not up to scratch and too risky, go and
find another one.
Camping
If you're on a budget camping or caravanning can be worth considering though they're not
options for some parts of the world and, particularly with camping, you need to think about
whether you really want to carry all that extra equipment.
Many campsites are replacing tents with huts; usually they're in places close to areas where
you can hike. You'll get a bed in a hut and use of other facilities so you only need a sleep-
ing bag or sheet sleeping bag - no need to carry a tent.
