Top Must-Know Tips For Choosing Travel Accommodations In Europe

Top Must-Know Tips For Choosing Travel Accommodations In Europe
Huong
Huong 
Published
| 3 min read

Finding, booking and staying at a suitable accommodation has always been a significant part of travel planning. Choosing the proper type of accommodation can totally change your whole travel experience. I have met incredibly kind and like-minded people in hostels who helped me and shared great memories with me on the road. In this article, I will break down my travel accommodation tips in detail for different areas of Europe.

Northern and Western Europe: make use of Couchsurfing and Airbnb

top must-know tips for choosing travel accommodations in europe | northern and western europe: make use of couchsurfing and airbnb

In Northern and Western Europe, including countries such as The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and those in the Nordic or Scandinavian regions, are some of the most expensive areas in Europe to book a decent accommodation for your stay. Thus, I always recommend people use Couchsurfing or Airbnb here. This is an excellent way to meet up and stay with locals who can share knowledge with you and show you how to get around smartly. Using Couchsurfing is completely free, but I recommend sharing the cost of food or buy a present for the host. Keep in mind to check the host’s location, references and home conditions to make sure you know what to expect when arriving. Staying at an Airbnb apartment, room or bed in a shared space is not free, but it provides the convenience of home and is often cheaper than booking a hotel. Meeting up with people you’ve only met online in Northern Europe is fairy safe. I’ve never had any trouble hosting and being hosted by people in these locations. You will notice that most hosts and travelers using Couchsurfing or Airbnb are friendly and open-mined due to their international travel experiences.

Southern and Eastern Europe: make friends in hostels and guest houses

top must-know tips for choosing travel accommodations in europe | southern and eastern europe: make friends in hostels and guest houses

For travelers visiting some of the hottest destinations in Southern and Eastern Europe, including Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Hungary, a must-do experience is to stay in a hostel. Southern and Eastern Europeans are known to be relaxed and warm-hearted. Hence, you are most likely to interact with sociable travelers and staff in these countries. Some of my favourite low-budget hostels that I stayed in Portugal and Spain are Urban Garden Hostel (Lisbon), Chill Out Hostel (Lisbon) and Way Hostel (Madrid).

Before booking a hostel, besides reviews based on real experiences from customers, the most important thing is to avoid extra charges for linens, city tax, lockers, etc. Most of the descriptions on booking sites and reviews reveal whether these fees are included or excluded in the payment. Book the hostel as early as possible, or wait until last minute. I usually compare reviews on different booking sites such as Hostelbookers, Hostelworld and Booking.com to get an idea of if people either enjoyed or disliked the place. The best way to make a reservation is probably on Booking.com as there is no booking fee charged.

Try a bed and breakfast in Italy

top must-know tips for choosing travel accommodations in europe | try a bed and breakfast in italy

Travelers to Europe must certainly not leave Italy off their bucket list. Although there are tons of tourists visiting Italy for the versatile landscape, hypnotizing architecture and world famous cuisine, the hostel industry is somehow not as developed as other popular European destinations. I always recommend people stay at a bed and breakfast or hotel in Venice and Florence. Many B&Bs in Italy are affordable, cozy and particularly suitable for couples, families and travel groups. Take a look at Ca del Pozzo B&B (Venice) and Antichi Ricordi B&B (Sicily) for a further look. Couchsurfing is not highly recommended in Italy as it’s not the safest destination to be hosted by a stranger.

Go fancy or low-budget in the Balkans

top must-know tips for choosing travel accommodations in europe | go fancy or low-budget in the balkans

Despite remaining an off-the-beaten-path region in Europe, the Balkans offer stunning pure landscape for genuine explorers to discover at the least expensive cost on the continent. Bulgaria is one of the few countries in Europe that offers decent hotel rooms for about only 20 EUR (about 22.7 USD) (e.g., National Hotel in Ruse). Staying at a dorm in cities like Sofia, Bucharest and Skopje costs as low as 6 EUR or roughly 7 USD (e.g., the Midland Hostel in Bucharest). Couchsurfing and AirBnb are not popular in the Balkan countries, but you should still try your luck!

Plan your budget and preferences

Before reserving an accommodation, spare some time to do careful research instead of just choosing for the cheapest ‘place to sleep’. Decide what kind of traveler you are: an adventurous traveler, leisurely type or something in between, then book the stay accordingly. When traveling, I usually make foreign friends and stay in touch, as they most likely can host me in their home country either in the near or distant future. They can always give you useful tips for arriving to the destination before your departure. If you are more into long-term traveling like me, be more adventurous and move to a new country for a short period of time by working in a hostel and stay there for free as a reimbursement. There are many websites and organizations offering such volunteering and cultural exchange programs such as Workaway, EVS (European Voluntary Services) and AIESEC (the biggest student organization in the world).

Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Meet Huong, a passionate explorer born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam. In 2011, she ventured from her homeland to Finland, where she caught the European travel bug. Since 2015, Huong has embraced the...Read more

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