Vacation temptation: My solution
Yesterday, the angel and the devil sitting on my shoulders were arguing about the merits of taking a European vacation this summer. In the end they agreed to compromise—road trip!
Later this summer, I am thinking about hopping in my Honda Civic (not a Hybrid like the one Wells Fargo is giving away, but very fuel-efficient nonetheless) and driving up to Portland, Ore., for a few days. My fiancé is keen on viewing the Body Worlds 
exhibit that will be in Portland for the month of August, and his parents live nearby—an added bonus and money-saver!
Not only will I save on the cost of airline tickets by driving, I'm also planning to reduce my cost further by staying at a hostel (when we're not crashing with his parents).
What is a hostel , you ask? There is no one correct definition (I've stayed at really nice hostels and some that were … um … not so nice), but they tend to offer low-cost accommodation options to young travelers all around the world! You can often choose between a private room or a bunk-bed style option, depending on your budget and privacy preference.
Still not convinced? You can (and should!) do your homework before traveling—sites such as hostelworld.com allow you to research, book rooms and review various hostels all over the world. A quick search shows me a couple of great hostel options in the Portland area—for a fraction of what I would spend on a hotel! My bank account will certainly thank me!
Do you have any thrifty vacation tips?
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Comments (9)
Found in Budgeting, Financial education, Graduate school, Paying, Preparing, Student loans, Vacation, Wells Fargo Bank
Comments
Kathy,
No what about that movie I have seen called Hostel I am not sure it is safe to stay in a room with 10 other people. Maybe you could get hacked up? Do you know if Eastern Europe is really like that. Seems scary? Has your fiancé or you stayed any in the US?
Thanks
Posted by: what about the movie? | July 19, 2007 06:25 AM
Hello, fellow movie buff! Well I have experience with only one hostel in Eastern Europe (see the link in my post to the Czech Inn in Prague) and it was absolutely beautiful - better than most hotels I stayed in while in Europe! Of course it's always good to have a healthy level of caution wherever you go and do your research ahead of time, but I think it's safe to say that the movie does not represent the typical Eastern European hostel experience! I actually haven't stayed in any hostels in the U.S. (yet!) but I know there are some nice ones around (for example, I visited a hostel in San Francisco's Mission District that seems really nice!)
Posted by: Kathy Barris | July 19, 2007 03:15 PM
Ms. Barris,
Was the San Francisco Hostel per chance connected to a beautiful and popular Tapas restaurant called Medjool in the Mission? I've done research on this hostel and it seems "nice." Thx.
Posted by: I-heart-SF | July 19, 2007 11:43 PM
Kathy,
Was Prague that amazing or just way to many tourists?
I have been thinking of going to Europe but just want to make sure it is a safe place to travel and easy to find places to stay.
But you would definitely recommend it?
Also how much do you think it will cost to travel in Europe for 1 to 2 months on a budget and as you said staying in hostels?
Posted by: what about the movie? | July 20, 2007 01:10 AM
Yes, I-heart-SF, that's exactly the hostel I am referring to! I just did a little research and I believe it's called Elements Hotel. Again I haven't stayed there, but it seems to be a reasonably-priced accommodation (especially for San Francisco) and it's attached to a restaurant/local hotspot to boot!
Posted by: Kathy Barris | July 20, 2007 01:25 PM
What about the movie, I loved Prague (and all of Europe for that matter) and definitely recommend it if it's in your budget. I went to Prague in November, which doesn't seem to be high tourist season in Eastern Europe (it's cold!) so I didn't think there were too many tourists. I have heard it's a little different during the summer, as that is when many tourists flock to this area. As for the cost of a 1 to 2 month trip to Europe, it totally depends on a number of factors, including the time of year, where you go, what type of accommodations you prefer, etc. Also if you are a student there are often student discounts available as well! I recommend you check out some websites specifically geared toward young travelers, such as STA Travel's site. There's a lot of helpful information in there!
Posted by: Kathy Barris | July 20, 2007 01:26 PM
Kathy
That is well helpful and I will start looking more into different travel sites you have suggested. You are a wealth of information and truly appreciate all that you have done answering everything.
Thanks again.
Posted by: what about the movie? | July 26, 2007 04:35 AM
I just saw that you were talking about the Elements Hotel in San Francisco. What ever you do don't stay there! The website and online reviews are totally misleading. Go to tripadvisor.com for real peoples reviews.
They advertise like they are a great boutique hotel with all the amenities but they are terrible! There's no hot water in the showers, the 'continental breakfast' is a couple of donuts with bad coffee, the first two floors of the hotel are a dance bar so forget about sleeping, the sheets and towels are not clean, the beds are really uncomfortable, the staff are terrible and never around when you need them, you don't even get a chair or anything in your room so theres no place to sit, the TVs don't work (you'll be lucky if you get one fuzzy channel), the 24hour internet doesn't work (the signal is too weak so you can't use your own computer and the computer station only has one working computer and it is *very* slow), they only clean your room after you leave and they don't give you extra towels soap or anything else, you aren't even allowed to bring food or drinks into your room, the roof top patio is nice but the food is totally over priced and bad, and since the whole thing is basically a bar open to the public you constantly have partiers walking through the hallways making lots of noise.
Posted by: sarah | August 12, 2007 09:38 AM
sarah, thanks for your message! I agree that you should do your research before deciding to stay somewhere, and tripadvisor.com is one of my favorite travel websites!
Posted by: Kathy Barris | August 13, 2007 10:16 AM