Budget Accommodation, for beginners ...
As the creator of this website, I want to do my best to help every person who uses it gets a great travel experience. Now, choosing the right accommodation can greatly enhance your travel experience, especially when you are traveling on a shoestring budget. There are so many websites nowadays offering budget accommodation, that it can be quite mind boggling deciding where to stay. Many of these sites, including my own Budget Accommodation Guide, provide an automated list of hostels or guesthouses for each city, along with the lowest price available.
My first tip to people booking their budget accommodation online is to remember that the website is a machine. It will just give you numbers without telling you which to decide. While that is very democratic and unbiased, it is NOT the wisest thing to simply zoom in on the hostel with the lowest price. If you are planning to have a good time during your vacation (and who doesn't), you should do a little bit of homework before deciding, especially when you are visiting an unfamiliar city for the first time. So the purpose of this article is to help you through the heap of lousy establishment and find that gem of an accommodation.
Let's assume you are planning a budget holiday in Bangkok. So you go to a budget accommodation portal - for this purpose, let's use my Budget Accommodation Guide. Click here to open a new window. The first thing we do is look for Bangkok. As it's in Thailand, let's click Thailand.
Now we arrive at a page listing all the towns in Thailand. You see Bangkok listed in the fourth row. There's a price shown for the lowest available accommodation in Bangkok in the next 7 days, in US Dollars. This fluctuates over time. When I am writing this article, it is USD2.68 for shared accommodation and USD4.41 for private accommodation. As a budget traveler, you need to have a determined budget, that is to say, how much you are willing to spend for your accommodation. Let's assume your budget is USD10 per night and you hope to get your own private accommodation. If that is the case, you can well afford it. But don't go straight for the lowest available accommodation. Let's research a little more. Click Bangkok.
Now a page showing a whole list of budget accommodation opens. Going through the list, you found the one with the lowest shared accommodation (Big John's Restaurant and Internet Cafe for Backpackers) and the lowest for private accommodation (5 Rama-nine 54). Are these the ones to go for? Let's check out a bit more.
Big John's is certainly within your budget. Its shared room goes for USD2.68 while its private room goes for USD7.08. The other establishment, 5 Rama-nine 54 may be cheaper for private rooms, USD4.41, but it does not provide breakfast. Is it worth spending an extra USD2.67 to get breakfast? It depends on how important breakfast is to you, and whether you value the convenience of having it provided. Big John's is rated 60% while 5-Rama-nine is rated 68%. This rating is based on feedback on a few subjective criterias including the atmosphere, location, facilities, staff, cleanliness, safety, value, and even the fun factor. Naturally, you can take this with a pinch of salt, but it's worth a glance.
But what about other criterias? Let's review on one of the establishment. Click on Big John's.
Now we can see the details of this establishment. Two important things to consider: firstly, the location ("1" in diagram). Take a look at the address. At this juncture, while I must remain impartial, let me ask you, is this location Sukhumvit Soi 55 convenient for you? Get a good map and locate this place. Also, find out where the main sightseeing places in Bangkok are. Is it easy for you to get there and back? Are there mass transit trains or buses that you can take. Will it be too time consuming? How much will it cost you, if you have to take the taxi instead. Secondly, does the establishment provide hotel pick up? Some provide free pickup, but in this case, it is USD28.33 ("2" in diagram), which (though I want to be impartial) in my opinion is a bit steep.
Now check out another establishment and go through the drill once again. It will soon become second nature that you consider the whole cost of your accommodation and not just the listed price. Generally, my advise is that you should always stay as close to the city center as you can possibly afford. Look out for the nearest bus, train, subway or mass transit stations. The commuting time saved is well worth it even if you have to pay slightly higher. Do you prefer a hostel that provides towels, or do you prefer to bring your own. It also depends on whether you can conveniently and inexpensively do your laundry. If your trip is just for a few days, then laundry should not be an issue. But if you're going for an extended period, then select an accommodation where laundry services is available (and cheap). A free airport pickup is a boon and the lack of it can turn into an unplanned hidden cost.
Whether you choose private or shared accommodation depends on whether you can sleep comfortably and securely in the presence of other strangers. Also, if you have valuable items with you, ie expensive camera gear, laptop, etc., the peace of mind of having your own room may well be worth the additional amount spent.
Let's assume you are now ready to make your booking. Now it's time to check out the prices, based on the exact dates and duration of your stay. Let's stay you are going there for 2 nights starting 6 May, 2008. Submit to check price:
Now you get more details about the establishment, including map and directions ("1" in above diagram) to go there. Make sure you do the same with at least another one or two establishments, to determine which is your best choice. Look at the accommodation choices available ("2" in above diagram). Now it appears that the cheapest accommodation is a hammock on the roof. That may not be apparent when you make your initial choice, so reconsider whether that is what you want. Take a look at the dormitories (shared rooms). They have a dorm with 4 beds, which is only for females - if you aren't, you don't qualify for that dorm. There are also private rooms. If it says Private (4 beds), it means, you need to book all 4 beds to get the room. That works for people traveling in a group of 4. If you're traveling alone, they won't give you that room, unless of course you pay for all 4 beds. "Ensuite" means there's a bathroom attached. Do you want that, or can you accept communal (and often unisex) bathroom?
As you can see, choosing a budget accommodation is not as clean cut as it first appears. For sure, if you are looking for budget, you need to do some homework. Time (which is a valuable resource) has to be spent to find the right place. My advise is to make your booking as early as possible, then you are likely to get a wider range of choices.
Try Out Our Search Engine
If you are presently planning a vacation, try out the Budget Accommodation Guide hostel search engine, using the country list or the console below. You'd see that it is very easy to use, and it guides you step by step towards determining and selecting the budget accommodation of your choice.
If you're a group of 10 or more, use Book Groups!
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