Budget travel would not be complete without the budget accommodation that we require to keep us in the lifestyle to which we have become accustomed. The places we either love or hate, where we meet our new travelling mates, old friends from back home, clubbing buddies, future partners, flatmates and in some cases our future spouse. By spending less on our beds we hope to spend more on experiencing the local culture. In the following paragraphs there are a few suggestions to make that budget bed all the more bearable.
The quality of a youth hostel is not necessarily measured by the creature comforts it provides, such as high pressure hot showers or cable TV, but more by the people, the staff and fellow travellers that make your time there, however short, more memorable. Anyone who has spent an extended amount of time living in close quarters with other human beings will understand the physical and mental adjustments that come with it. You find out just how tolerant you really are and work out new ways to make it survivable.
You may have shared a bedroom with a sibling as a child but that does not really compare to sharing with possibly, for the first time, the...