That said, I would not turn down good hotel deals. Stayed with 2 friends at a hotel in NY last year (that came with free wifi located near SoHo!). The price came up to almost the same per person at a hostel.

If it’s solo travelling, hostels or B&B would definitely be a first choice given the human connection and value for money; but if travelling in group, I’ll definitely look at hotels to maximise the economies of scale.

We’ve also stayed in campgrounds in New Zealand and Australia, where lots of Kiwis + Ozzies (and others) come to camp, but these places often have lovely small “cabins” that can be rented for the night at reasonable prices, if you don’t wish to literally camp. Again, with kitchens, pools, hot tubs, and other nice accommodations. Generally a pretty kid-friendly way to go also.

I mention it because most people don’t immediately think of camping as a good way to seeing urban places, but it actually is a great way to experience expensive cities on a tight budget. And lots of Europeans spend their vacations renting small RVs and driving them around, staying in such places when they want to experience the cities…. and you can do it too if you’re so inclined.

At the same time I don’t really like the impersonal atmosphere of hotels/motels, so that leaves me with gravitating more towards Bed and Breakfasts. I love Bed and Breakfast, especially in historical buildings. I love talking to the hosts and other guests, and then going to my own private quarters. I find the hosts to be a great source of information on local life and hotspots.

One of my best experiences was recently staying at the Gentry house on St. Anne in the French Quarter, N.O. The house was almost 200 years old. It was previously owned by one of the first black women to own a house. They had photos of her and her family up and spent almost an hour sitting with us and giving us a history lesson of the house and of New Orleans.

Our room had exposed brick walls with the original wood timbers cross-sectioning the brick. There was a claw-foot tub, overlooked a gorgeous private courtyard, and the older man (it was an elderly married couple running the place)would bike up to a locally run Patisserie every morning and pick up french pastries and croissants.

Our experience at the B&B was just as memorable as our visit to NO. And this has been my experience at every B&B I’ve been to. B&Bs can be very economical also because you can rent an entire house or lodge and share with quite a few people.

The nearest hostel is $28/night and has an approval rating of 94%. it is actually closer to a lot of the things I want to do in Seattle… And now I’m rethinking my lodging decision, lol!

I just can’t wait til the little guy is big enough for his own tent, instead of always sleeping between us. We’re going to the Apostle Islands for a week next summer and I’m hoping he’ll sleep on his own at least one or two nights of it.

I too take a break from cooking on vacation. That’s part of why I’m not interested at all in a condo. I love resorts!!!

hostels.com
hiusa.com

there are almost 200 hostels in the US alone. One of the best was in NYC and a great one in Taos, New Mexico. There are so many great places to stay cheap!

Most hostels (including NYC, Chicago, Boston and SF) have private rooms available for 1 or 2 people, most of the time with a private bath as well. Just call and make reservations.

I stayed in hostel exclusively (except one night in Nebraska) when I drove from California to Vermont for Graduate school and when I returned. And i stayed in a hostel for the week prior to the community house opening at my university. I have stayed with the same hostel 4 or 5 times, when ever I go back to the place where I studied, and have become good friends with the owners.

If you can’t use communal bathroom (in the US I have never see a co-ed bathroom and in Europe there are always women only bathrooms as well as co-ed) at the gym then you might have a problem staying in a hostel but they are CLEAN, SAFE, CHEAP, great for making new friends, meals and experiences. Travel with a friend and get a private room. It is easy and fun!

Different people value different things when travelling and that is okay. “Room service” was merely an example of something that one can’t get in a hostel but can get in a nice hotel. It’s okay to like room service. It’s okay to see it as a part of the travel experience that is worth spending money on.

It’s okay to want the robe and the valet parking and the Concierge who is a font of fabulous information. It’s okay to want the fabulous views (which hostels tend to be lacking), the central locations (which some hostels don’t always have) and all of those things that make a nice hotel pricier than a hostel. There is nothing wrong with that.

It’s okay to budget for that and make it part of your overall trip. It’s okay to value it as part of the travel experience.

…but not everybody does and that is also okay.

My only pro-hostel sounding point was simply that a private room/bath in a good hostel (key word there being “good”) can be, in my personal experience ymmv, not all that different from a room in a no frills chain hotel. It does tend to be less expensive than a no frills chain hotel (because of the hostel moniker) and therefore probably worth considering if you’re looking for a no frills type of accomodation.

If that is not something that interests then please feel free to disregard the information.

In Ohio, state park cabins come with linens and basic kitchenware so you don’t have to pack any of that yourself. There is also tons to do – if you like “outdoors” activities. They almost always have kid-friendly hiking trails, sometimes fishing, indoor pools and if we time it right, there is usually a nature show about local animals, birds, plants, etc. that the kids just love.

Do hostels in Europe and the US still have lockout periods?