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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Hostels,,, ++
Meeting other travelers and getting ideas / connections for future travel.
the 'experience'... (traveling community) Our kids called them "foster homes for college kids"
Really good local info, and often free meet-ups / hikes / events.
Usually great Food sharing!
Location ? many pristine destinations (Tough to beat Ft Mason in SF... free parking (unheard of elsewhere in SF)) walking / bus distance to most places. Even had a view of Alcatraz from our room!
Hostels are certainly not CHEAP(for more than single travelers)!!! (I use Hospitality guest homes... $ free to $20 Worldwide) 300+ nights last yr alone. 30 yrs of great stays.
Security / safety has been OK in my 50 yrs of occasional hosteling.
Probably a better choice while single, my spouse STOPPED our family's Hostel experience after too many Co-ed showers in Europe. Our kids were 8&10 at the time, so not too appropriate for the family. (Too expensive anyway for 4-6). In Europe, most small towns have a good choice of rooms to rent, many are separate living qtrs, so quite good for a family.
If you are traveling as a couple I think hostels are not the best. You need privacy and comfort as a couple that you don't really get in a hostel. Hostels naturally are the best for solo travelers looking to meet people, not couples
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,722 posts, read 58,067,115 times
Reputation: 46190
Quote:
Originally Posted by Warszawa
If you are traveling as a couple I think hostels are not the best. You need privacy and comfort as a couple that you don't really get in a hostel. Hostels naturally are the best for solo travelers looking to meet people, not couples
but... if you are a couple traveling together and not married / renting separate rooms... A hostel can make sense. Hotels are really too sterile for a 'rich' travel experience. (Meeting interesting people and learning about the local area).
Depends where you are going, and what you are doing.
Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 8 days ago)
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I think maybe she wants to experience the thrill of minimalism. The idea that "I don't need all the trappings I've acquired, on vacation I want to go bare bones".
I get that. I can afford to travel in relative luxury and comfort too, but on a recent road trip I bought a loaf of bread, a jar of mustard, and a package of ham slices. And ate that for 2 days. Although I don't want to live that way, it was freeing to eat for 2 days on $5 on the road.
Like people who go backpacking into the wilderness. It's "textural" and memorable in a way that staying at the Best Western is not.
But, I hate noise, I hate bad mattress, I hate outdated A/C, I hate creepy bathroom.
Why do people pay for high-end hotels? The number one reason is sleep quality!
I agree with you. I feel like having a comfy bed and a nice hotel adds more to my experience. I am not going to have fun on vacation if I get no sleep because the bed & room are crappy.
There's something just so great about crawling into a big nice comfy hotel bed at the end of the day.
Maybe it is b/c I am female. We also grew up very differently. I grew up very affluent while he was very poor growing up so some hostels he stayed in before meeting me were actually nicer than the bedroom he had growing up.
Also I do not ask for fancy type hotels, but I at least like to stay @ chains... Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton etc b/c I know what I'm getting... I don't need The Plaza or anything though.
Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 8 days ago)
35,634 posts, read 17,975,706 times
Reputation: 50661
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdawg8181
I agree with you. I feel like having a comfy bed and a nice hotel adds more to my experience. I am not going to have fun on vacation if I get no sleep because the bed & room are crappy.
There's something just so great about crawling into a big nice comfy hotel bed at the end of the day.
Maybe it is b/c I am female. We also grew up very differently. I grew up very affluent while he was very poor growing up so some hostels he stayed in before meeting me were actually nicer than the bedroom he had growing up.
Also I do not ask for fancy type hotels, but I at least like to stay @ chains... Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton etc b/c I know what I'm getting... I don't need The Plaza or anything though.
This really sounds like my experience with my husband when we travel. He loves to get these fabulous VRBOs (that really are fabulous) for $400 a night, and to me, it's just kind of irritating. I don't want to spend $400 a night for a place where we will basically only sleep and eat breakfast, and he loves it. LOVES it. I feel great if we can get a serviceable place where we are likely to run into people in the shared breakfast area, and I feel like I've gotten a "good deal". Not that we have to for financial reasons.
When we go to the beach and sit on the balcony and I see down the beach that there are people camping there, I feel like they're "living more" than I am. Although honestly I don't want to camp and get all sandy and salty, I feel wistful that they're having a bigger experience than I am. Because they are.
This really sounds like my experience with my husband when we travel. He loves to get these fabulous VRBOs (that really are fabulous) for $400 a night, and to me, it's just kind of irritating. I don't want to spend $400 a night for a place where we will basically only sleep and eat breakfast, and he loves it. LOVES it. I feel great if we can get a serviceable place where we are likely to run into people in the shared breakfast area, and I feel like I've gotten a "good deal". Not that we have to for financial reasons.
When we go to the beach and sit on the balcony and I see down the beach that there are people camping there, I feel like they're "living more" than I am. Although honestly I don't want to camp and get all sandy and salty, I feel wistful that they're having a bigger experience than I am. Because they are.
Not always. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy camping but if you're presenting me with a comfy bed and a bathroom with a hot shower I am going to choose that over a tent.
Ever poop in the woods? I have. It's not very fun AT ALL. Camping is fine for a night or two. It gets old after a while.
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(for more than single travelers)!!! (I use Hospitality guest homes... $ free to $20 Worldwide) 300+ nights last yr alone. 30 yrs of great stays.
