Just where have I been sleeping!?

My cousin brought this up to me the other day, and I realized I hadn't talk about it very much.. or at all, so here goes:

Not only where I've been.. but where I've been staying...

Earlier on in the trip, when my friend Leslie was with me, we stayed in hostels a lot, but we also decided to try couchsurfing for the first time... and then the second... and then third time.

Hostels:

I love hostels. I think that they are an AMAZING place to meet people to go on daily adventures with. I also love how there can be soo many cultures in just one building. The hostels I've been to range from being above a pub in London or Interlaken, to a skyscraper in Barcelona, to the bottom of a valley in a FairyTale land called Luxembourg City, or to a Christian Shelter in Amsterdam. They are great.. some better than others of course.

Some dorms have lights by every bed with a curtain that you can close over your bed for privacy. Some dorms are as small as a dorm room in college, but instead of fitting 2 people in it, they may fit up to 10-16.

Some dorms are all female, some all male, some male and female. A lot of hostels have dorms with bunk beds to fit more people. They also have lockers in order to lock your valuable things up or even your entire bag.

What else? There's generally some sort of common area.. whether it be a kitchen, a room, a place where you'd eat.. Generally this is where you can get wi-fi, and there might possibly be a tv there. A good place to meet other poeple..

Also, it's very easy to meet other solo travellers to hang out with in hostels, they might be a roommate, or you might just meet them in a common area.

If a hostel is a bit of a bummer, then generally it because there's no kitchen. Backpackers save a lot of money when they have a kitchen.. shopping at a supermarket for ingredients is much cheaper than going to a cafe or restaurant. Hence: kitchens are very important; they save money!

So all in all, hostels are great.. some much more affordable than others. Depending on the city you travel to, staying in a dorm could range from 3€ to 50€! 

I've also tried CouchSurfing.. quite a bit! 

I've done it at least a dozen times on this trip!  It not only saves on money, but also gives you the inside scoop and help from locals, and sometimes even someone to hang out with depending on your host's schedule! 

While couchsurfing, I have stayed on floors, couches, and beds. Sometimes I've even had a whole separate room, all to myself!  Generally I cook with my host, they'll have maps for me to use, and ideas of what to do in the cities I'm in.

I really love it. I haven't stayed in a hostel for the past month.. I've only couchsurfed!  So you can tell, I must love it.

I don't know how often I will do it in southeast Asia though.. I hear there're some awesome beachhouse hostels for pretty cheap.. I might be really taking advantage of that.

Any other questions on couchsurfing or hostels, let me know.. I feel like a pro on both by now lol.

<3