A 6-year undergrad career has taught me a lot, including how to live in perpetual economic crisis. An area that I have a particular expertise in is cheap travel. I constantly read travel blogs and guides in order to afford that travel fix I needed. However, I often found that cheap travel tips panned out differently while abroad.

To start, here are a few cheap travel myths I have come across with many more to come. Please let us know your personal cheap travel tips and if you’ve had similar experiences.

Hostels are the cheapest accommodation – Although they are traditionally considered the cheapest bed in town, I will argue otherwise. We often believe that there are only two choices for travel accommodation – hostels or hotels. It’s quite true that if these are the only two choices, the budget minded traveler will usually be better off in a hostel. However, as the internet keeps aggressively invading your travel destinations, there is a new and more exciting option – Couch Surfing.

Couch surfing is the practice of staying on someone’s couch for free, and often with much less hassle than booking a hostel or hotel room. Along with a comfy couch, you often get amenities that are only featured in the most expensive hostels — private showers, a full kitchen, tranquility, and a friendly and willing tour guide. A couple websites I’ve found that do the best job of connecting travelers to couches are Couchsurfing.com and Hospitalityclub.org.
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