So you are on your semester break and want to take a vacation somewhere, you\u2019ve check the price for the plan ticket, now you need to find a place to stay. Accommodation is a major cost when you are traveling. Sure, you can stay in a hotel but many students are on a budget and hotels can be expensive.<\/p>\n
Hostels are usually the first choice for a cheaper alternative to hotels. Two popular hostel booking websites on the internet are hostelworld.com<\/a> and hostelbookers.com<\/a> both have listings of hostels from all around the world and from my experience. You can also check out the listings on the InternationalStudent.com travel center where you can book youth hostels<\/a> online also , as well as a number of other services.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re sick of hostels and don\u2019t want to share a room with multiple strangers or sleep in a dirty bed (although many hostels are very clean and meeting random people can be a fun and rewarding experience) or just want a different kind of experience, you might want to take a look at airbnb.com<\/a>. This site allows people to rent out a room or even sometimes an entire house. If you are traveling with a group of friends this might be a better deal than staying in a hostel. In most hostels you are paying for each person individually, but if you can find an apartment for 4 people and split the cost, you may end up getting a better\/better place for less money.<\/p>\n If you really are tight on money or just enjoy meeting people, check out couchsurfing.com<\/a>. This site is a community for people who have an extra couch or bed to connect with people who need a place to sleep for free. The website already has over 2 million members, and has been increasingly growing in popularity. Keep in mind that you\u2019re stepping into a stranger\u2019s house. While the site has some securities features, many of them are optional. You should always take precautions personally if you do decide to couch surf.<\/p>\n