Travelling Cheap

Having 400+ friends on a social networking website can sometimes be a pain. Endless applications and an inbox full of junk are a drag. They may like to see you now and then but your friends have lives of their own, so they may not all be inclined to have you sleeping off a hangover on their sofa for the weekend in Barcelona, when they want to watch reruns of Friends in their underwear.

But there is a way to utilise your Internet connections and those brief friendships made over a bottle of tequila on a beach around a fire. Instead of asking if there is a place where you can crash, why not ask if there is a friend of your friend that has an extra room or a flat that is available for you to rent for a weekend.

This is an ideal way for you to explore cities as most people living and working in Europe try to stay as close to the city centre as possible. If you are recommended by a friend, a student or young professional in an entry level job would be much more willing to play host for 30 or 40 euros. Being close to the centre also makes it cheap and easy to move around, using public transport or walking. Your host is more than likely to have a couple of good bars, taverns and restaurants to recommend that are frequented by locals, so you can avoid the overpriced and overcrowded tourist traps.

The same approach can be used for short beach holidays, as people who work in cities have holiday homes that they can only visit on the weekends. It would suit them to make some extra cash while they are slaving away in the city heat, and you are relaxing in their flat by the sea. However, you will need to collect some information about the area you are going to so you can move around. Renting a moped or a bicycle is also a good way to get to and from the beach.

However, there is one important aspect that cannot be ignored if you want this plan to work. You must be a courteous guest. Keep the space you are given clean, wash up your plates and cutlery, keep the living room and kitchen tidy and observe local rules on siestas. Especially in Mediterranean cultures cleanliness and relaxing during the afternoon hours is just as important and partying at night. Buy some beers or some wine on your last day and leave a thank you card.

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