Regardless where you travel, accommodation takes up a huge hunk of your travel budget and unless you find a way to save you might have a much shorter trip than you are hoping for. One of the first things that will affect your accommodation budget depends on how many of you will be traveling together. There are huge advantages to traveling in a group or even to travel with another couple. It can save you in that staying in either youth hostels of at camping sites gets much more comfortable and cost effective if you are 4 or more people.
Obviously hotels are nice, but in reality the price of a hotel room for one night can buy you a week in cheap accommodation. Obviously you won’t have too many creature comforts but you are only sleeping there, right?
For cheap accommodation you basically have 2 choices. Youth hostels and camping sites. Lets quickly look at the pro’s and con’s of each.
Firstly, youth hostels offer cheap, cost effective stays that are often very centrally located. The accommodation is usually very basic with shared dorm-type rooms and shared bathrooms. There are usually one central kitchen area and you basically buy a bed for the night. Some do offer en-suite rooms with more comforts but these are probably more in the price range of a hotel suite. The main benefit is the fact that its central and close to all the sights and attractions that you would want to explore as a tourist.
Camping offers a lot more creature comforts and if you don’t like he idea of being cramped into a dorm room with 20 other backpackers then camping is well worth it. Its probably much cheaper than a youth hostel but you will need to either have your own tent or your own camper van. Although its much cheaper its usually on the outskirts of cities and can make the commute back and forth a real hassle – and an expensive exercise. Camping can be very sociable and a great option if you are traveling in a group.