A new semester has begun here in South Bend – the freshmen are mingling, the seniors are crying, but the juniors seem to be missing. That’s right, about 75% of Notre Dame undergraduates will study abroad during their four years here. During almost all of these abroad experiences, students will get the opportunity to travel to a new country completely on their own without the assistance from their parents or teachers. This is a daunting yet exciting task. So I’ll provide you with tips for taking care of one piece of your travel to-do list: accommodations.
Being a broke college student, you likely cannot afford the safe and plush hotel your family typically stays at. So you will start your search with hostels and Airbnbs. Now, hostels have this sense of danger for some reason (I blame Hostel), but you shouldn’t rule them out just yet!
A Florence hostel.
A Paris Airbnb.
Obviously, if you are traveling alone, a hostel is always the safest and most financially sensible option (some go for $40 a night on hostelworld.com). However, if you have more than three members in your group, oftentimes an Airbnb is the cheaper option. I personally love using Airbnbs for travel, especially in places rich in culture. For example, my Airbnb in Paris was outside the city limits, which allowed me to commute on the metro and buses with the locals. This location also showed me what Paris looks like without tourism. The workers at the bakery next to our flat didn’t speak any English. Not only was I able to utilize my questionable French, but we were introduced to the French culture in a much more realistic way than any of the museums that we spent time touring.
Here are some perks of both:
- Perks of an Airbnb
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Located in residential areas and will give you a better sense of life for citizens rather than the touristic side
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Can leave all of your items in the flat
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Can have the entire flat to your group
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Hosts typically offer recommendations and are always on call
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Perks of a hostel
- Awesome place to meet other non-native travelers who are about your age
- Hostel bars are typically very safe for single travelers to drink while in a foreign country
- Inexpensive for solo travel
- Can easily lock up your small valuables
- Usually centrally located
- Will host tours or events for the guests – typically they’re low cost too!
You really can’t go wrong with either choice for accommodations. However, make sure the reviews of both Airbnbs and hostels are plentiful and descriptive! American tourists in Europe are often the target of international sex traffickers, especially solo travelers. When looking for places to stay, you HAVE to read multiple reviews for the company. Plus, the occasional 4-star review due to hospitality or something is a good indicator that the reviews aren’t fraudulent. If you do choose to use Airbnb, look for a Superhost. They are verified by other travelers and Airbnb, making them safe to rent from. Obviously, this isn’t always possible due to a lack of Superhosts and expenses. If this isn’t possible then make sure you look at ALL of the reviews before booking and all of the pictures. If a review or photo makes you question the authenticity, trust your gut. Also, after you book a place to stay, make sure you Google the address to verify that it is a legitimate location. Sometimes listings are not real, and you would hate to be in a foreign city without a place to stay. If you run into the issue of an address not existing, you typically can cancel ASAP and receive a full refund.
Of course, everyone has different experiences with the accommodations they use while abroad. So take this information to heart, but try forms of both! You might think you’re strictly an Airbnb gal, but the one game night in your Amsterdam hostel may ignite a love for communal vacationing that you have never experienced before. No matter what, make sure to have fun and be safe!
Photos 1, 2, 3. Photo 4 provided by author.
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