Anyone been to Italy?

[serious crayons]

Plus, bedbugs can show up in the fanciest of hotels. I don't know if rates are a consideration for them.

[Kelda]

Yes, that's very true Katie. I've yet to experience bed bugs and I've stayed in (admitadelly on one or two) GROTTY hostels!!

But as Lynne says, sometimes you provide your own sleep sheet/sleeping bag or you can rent.

Or quite often in the hostel rooms that are private (Cal and I often stay in a private room in Hostels for example) the bedding is part of the price like it would be in a hotel.

The good thing I find about hostels though is the company i.e maybe travelling partners who can travel with you or just give you advice and helpful tips and so on as well as the social element. It's really fun to meet new people of a variety of ages and learn about them and what they are doing with themselves! Also gives you a rest from the monotony of spensing all your time with your travel partner!!

[delalluvia]

Plus, bedbugs can show up in the fanciest of hotels. I don't know if rates are a consideration for them.

Heh, there are plenty of wealthy people who don't care too much about personal hygiene because of culture or whatever, and/or their luggage might have picked it up by being stashed somewhere not so clean.

[delalluvia]

Yes, that's very true Katie. I've yet to experience bed bugs and I've stayed in (admitadelly on one or two) GROTTY hostels!!

But as Lynne says, sometimes you provide your own sleep sheet/sleeping bag or you can rent.

Or quite often in the hostel rooms that are private (Cal and I often stay in a private room in Hostels for example) the bedding is part of the price like it would be in a hotel.

The good thing I find about hostels though is the company i.e maybe travelling partners who can  you our travel with you or just give you advice and helpful tips and so on as well as the social element. It's really fun to meet new people of a variety of ages and learn about them and what they are doing with themselves! Also gives you a rest from the monotony of spensing all your time with your travel partner!!

I'm not a real social person.  I'm not the kind who just strikes up conversations with strangers.  The times that I have, I lived to regret, so I don't do it.  When we were in England and Paris, we were on such a tight schedule to make sure we saw everything, that there wasn't much time to socialize.  AND, frustratingly enough for my sister, the people we DID end up chit chatting with were those people who were working the touristy areas who weren't even locals!  They were immigrants, so we didn't get any real idea about local life because we didn't talk with anyone who was a native.  I did try to chitchat up one guy who appeared local, but he didn't appear to be happy in his occupation as a tour guide to Stonehenge and only grunted or refused to answer questions about local life.  

[Kelda]

I don;t mean so much the workers in the hostels but the other travellers giving the tips...

Well that's certainly something to consider then. We have done hostels and not done the social thing but thats easier to do when you have private rooms in the hostels.. when you stay in dorms that social chit chat is harder to avoid.

We use them a lot though as it allows us to actually see and do things we couldn't do if we stayed in hotels. We've always enjoyed the experience and not felt we missed out by having the chaper accomodation - quite the opposite in fact.

[delalluvia]

I don;t mean so much the workers in the hostels but the other travellers giving the tips...

Well that's certainly something to consider then. We have done hostels and not done the social thing but thats easier to do when you have private rooms in the hostels.. when you stay in dorms that social chit chat is harder to avoid.

We use them a lot though as it allows us to actually see and do things we couldn't do if we stayed in hotels. We've always enjoyed the experience and not felt we missed out by having the chaper accomodation - quite the opposite in fact.

When I think hostel and chatting with fellow travelers, instead of getting great conversation I always think I'll end up like this guy

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMQM4m2qpwA[/youtube]

[Kelda]

When I think hostel and chatting with fellow travelers, instead of getting great conversation I always think I'll end up like this guy

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMQM4m2qpwA[/youtube]

 

[delalluvia]

Ah, I love traveling with my sister.  

I sent her 4 possible tours with a few options each for trips and she turned her nose up at every single one and never once made an offer to do the research herself.

Then she said, "Oh that trip's too long, I only have X amount of days this year because I'm going on this trip and that trip and you know, October's better for me."

I held my temper and very nicely wrote back that perhaps we should wait for 2012 then, when she has more time and we can go earlier in the year.

I didn't tell her that I would be damned if I was going to be rushed through a trip to Italy because SHE didn't have enough days and to take a chance on cold and rain later in the year because that time was more convenient for HER.    Last trip we waited later than I wanted to and ended up in Paris in the rain and cold.  I want to see Italy when it's warm.

I'm more than happy to go on my own without her and I might just do that.

[Kelda]

Ah, I love traveling with my sister.  

I sent her 4 possible tours with a few options each for trips and she turned her nose up at every single one and never once made an offer to do the research herself.

Then she said, "Oh that trip's too long, I only have X amount of days this year because I'm going on this trip and that trip and you know, October's better for me."

I held my temper and very nicely wrote back that perhaps we should wait for 2012 then, when she has more time and we can go earlier in the year.

I didn't tell her that I would be damned if I was going to be rushed through a trip to Italy because SHE didn't have enough days and to take a chance on cold and rain later in the year because that time was more convenient for HER.    Last trip we waited later than I wanted to and ended up in Paris in the rain and cold.  I want to see Italy when it's warm.

I'm more than happy to go on my own without her and I might just do that.

Well certainly that would give you the option to do it as cheap or expensive as YOU want to.

[Lynne]

Ah, I love traveling with my sister.  

I sent her 4 possible tours with a few options each for trips and she turned her nose up at every single one and never once made an offer to do the research herself.

Then she said, "Oh that trip's too long, I only have X amount of days this year because I'm going on this trip and that trip and you know, October's better for me."

I held my temper and very nicely wrote back that perhaps we should wait for 2012 then, when she has more time and we can go earlier in the year.

I didn't tell her that I would be damned if I was going to be rushed through a trip to Italy because SHE didn't have enough days and to take a chance on cold and rain later in the year because that time was more convenient for HER.    Last trip we waited later than I wanted to and ended up in Paris in the rain and cold.  I want to see Italy when it's warm.

I'm more than happy to go on my own without her and I might just do that.

Yes, I've said many times that I'd much rather be on my own traveling than with someone that isn't travel-compatible with me.  For instance, I don't enjoy having itineraries set in stone, just a general plan...and I like to be able to nap when I want to...