As evidenced from the variety of beds I find myself waking up in around the world, I am a fan of waking up on other people's couches (floors, pool tables, and/or (spare) beds). But how do I come to be on these couches in the first place? Surely I'm not simply breaking into random apartments in a
Photo Gallery: Budget Travel (Beds Edition)
Many people think that because I travel, it somehow means that I have some vast reserve of gold hidden away in the mountains (which is why I had to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, duh). Alas, my trusty treasure trove fails to support the lavish habits of many travelers and vacation-goers - namely,
Photo Gallery: Sweden’s Ice Hotel
Almost 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle in the heart of Sweden's Lappland, there exists a hotel made entirely out of frozen water. It is known simply as ICEHOTEL (why the all capital letters, I do not know). For as little as 1250 Swedish krona (SEK) (~$195), or as much as 13,500 SEK
How To Find The Best (And Cheapest) Hostel Every Time
Hostels are great for all types of travelers. They range from grungy party-centric frat houses to family-friendly homes complete with childcare. Finding the "best" hostel can be a trying task. Does "best" translate to nicest? Cleanest? Most fun? Most centrally located? To most travelers, "best"
The Empregada Room: Cheap Rent In Rio de Janiero
From what I have seen thus far every most homes/apartments in Rio de Janeiro are equipped with what can only be described as slave quarters. The room in question measures somewhere between a refrigerator and a walk-in closet accompanied by an attached bathroom (essentially a shower stall with a
The Refugee Camp: Kicked Out Of My Brazilian Apartment
Recently a long and complicated string of unfortunate events took place in this Brazilian life of mine, and so I have constructed this visual approximation to help with everyone's understanding: Don't understand? I got kicked out of my apartment (because the owner loves his girlfriend more
Florianópolis Part II: The Submarino Hostel
After deciding where to travel to, one must decide where to reside in their city/area/place of temporary residence. As we all should know by now (even those of you who aren't very "tech-savvy" (and if you still use this expression, then you can likely be described by it; although with each passing