EPIC FAIL

[kaydeefalls]

I've hit a hell of a snag in my solo travels around Tuscany: practically no reasonably-priced and reasonably GOOD hostels in the region offer dorm beds. They offer things like "4-bed private" rooms, which is very cheap for four people sharing that room, but if you're just one person, you have to pay for the ENTIRE ROOM -- the price listed times four.

I will have to pay a LOT more for a single bed in almost every area I wanted to visit. So, basically, I'm being penalized for having no friends. Nice.

I'm actually really upset about this, because suddenly it's financially prohibitive for me to stay in most of the towns I was excited about seeing.

ETA: I've made it work. I'm spending more than I'd like, or booking beds in hostels that are farther out of the way than I'd prefer, but them's the breaks.

Comments

[supremum.livejournal.com]

can you sign up for a bed in a 4 bed room even though you're traveling solo or do you have reserve these rooms as a group?

when i traveled alone, i actually preferred to stay in multiple bed rooms. it made looking after my belongings a little more complicated (i slept with my computer and backpack so that no one would steal my valuables), but i really enjoyed getting talk with--or at least observe--the other people in the room. they were often from different countries and traveling for different reasons and many times they had interesting stories to share. or, if it wasn't a talkative room, i just enjoyed being in silent contact. traveling alone is, well, lonely, and it was nice to know i could spend the evenings surrounded by people.

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

You have to reserve all the beds in the room. Believe me, if I could reserve just one, I would -- I don't care about sharing rooms with strangers.

[jptiger.livejournal.com]

How far in advance do you want to book a room? Often you can meet people who need one more person to share one of those rooms and split the cost. Check lonely planet's travel forums, or delayingtherealworld.com. They should links to other reputable sites as well if you don't want to wait until you're on the ground.

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

I've made it work. I'm spending more on accommodation than I'd originally planned, but them's the breaks.

[msilverstar]

What about youth hostels? Some are skeevy, but the one in Venice was really nice (decades ago at least).

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

Youth hostels are what I'm already looking at! They're much, much nicer these days, as I discovered during my year abroad. Dorm beds are easy to track down in the big cities, but outside of Florence, it got a lot more expensive, even in the hostels. But I've made it work -- I'm just spending a fair bit more on accommodation than I'd originally budgeted. *sigh*

[secondsilk.livejournal.com]

That's a real bugger. Bloody Italians.
Other countries tend to take single bed bookings.

Eat them out of breakfast (assuming they provide it).
And, once you're there, have heaps of fun.