Even the most diehard festie needs some downtime to recuperate and one of your top expenses when traveling will be lodging. Having slept everywhere from an Italian graveyard to the the VIP suite at hotels, I’ve got some suggestions where to lie your head down.
Camp Out
Odds are if you’re coming to Europe to festival, then you’ll be camping. And even if there’s no official place to camp, most European cities have a campground nearby. The great part about bringing a tent and a few basic camping supplies, is that you always have a room on your back, and this has helped me out more times than I can count, especially during Europe’s busy summer high season.
Hit Up a Hostel
Save money and meet interesting people! That’s my entire pitch for hostels, which let you bunk up in a dorm full of fellow international backpackers. Staying at a local hostel during a festival almost always means an instant festival family. The absolute easiest way to find and book a bed is Hostelworld, which has access to thousands of rooms across the world.
Overnight Your Travel
Life is short and so is your trip. If you want to maximize sightseeing activities, you’ll want to save time travelling by catching overnight transportation. Not only do you get to save money on lodging, you’ll also have the chance to fit more adventures into your packed schedule. Check out overnight train schedules along with passes on Eurail, or overnight buses like FlixBus.
Crash on a Couch
Courchsurfing is a mainstay of the sharing economy that hooks up travelers looking for free lodging with locals that enjoy hosting. Couchsurfing is not a passive experience. You get out of it what you put into it, and it’s become one of the most vibrant communities across Europe.
Treat Yourself to a Hotel
Camping in the mud. Sleeping on couches. Sharing a dorm with twelve people. All of this travel can be fun, but all the stimulus can drag your energy down. Every few weeks, I recharge my batteries and treat myself to a hotel room. I always recommend joining a hotel loyalty program like AccorHotels or IHG which lets you accumulate points without an expiration date, and offers perks like a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.
Stay in a Unique Room
One of the most versatile players in my overnight travel plans, Airbnb is an incredible choice for tracking down rooms and apartments across Europe that are just not available anywhere else. For festival fans, you can find a place to stay near the venue, even if there are no hotels available.