Smile a Lot
Did you know that smiling is contagious? So why not use this to your advantage?
Whenever I check in, especially late at night, I always make an effort to put a smile on my face and be as talkative as possible with the receptionist. Smile, be courteous, say pleasant things about the city, and don’t be indifferent to local culture. Make a connection with hotel staff members you’re talking to and don’t be surprised to get a room upgrade for no reason.
Why does this happen? I’m sure it’s because you make them feel better. Half of the people will send you a smile back. While another half will do its best to give you some benefits. When it comes to checking in very late, they might upgrade your hotel room because they already know what their occupancy is for the night and what rooms they can give away for free. You can also get a free upgrade when the hotel is half empty and they have a lot of spare rooms.
Catch an Overnight Bus/Train
Taking an overnight bus or train while traveling is often a great way to save on accommodation. If you can sleep on them! Technically, you’ll still have to pay for the ticket. But traveling overnight saves you the money that you would have otherwise had to spend on accommodation and gets you exactly where you need.
I’m not saying that all overnight trains are fun. But there’s often a great sense of camaraderie amongst those in 3rd class that helps maintain lifelong friendships. The only downside is if you don’t sleep you end up needing to nap the next day. I was often lucky and was able to check in at my hostel when I arrived and grab a couple of hours of sleep before exploring the city.
That said, if booking seats or beds on a sleeper bus/train is an option for you financially – I certainly wouldn’t be turning my nose up at it.
Rome2Rio is a great resource that you can use to compare prices and check out the transit options. I use it to learn about a range of providers who can transport me from A to B. Then I check out the websites of the providers to see what their low-price calendar has in store.
Flixbus has a pretty extensive network across Europe and is expanding rapidly into America and Scandinavia.
You can also check out Megabus for the UK, Europe, America, and Canada, Greyhound Canada, Greyhound Australia, and Greyhound America. For trains, check out the Interrail list of overnight trains in Europe.
