Stay in a hostel
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
A hostel puts you in a mountain valley or a city centre for a fraction of a hotel bill, and the shared kitchen and lounge make conversation with strangers almost unavoidable. Many now offer private rooms as well as beds in shared dormitories.
GentleUnder £100 / $130An afternoonIndoorsAlone or with othersUK and US
How to start
- Browse the YHA hostel list for England and Wales, or the HI USA hostel finder, and pick a place you have wanted to visit.
- Choose between a private room and a bed in a shared room, then book direct with the hostel network.
- Pack earplugs, a padlock and a towel, and cook one meal in the shared kitchen.
Where to go
- YHA hostel list (Youth Hostels Association, England and Wales) UK
- HI USA homepage (nonprofit, US member of Hostelling International) US
We opened these links on 7 October 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. The hard part of a day out is the timing: the right season, tickets and getting there. The plan watches the calendar for you.
Read next
Long stays and house-sitting: how to spend 30 to 90 days somewhere else
A guide to long stays: how the Schengen 90-in-180-day rule works for UK and US passport holders, the EU Entry/Exit System and ETIAS, when you need a visa, what house-sitting platforms involve, and how to rent an apartment abroad safely using FTC guidance.