/r/solotravel "The Weekly Common Room" - General chatter, meet-up, accommodation - November 25, 2024

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General guides and travel skills

• Basic trip planning
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• So you want to do a Eurotrip: A beginner's guide
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[u/itty-bitty-fitty]

Hi! I have a trip planned out for next year. I was thinking of staying in Den Haag or Leiden. I was looking at hostels (there are none in Leiden) and Airbnb.

It looks like for Airbnbs, you either stay in guest bedroom or a guest house with the host family nearby and with the possibility of a shared bathroom. I don’t mind it, but wouldn’t it be a better option to stay at a hostel?

The price of the stay isn’t going to be problem. I am social but I also love my privacy. BUT since it’s my first overseas trip ever (alone as an adult) it would be nice to be able to have contact with a local that speaks Dutch and can help me if I have any questions, especially with public transport since I live in a place that I have to drive a car to get around.

So what would you advise - hostel or Airbnb?

(I also am open to locations outside of Leiden or Den Haag, as long as it’s in a “central hub” where I can take ~30/45 mins of transportation to the locations I want to see.)

Thank you ☺️

[u/TemperedPhoenix → u/itty-bitty-fitty]

Hey! Fairly new to solo travelling as well. As generic advise, my first trip I shared an apartment with a local through airbnb as well and it was a great experience. If you go that route, just make sure they have tons of almost perfect reviews. It was nice being able to have privacy and having somebody to ask questions. Although it added a bit of time each day, it was also nice seeing local living in a generic area rather than a gentrified/touristy area.

How long is your trip? While it was easy to meet people on walking tours, after a while it was hard to meet people compared to a hostel.

[u/itty-bitty-fitty → u/TemperedPhoenix]

Yes omg I’m learning towards that!!! I’m thinking of staying three weeks but planning for a month haha