Couchsurfing has been one of the tools that let me sleep for free, but not the only one. It's been 473 days since I started travelling. Only 170 of those nights were spent in hostels or hotels — which means I've slept for free more than 300 nights. Almost a whole year of sweet dreams at zero cost!
Can you really travel on the cheap? It's a question I get all the time, a doubt many of you share, sceptical when my answer is yes. I already told you about how to find free accommodation, power and internet on the road, so I figured it'd be a good idea to make a list of all the places I've spent the night without ever reaching for my wallet.
Where have I slept for free?
- In strangers' houses and flats. The most obvious one — whether invited by someone I met wandering through a town, by a driver who offered me a bed after picking me up while hitchhiking, or through Couchsurfing. Once I even ended up staying with a forum member who'd been reading about my adventures.
- In the homes of family and friends. Passing through Spain or Latvia, and whenever we've gone back to places where we'd already made friends, we've been able to crash on the sofas and beds of people we know.
- In student halls. Chatting with the receptionists at the hostel I stayed in my first night, getting invited to a party in a student hall and ending up sleeping in someone's room is something that's happened to me more than once. Another option, of course, is to go out and get friendly with a student; I ended up spending several nights in that particular room. I should add that this one hasn't happened again since I've been travelling with a girlfriend — in certain situations, travelling solo opens a lot of doors.
- In hostels. I've been invited several times to share a room — or a bed — with someone staying in a hostel. The first time was in Athens, right at the start of my travels: I had an early flight the next morning, so I checked out and planned to party all night without sleeping. I ended up sharing a bed with a lovely Russian girl who invited me up to her room.
- In guesthouses. Once, in Morocco, we were invited to try out a guesthouse that hadn't opened to the public yet. The owner was still putting the finishing touches to the place and was keen to hear our suggestions.
- In forests. Our adventures with the tent began in Croatia, where we bought one for around €15. We used it to sleep in the forests of one of the islands near Zadar.
- In a garden. Croatia again, and once more hitchhiking. It was getting late to push on towards Zagreb, so Igor offered to put us up. Once there he handed us a giant tent, which we pitched in his garden — and as if that weren't enough, he came back a few minutes later with a king-size mattress to put inside it.
- In the ditch by the road. A couple of times it got late out on the road and we ended up pitching that same tent right next to the motorway.
- At a petrol station. Hitchhiking from Lucerne to Lyon we had to spend the night at a service area near the French city. Hidden among the trees, we pitched our tent as usual.
- On beaches. In Southeast Asia we spent several nights sleeping on the beaches of various islands. To fend off the mosquitoes and avoid bites we used a mosquito tent that cost us about €5.
- In cars, lorries, buses, trains and planes. Like everyone else, we've had to sleep the odd night in one form of transport or another. My ability to sleep on the move is non-existent, but Ilze, on the other hand, has fallen asleep even while we were hitchhiking.
- In airports. Almost every time I had an early flight I made the most of it and spent the night in the airport itself. That way I could hitchhike to the airport the afternoon before, saving on both transport and a bed.
On our upcoming cycle trip around the world there'll rarely be a night we pay to sleep. For the first time since I started travelling we'll be carrying a tent, sleeping bags and decent camping mattresses — which should be enough for sweet dreams just about anywhere.
Where have you slept on your travels? What have your Couchsurfing experiences been like? What's the strangest place you've ever spent the night?
What you ask me most
- Where can I sleep if I have no home and no money?
More places than you'd think, and for free. In my experience: strangers' homes who invite you in (through Couchsurfing or people you meet on the road), shared rooms in hostels, student residences, and outdoors — forests, beaches, service stations, even airports. With a tent the options multiply: I've slept for free more than 2,000 nights over the trip.
- Is wild camping legal?
It depends on the country. In Spain it's banned, though you can still do it if you pick a discreet spot, arrive at dusk and leave early without a trace. In Eastern Europe almost nobody will say no —often they'll even invite you to dinner—; in Western Europe and touristy areas expect the odd refusal. A good chunk of our nights in the tent were in countries where it isn't allowed, and we never had a problem.
- What is Couchsurfing and is it good for sleeping for free?
It's a network where people offer their sofa to travellers for free, no money involved. It's been one of my tools for sleeping free hundreds of nights, and on top of that you end up in a local's home who shows you their city. It's not the only option, but it's one of the best.
- Where can I sleep tonight if I have nowhere to go?
To get by: a train or bus station, a 24-hour place, or an airport if there's one nearby. One night we spent between a station that closed at midnight and a 24-hour McDonald's. And if there's time, ask on Couchsurfing or someone you trust directly: people help more than you'd imagine.
