We all love a good deal. My favorite kinds are the ones you find while planning a trip. Cheaper flights or bargains on accommodations, it doesn’t matter. As long as it checks all my boxes, I will be happy. The popular belief is that travel has to be expensive, but for me, that is not the case. You just have to know where to look. I’m going to share the places I stayed and the prices I paid during my United Kingdom and Ireland trip back in 2018. Of course, I know prices have probably gone up since then, so I will also be including what they are pricing now if possible.
The first place I stayed was a London Airbnb. It was right outside the London tube station Elephant and Castle. It was a shared place, but the room had a private bathroom, which is the way to go if you can make it happen. It had a great view of the city from my room. I paid $145 total for two nights. I was not there a whole lot as I was out exploring the sights. From what I could tell, the same place I stayed is no longer an Airbnb, but I did look on Airbnb for a room near the same area and dates of the week I stayed and was finding a two-night stay at $162. Being so close to the tube station, it was a breeze to go where I wanted to go explore.
For my Scotland hostels, I could not find any receipts, so I had to go searching through my bank statements and find what I thought the charges might be. This is as accurate as I can get. My hostel in Edinburgh was Castle Rock Hostel. You might recognize this name from my blog The Best Hostel in Edinburgh. This hostel is right next to the castle so it is in the ultimate location. They had communal bathrooms and showers. I stayed in a four-bed female-only dorm for $27 the one night I was there. Again, I was not there long, maybe four or five hours total from dropping off my bags before check-in to checking out at 5 am to catch a train to my next destination. I looked on Hostelworld for what it was pricing now and for a four-bed female-only dorm for the same day of the week I stayed it was priced a little cheaper at $25. My other stop in Scotland was Glasgow. I also stayed in a hostel here as I took a highland tour that lasted most of the day and then I was leaving the next morning to go to Belfast. I stayed at Euro Hostel Glasgow. It is about a 15-minute walk from George Square. I remember they had a restaurant connected to the hostel and they had a deal happening that night where you got a pizza and a pint for 6 pounds. I also stayed in a four-bed female-only dorm for $23 for one night. They had a bathroom and two showers in the room. Hostelworld had a female-only four-bed dorm on the same night of the week I stayed for $26.
The next time I am in the United Kingdom, I am definitely exploring more of Belfast! I got there around six at night, then left for a tour early the next morning and headed to Dublin as soon as the tour was over that night. I stayed at an Airbnb in Belfast. It was about a 20-minute walk to Victoria Square from there. It was a private room in a shared space with a shared bathroom. It had everything I needed for my short time there. It cost $35 for one night. Luckily, this Airbnb is still available to book. I priced out a one-night stay on the same day of the week I stayed and it was $42, so not too much more.
My last city during this trip was Dublin. I stayed at a hostel and an Airbnb. The hostel was the first place I slept for one night. It is called Paddy’s Palace. It is about half a mile away from Trinity College. They also do tours and I had booked their Blarney Castle one that left from there the next morning so I figured this would be the best place to stay. I could just roll out of bed and be at the starting location in a matter of minutes. I booked a 10-bed female-only dorm for $29. I got there late and to my surprise, I was the only person in the room for the night! I think there were both toilets and showers in the room, but since I got there so late and left early, I don’t quite remember. I did book this hostel through Hostelworld, but it does not look like it is available to book on there anymore. I searched a few other sites and while I could bring up the hostel, I could not get a price. Even when I tried to book on their website, it looks like it is not working. I did find another hostel 700 feet away called Jacob’s Inn. On Hostelworld, I priced out a 10-bed female-only dorm on the same day of the week I stayed and it was also $29 for the one night. My accommodation for the last three days of my trip to Ireland was in an Airbnb. It was a private room with a shared bathroom. It was by George’s Dock and close to public transportation to get to the other places in the city I wanted to visit. It was about a 15-minute walk to Trinity College. I paid $195 for the three nights I was there. Like the London Airbnb, this one is also no longer taking bookings. I found one close by that does have a private bathroom as well. I priced it for three nights, on the same days of the week I stayed and it was $268.
When I added all my accommodations from my 2018 trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland, it came up to a little over $450 in total! With today’s pricing for the same or as close to the same places, it was priced a little over $550 total. The next time you think that traveling is too expensive, look into alternative accommodations such as hostels and Airbnbs. As you can see from my comparisons, the Airbnbs are the ones whose prices have raised the most in the past four years, while the hostels have been priced the same or lower. Of course, I wasn’t pricing for the exact dates I traveled since I traveled in September 2018, but they were the same days of the week. If you find yourself planning a trip to the UK or Ireland, check out the same places or the places I have suggested when you’re looking for a place to stay! Check out the links below to the places I have stayed or recommended!
London Airbnb: https://abnb.me/P1pDqnJMqtb
Castle Rock Hostel: https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/hosteldetails.php/Castle-Rock-Hostel/Edinburgh/551
Euro Hostel Glasgow: https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/hosteldetails.php/Euro-Hostel-Glasgow/Glasgow/563
Jacob’s Inn: https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/hosteldetails.php/Jacobs-Inn/Dublin/110
Dublin Airbnb: https://abnb.me/ZWgPUcjNqtb
Lost in the Adventure 