Crossing the pond on a budget

The place you found in New York, well, good luck getting a similar kind of deal in Europe. At the kind of prices you want, you're talking dorm-style accommodation.

the "sailor's home " in hamburg , germany - similar to NYC offers a basic room
( sink only ) for E 38 or with sink and shower for E 52 .

lunch or dinner are E 6 .

http://www.seemannsheim-hamburg.de/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=18&lang=en

really a pleasant place !

It is still $10-15 above NYC prices, plus getting the private room situation is going to be much more difficult in Europe, as there are far fewer of them. It is a cultural thing, for instance they had shared bedrooms on trains decades after America got rid of them....still might for all I know. If you look at the Frankfurt place almost all of the beds are either in 4 or ten bunk rooms.

no doubt , NYC is cheaper .
but plenty of people are willing to pay european prices .
seems to be a matter of demand and supply .

it is possible to get "some real bargains " in europe . but it takes time and knowledge to find those bargains .

btw. frankfurt rooms - and other hostels - are often "dowmitories" . they are great for young people who want to share experiences with others . not so great for an oldie like me .
( did hostelling in my early 20's - and enjoyed it . met people from all over the world . )

Have you looked up hostels.com yet? I checked, natch, my favorite city first and prices for the dates I put in seem reasonable to me -
http://www.hostels.com/findabed.php?SearchWord=&ChosenCity=Rome&ChosenCountry=Italy&Search=1

Mmmm, some of the b & b's don't look bad either, generally a little higher but not always.

Now off to check some German cities..

Munich seemed higher priced, with fewer single rooms with shared bathroom.
Off to Berlin..

(I could spend hours looking at travel sites.)

Interesting single with shared bathroom in Berlin for $45.

http://www.hostels.com/hosteldetails.php/HostelNumber.13465

shewolf, if you fly in March or April you could save several hundred dollars,
or look here at the sky auction for cheap flights. http://www.skyauction.com/vacation/europe

I agree with that. My first italy trip was in early march, and things were much cheaper and we most got the best room in any albergo. However, shewolf is waiting for a tax rebate, eh?

Just saw this website - while reading the frugal traveler column -

http://www.darngooddigs.com/

I have been , just for fun , poking around using the igougo site and picking different destinations instead of flying directly into Hungary.. and holy CRAP!
I did not know that a month would be such a big deal. Flying into Serbia I think it was.. then just taking a short flight to Budapest.. Cost me around 600 round trip.
Freaking amazing.
The trip from serbia to Budapest was about 80 dollars after the conversion , so add another 160, or even round up to 200 I am still there for 800 , maybe less if I move the arrival date around.

flying is SO sensitive.. Wow.

Interesting enough Serbia is now part of the Eurail Pass program....the pass still makes a lot of sense.

I haven't traveled to Europe in quite a few years, but in my single days, I did quite a bit and on the cheap. I stayed in London for about $20 - $30 a night. Basic small room with a shared bathroom. I used the Let's Go books to help me find cheap places. Also you can go to the info booth at any train station and they will assist you in getting a cheap place to stay. It has always worked out well for me.

One other thought - if you buy and travel by the train (look into buying a Eurorail pass before leaving - it will cost you less) - you can take an over night train and have a "free" night stay - we did this frequently.

Here is a link with some general info on Germany and potential prices
http://www.letsgo.com/4507-western_europe-travel-guides-germany-accommodations-other_types_of_accommodations-c

Interestingly, your linked website, Linkat, gives a lot non-German links for accommodations.

The information offices at train stations just give train advice - tourist offices help to get an accommodation.

It certainly has been cheaper (not only for Americans) years ago: I stayed in England, full board, for one pound a day ... 45 years ago.

I once got to Florence two days early and so had no hotel reservation. I went into the information/tourist office there and they set me up at a hotel I had read about in my earlier searches, at a very good price. I don't know that all train stations have these offices, but at least the main Florence one does. I forget the formal name for the office.

When I was in Germany I went to a tourist information booth at the train station in Munich. They found my friend and I perfect cheap accomdations for us. Perhaps I should have been clearer - many train stations have a tourist information booth right there - that was what I was actually referring to.

Well, in quite a few cities in Germany, tourists offices have a branch in or just outside the main train station.

How are your plans going on ...?

and the Eurail pass is certainly not the value it once was (when I started travelling 25 years ago!)