Couches, Couches Everywhere and Now a Place to Sleep!

Sofa, so good: hospitality exchange schemes go from strength to strength.

Some may already know about this increasingly popular phenomenon - but for those as yet unaware of this fantastic arrangement, allow me to share with you an exciting prospect this Cheapskate Friday.

What is a hospitality exchange scheme?

Essentially, it is, and does, exactly what it says on the tin. You offer someone a place to stay when they visit your area and in return you get offered a short term stay – also free of charge – when you go abroad.

Now, if I were mercenary I’d say this was simply a way of getting free digs all across the globe but, although I do admit it’s a rather major draw card into the sites offering this service, a hospitality exchange is much, much more. It’s a way of meeting new people and making new friends (whether you are a host or guest), and seeing life in another country from a local’s point of view and learning about an area from someone who knows the place inside out – in fact, saving 10 bucks on a room is really just pleasant aside.

How does it work?

In short, it’s a glorified matchmaking database. You sign up for free with one of many websites offering this service and put yourself down as a host, then, as an when the need arises, you can search for possible hosts offering free lodging during your time away.

Which sites organise hospitality exchanges?

Well, there are 3 main players: www.couchsurfing.com, www.hospitalityclub.org, and www.globalfreeloaders.com. And although still the newbie (started in 2004), couchsurfing.com is the largest of the 3 networks with around 370,000 members. Hospitalityclub.org comes in second with around 50,000 members and globalfreeloaders third with around 40,000 members.

Now, membership declarations aren’t the be all and end all – so, to give you a better idea of their popularity I’ve put my geeking skills to good use and have come up with the following Alexa graph to give you an idea of their relative size and usage.

You can see that Couchsurfing.com is clearly the daddy of them all, and you could be forgiven for wanting to leap straight for the couchsurfing jugular. But despite more members generally meaning more opportunities (and therefore the greater chance of take up when you enquire about spare couches), they’re not mutually exclusive - so why not join them all? If you combine them, that’s one shed-load of sofas! Remember though, potentially it could mean that you will be putting up more people so make sure you can accomodate (if you wish to maintain your couch karma then it’s better to honour you’re noble offers where possible!)

With a service like this there will of course many questions that need answering before going ahead and inviting a stranger into your home (or before staying at someone else’s, for that matter) – such as potential safety and security issues – but rather than me repeat all the site blurbs parrot fashion, check out their FAQ pages and testimonials for more information.

Happy surfing!

Backpacking Tips TV: How to Hide Money Whilst Backpacking

This clip demonstrates a way to hide money inside something in your backpack.

Obviously, a big fat permanent marker may draw attention (no pun intended) as it would probably seem an odd thing to be carrying around backpacking, but if adapted slightly – by maybe using something like a non-clear ballpoint pen instead – it has the potential to become a nifty emergency money holder.

If a thief did get into your backpack and went looking for goodies then a crappy pen knocking around in the bottom of your backpack could be easily overlooked in the hunt for money, cards or other valuable items.

Something this small could easily accommodate a tightly rolled $100 bill which would be enough to get by on for a few days should you somehow get parted from your other money and cards.

Backpacking Tips TV: How to hide money whilst backpacking

Backpacking Las Vegas…Cheaply

When I thought of Las Vegas before now, I thought of glitz, glamour, excess, and a heady collection of high rollers and big hitters (read: a crazy place, but not one for backpackers), but I was wrong. After friends duped me into booking a flight to Las Vegas, whilst magnificently drunk and unable to say ‘no’ I may add, I realised I’d fallen foul of this common misconception. Previously, on my measly budget, I couldn’t have imagine lasting even one weekend in Las Vegas, but after looking into the possibilities of a cheaper Las Vegas I found that it could be done – or at least in theory it could, anyway.

You see, it as if Las Vegas’ obscene display of wealth and excess, or, more accurately, the way in which it’s created, actually helps backpackers to exist here. Everywhere you look in Vegas there are systems in place to entice folks into the casinos and to keep them in there spending money - free booze, free food, free shows etc - but if you can keep your head, it’s nothing but a big, fat green light for freeloaders the world over. But only if you don’t allow the casinos to do what they do best will you have busy, fun, AND exquisitely cheap week in Las Vegas.

Anyway, here are a few choice links to help backpackers planning on weaving a cheap Las Vegas into their itinerary. Nb. There are many more websites, but most of these links will lead you into the wonderful world of cheaper Las Vegas anyway. Enjoy!

LINKS TO A CHEAPER LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas Coupons and Forums

Vegas4locals helpfully split their coupon offers into sections.

Another appealing Las Vegas coupon website is the aptly named vegascoupons. The good thing here is that they also host a cheaper Las Vegas forum – it’s great for the latest deals and also shares heaps of tips and tricks to help make for a cheaper stay.

Another good cheap Las Vegas forum is Las Vegas Direct, which also has a pretty comprehensive tips section.

Lasvegas-nv also offer discounts and coupons, but mainly for tours and shows.

Las Vegas Maps

Map of the Las Vegas Strip

Map of Downtown Las Vegas

Map of Greater Las Vegas

I seem to recall being able to pick up a cheap fold out map from one of the tourist booths too, but these’ll help you plan and get a feel for the layout before you go.

Cheap Las Vegas Websites

The maps above come from Big Empire which also comprehensively covers other aspects of a cheaper (and some times even free!) Las Vegas - tings such as their Free Las Vegas Crap, Free Las Vegas Eats, and Free Las Vegas Sights sections. And although not quite as good as their free-flavoured stuff, they have cheap sections too!

Another sight in a very similar vein is the Cheapo Vegas website. Again, they have the free and cheap sections, but also have a really handy set of comparison charts to give quick overviews on the following:-

Las Vegas accommodation

Las Vegas food

Las Vegas games

Las Vegas entertainment

Both Big Empire and Cheapo Vegas give hotel reviews, but in my opinion they’re a little off the mark as they tend to slate some of the Las Vegas accommodation options which, in my opinion, really aren’t that bad. I’ve stayed at a few of the ‘stinking places’ as they put it, and thought they were just fine – but then again I have no standards…

In addition, of the sites that deal with cheap accommodation, many fail to mention the Las Vegas Backpacker Hostels. At the time of writing there are 2 backpacker hostels that I know of (and have stayed in) – the Sin City Hostel and the USA Backpacking Hostel - both are around 22 bucks a night PP (remember though, if you are in a larger group, turning 1 hotel room into shanty town may be a better option value-wise).

The USA Hostel offers a little more for backpackers in the way of stuff like free Wi-Fi etc. but is way off the strip and a fair walk through a pretty shitty area to get among the action. The Sin City Hostel on the other hand is right on the main boulevard between Freemont, Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip proper - just walk out and jump on the bus to either area. Perfect. incidentally, the Las Vegas 24hr bus pass is the way to go on this one if you want a full day checking out the numerous casinos as the distance between them can be quite deceptive!

As well as price, other added bonus of these 2 hostels is that they both come with a free breakfast and fully equipped kitchens – so if it’s been a while since breakfast and you’re sick of the free coffee and doughnuts in the casinos, you can retire to the hostel and eat 10 cent noodles to your hearts content. Oh, and watch Elvis marry a few suckers off whilst you do so - it may shake you up, but please don’t cry in the chapel.

There are, of course, plenty more Cheapo Las Vegas-style dotted around the internet, but it’s also worth casting the net a little wider in terms of Las Vegas Bargain hunting. A little time spent surfing the more ‘mainstream’ Las Vegas sites can also reap rewards since they do throw up the odd sweet deal on stuff like fancy hotels, non-Taco Bell dining, some of the long running shows, and other Las Vegas travel deals not usually found in the recommends above.

Well, there you have it - a cheaper Las Vegas for backpackers. “U-huh-huh, thang-ya-verr-much.”

Backpacking Tips TV: Making a Stove from a Beer Can

I don’t know how handy this tip will prove for backpackers on the road as you do need more than simply a beer can (and things that you probably won’t already have in your backpack). Although this video tip seems more suited to hiking/camping backpackers, it’s still pretty cool - and you never know, it may come in handy some day!

So here it is:- How to make a stove out of 2 old beer cans

Backpacking Tips TV: Ways to Open a Bottle of Beer

May be you’ll be on a beach, or in a backpacker hostel with friends etc and have beer but no bottle opener - so, can you still open the bottles? Of course you can!

Here are a few tips in video form showing just some of the ways you can open a bottle of beer without a bottle opener:-

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