Hostel and accommodation tips from other backpackers

- Take a pillow case and sleeping bag liner when staying in hostels. Sometimes the provided bed linen can look a little bit worst for wear... Gabi Cross

- Get recommendations for hostels so you don't end up staying somewhere yuck! I always ask where people have stayed that was good and have a check list of good or bad hostels I can pass on to others and for my own info. Dana Carpano

- Book your first night’s accommodation in advance - by the time you get to your destination you’ll be tired and hungry; the last thing you’ll want to do is trek around with your heavy bag looking for a room. Jon Brown

- A great way to save money on accommodation when InterRailing: sleep on long-distance trains. That way you can get on a train in the north of Italy in the evening, sleep on the train and get off in the south in the morning. There’s no reason why you can’t just go up and down every night and never pay for hostels... (A modification on this point: even if you’ve got an InterRail ticket there are some trains on which you’ll have to pay a subsidy. Check before you get on...). Jess Fitch

- Mark your food! If you don’t mark the food you put in a communal fridge with your name and room number, it will mysteriously disappear... leaving you very annoyed that someone else has had a meal at your expense. Adam Lunn - Book hostels ahead when travelling in peak season. Me and my mates were stupid enough to turn up at places at the height of the high season and be turned away. - Listen to word of mouth with hostels... this is where you'll learn about which places have bedbugs, cockroaches, etc. Adam Lunn

- If you're staying somewhere a few nights it's amazing what bargaining power you have when negotiating rates - often just asking will save you a few $ a night - If travelling on Australia's East coast GET A VIP card. I didn't and have regretted it ever since, you don't save a lot at once but it really adds up Sarah Normanton

Click here >> if you've got any handy hostel tips and post them on the messageboard. We're always on the look-out for travel tip gems - it's great to learn from the wisdom of others.