Originally Posted by Machka

Yes ... I was surprised hostels weren't included in the list. I have a "life-time" membership with Hostelling International and have stayed in many hostels over the years. They can be a really good option.

They can also be a very financially viable option. Many times they run somewhere around $15-$25 per person ... and the nearby campground wants $20-$30 for a little patch of grass where you can pitch your tent. If you're travelling solo, it would be less expensive to go with the hostel. Even as a couple, it's comparable.

My cycling partner and I rolled up to one campground in Queensland late one evening to inquire about a place to pitch our tent. We arrived a few minutes after they closed and were informed that they were full, but for $30 we could pitch our tent ... and we could not use the toilet facilities. We left and went about half a block away to the hostel, and got beds for $20 each in the cleanest, most pristine hostel I had ever seen. And there were only 2 other people (a mother and little girl) in the entire building.