budgeting for hostel stays

In London by the way... oops.

Also check dorm rooms, at somewhere like LSE you can stay for not much more, but have your own bedroom... for a longer stay, that can make it much more pleasant.

A few things to take into consideration: 1) most hostels have limits as to the number of nights you are permitted to stay-usually 7 to 10 nights max. If you plan to stay in London for a full month, call the hostel directly to find out if they are willing to be flexible and let you stay longer or you'll be moving around a lot. 2) You don't mention what time of year you intend to go to London, but LSE has only a small number of rooms available year round. They are a great option for the summer if that is when you are going to be in London as then they have many dorms all over the city that are a good alternative to a hostel. There are several other universities in London that also offer dorm rooms for rent to tourists during the summer. 3) have you considered a homestay for your trip? I think organizations like Servas might be able to help match you with a local family. 4) there are some nice neighborhoods on the outskirts of London and you may be able to rent a small studio flat for about the same cost as a private room in a hostel. If you are ok with taking the Tube and commuting 15-20 minutes into central London, you may enjoy having the space of a flat.

If you still would prefer a hostel, Hostelworld.com can give you some idea of what a private room may cost you. I've typically found most private hostel rooms are about $50 to $70USD/night.

Here's my best guess.

A hostel bed for one will be something up to $30 per night. Some areas might be a little above this. Most will be less than this (15 to 20 Euros).

A single private room probably can't be had for under $45 (30 to 40 Euros minimum) per night and, in many areas, could be double that.

The cheapest private rooms won't include an en suite bathroom.

Micah,

You might want to have a look at This Website to get some ideas.

For example, I checked the London Central location, and the price listed (using an arbitrary date) was £19.95 per night for a bed in a dorm room (that's about US$30). For a "private room" with four beds, shower & WC, the rate was £90.95 per night, per room (that's about US$ 137).

That should provide you with a "ballpark figure" for budgeting purposes.

The U.K. can be expensive, so keep that in mind.

Happy travels!

I got a Hostelling International Card (order online) before I left. It was about 16 dollars Canadian.

I've used it about half the time. If you buy it, use it for the whole time. In Prague the hostel there was great and was definitly less than if we had gone with another non HI hostel.