| The University Travel Room Experiment |
| Sunday, August 31, 2008 |
The University Travel Room Experiment
I leave this morning to stay in a Hotel, that is also an Apartment, I am excited. I hope this experiment evolves into a great way to find cheap places to live in other countries fast.
PLEASE.. PLEASE.. PLEASE
To read this post, you have to pretend that you are a perpetual traveler and NOT a Tourist on a two week vacation. This is not a post about a traveling for a week or month, it is post about traveling for years. You are going to be far away from Tourist attractions and Tourist information, it mean to be immersed in one culture, the culture of the country you wish to visit
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Bangkok, Thailand - Khao Sarn Road
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Blog of Andy HoboTraveler.com --- Add a Hotel --- Backpack Design Survey --- Backpack
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I find room often in a similar manner in tourist areas. I enter the city, take about any room, then walk around the next day until I find the best room for me, not for you, but for me.
I am going to move to a Hotel close to a University today, and I am hoping I can go find other apartments to rent on a daily, weekly or monthly basis in the same area.
The question is this?
Can I rent apartments near Universities quickly, cheaply and easily and efficiently? There price of the apartment room needs to be at least one-third the cost of a tourist room to be feasible. What I am trying to do is upgrade my living conditions while at the same time decreasing the my budget.
I need Internet in my rooms, presently in today's world, when I am able to find a room on Khao San Road with Internet in the room, it cost me 400-600 Baht, and 600-800 is the easy to find price, while I can easily find a room without Internet for 200 Baht.
This is annoying, the cost of a room with Internet on the planet is about triple the cost of one without. Hotels, really do not understand the value of this benefit.
I now want to do the reverse, I know that I can rent rooms in homes with internet for the cheap price of 200 baht per night, I can more or less do Home stays and have a cheap room and Internet.
I want to know if I can go more commercial, rent an room in an apartment building for a short term stay.
Are there rooms for rent in apartment buildings that are rent at one third the price of a hotel room, yet also give me Internet. I am almost positive the only Apartments with Internet in them, that are EASY to find, easy to have the INTERNET are near Universities.
The goal would be to do this when I am traveling to other countries. I find a University in a city I wish to visit. Say I wanted to go stay in Tokyo for two months CHEAPLY. I would go to Tokyo, rent a Hotel room, then furiously walk around in the area until I find an Apartment to rent for a month or two, or less if possible. I could live cheaply in Tokyo, avoid the gouge level pricing of hotels, and still be happy.
The Hotel work on a whatever the market will bear pricing, and so do the apartments. A tourist will pay ridiculous prices for a two week vacation, however you do not do this with an apartment.
I tried to be poignantly exact the other day with the travel agent, saying about my trip to Japan.
“The price of a room is always a big deal, you cannot just say 50 dollars per night is not a big deal.”
“What you are saying to me is that paying 3000 per month with other expenses to live in Japan is not a big deal.”
I pay Hotel Rates every day of every year, I am not going to Europe and paying 100 U.S. per night to see Europe, I refuse to pay 3000 per month rent for a room.
This experiment is a cheaper way to test a theory then going to Tokyo. I know for sure during summer vacation in the USA I can find room in apartments near Universities cheap.
I am always looking for a ways to reduce the monthly cost of rooms. If you read our website HoboHideOut.com you will notice, we focus on Home Stays and Apartment Hotels, we are trying to get this type of Travel Rooms to submit, so the world can afford to do more than go on a two week vacation once in their life.
I was not willing to do this experiment until I found a room already with Internet.
The University Travel Room Experiment |
posted by Andy HoboTraveler.com @ 9:46 AM   |
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Post a Comment
5 Comments: |
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Andy! I really enjoyed reading this NOT as a TOURIST! But as a traveler.
In 30 days (on 09-30-08) my husband and depart on our backpacking lifestyle. We will be traveling to various countries for a year or so.
I discovered your website a while ago. We want to experiment as we travel. Stay in hostels, stay with families, stay in tree houses, etc. Whatever...
Reading your experiences is great!
Feel free to offer us advice and/or encouragement. www.nomadbackpackers.com
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I found 3-5 places to stay, whereby I can rent room by the month. The big problem was they have extras.. pay for electricity, water, and I have to have the internet arranged. They say it only takes 20 minutes, but 20 minutes in other countries is 2-3 days.
Cost in Thailand is from 150-220 U.S. per month to rent a great room, not really an apartment, no kitchen area, more like a very very large hotel room.
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Hi Mr. Andy,
Lordy! you continuely ping on things that annoy the hell out me with other sites and even TV programs. They forever chirping crap about...ooo a bargain hotel room at 125 smackers. Bargain?? I pay 400 a month mortgage with an acre of land, thinking Im still being robbed and cant wait to sell.
When I first ventured into the arena of traveling, I looked at Belize. What a con! Boasting about land being cheap in the 10's of thousands of dollars an acre. I can buy land all day long in US for less than 2000 an acre. Two hours from mountains or beaches...Sheeesh!
YOu the first site Ive seen that doesnt perpetuate or worsen some global stupidity of Americans paying anything. I salute you on behalf of even the idiots that follow behind you. No telling how many will get a honest deal because..Hobo was here X.
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There are so many people in other countries preying on the naive nature of USA and Europeans lack of understand of the world it is incredible. I need to just keep my mouth shut for the most part, I do not want to get involved. The majority of USA and Europeans are so arrogant in their belief, they just do not see it possible to get a room for 10 dollars per night, even though I have done it for 10 years.
I have, WIFI Internet, Air Conditioning, Hot Water, Fitneess Club Area and Color TV with Cable, for about 12 US Dollars right now.
I am trying to reduce this down to 4-5 dollars per night by the University experiment, and here in Thailand I am positive I can rent a room here by the month with all this for less than 100 U.S. per month, and if I want, I can rent a basic room for 1500 baht or about 30 per month.
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HI Mr. Andy,
Recently Ive been revisiting my initial destination again. Reason being, the first jump will be mission oriented. Seeing dentist! My medical tourism searching and reading narrowed it down to Thailand, Costa Rica, Ukraine. The deciding factor seemed to be cost of living for what will probably be at least 2 months. Ukraine was somewhat more expensive for medical, but remember reading search results that included medical universities. I put it on the back burner and discovered your site. Interesting that you point out how Thailand quality of living improves near universities. Apparently same is true in Ukraine with medical curriculm being also largely in english. Perhaps a bonus to pick up a few bucks as tutor. They give cost of living figures but certainly not on trust level as the real time info you give here. It does seem you may be onto something though with university experiment.
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Post a Comment
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Andy! I really enjoyed reading this NOT as a TOURIST! But as a traveler.
In 30 days (on 09-30-08) my husband and depart on our backpacking lifestyle. We will be traveling to various countries for a year or so.
I discovered your website a while ago. We want to experiment as we travel. Stay in hostels, stay with families, stay in tree houses, etc. Whatever...
Reading your experiences is great!
Feel free to offer us advice and/or encouragement. www.nomadbackpackers.com