Do you wonder how some people seem to have the money to travel forever?  The fact is even with a modest budget it is possible to travel for extended periods.  The trick is to know the shortcuts and travel smarter.  Below are our top hostel hacks which will help you extend your trip without spending more.

Booking sites like Hostelworld and Booking.com are great for reading traveler reviews, but did you know they charge the hostel up to 25% for the reservations?  In order to absorb this cost, most hostels pass on this cost to the customer.  This means that over the course of a 6 month trip you could end up paying around $500 more in accommodation.  Most decent hostels have a direct reservation facility on their website, meaning that by booking direct, you can cut out the middle man.  At our hostel for example our prices are over 10% cheaper on our website than on the booking sites.

Booking engines allow travelers to rate each hostel, and Guest Check is a popular website among hostels as it gives the hostel an idea of who is the person who has made a reservation.  Someone who has been aggressive, rude or damaged property can be blacklisted by a hostel so their reservation are rejected by other hostels in the future.

Similarly, great guests who have been friendly can be recommended by a hostel.  This means that they receive discounts, a welcome beer, late checkout, bottom bunks and even free nights or other perks.  Remember hostel staff do the job as they want to meet interesting, friendly people.  Due to you only paying around $10 a night for a bed, hostels are not rich businesses, and their staff are paid minimum wage or just over.  They do the job because they love it, so a friendly smile or a conversation not about work means a lot.

Staff work hard on generating a friendly positive atmosphere, and in smaller hostels one good or bad person can make a big difference to other guests’ experiences.  It’s in a hostels best interests to weed out the bad people and incentivize the good people to stay longer.

Volunteering in a hostel is a great way to minimize your accommodation costs by exchanging a little work for a bed.  Traveling can be tiring always moving from place to place.  For this reason if you find a place you like and want to delve into the culture more this is a great option.

Many hostels have partner hostels in other cities.  If you have worked at one, you may be able to get a huge discount or even free accommodation when you resume your travels in a different city.

Note: In many countries working, even if you receive another benefit aside from money, is illegal.  You should review national legislation on this or potentially risk deportation.

Organisations such as Hostelling International and Hola Hostels are a network of hostels who offer 10% discounts to their members.  They have multiple hostels in each city and have networks which span the continent and possibly even the world.  It is also free to sign up, so what are you waiting for?!

Ask the hostel to give recommendations on places to stay in your next destination.  Hostel employee know all the best places to stay in each city.  This is because every day they hear the experiences of other travellers who have just come from there.  They can give you recommendations, call ahead and negotiate discounts especially in low season.  Hostel workers are far more likely to know which hostels are more likely to give discounts from their past experience.