Wolfgang Busch

Couchsurfing: the craze that is revolutionising travel across the globe. Giving you the chance to save money and gain a deeper understanding of a country’s culture, couchsurfing offers a solution for many of the issues globetrotting throws up – no wonder it’s the hottest trend in travel right now. But why exactly is couchsurfing so popular?

First and foremost, couchsurfing is an incredibly affordable way to get around. The concept involves staying with a host rather than staying in hostels or hotels – and it’s completely free! Travelling expenses can add up scarily fast, so you’ll be grateful for any savings made along the way.

Couchsurfing is a great way to meet local people. This not only gives you a deeper understanding of the culture of a particular country or region but also benefits your travelling plans, as they can help you plan where to go. Lasting friendships can stem from couchsurfing, so that by the time you touch down on home soil you’ll have a circle of friends from all over the world.

If you are a good guest – respectful, sociable and a pleasure to have to stay – you may find that the camaraderie among the couchsurfing community provides you with places to stay in neighbouring vicinities, which gives you more time to spend exploring rather than finding your next hostel.

Good hosts will be more than willing to show you around, clue you in on the best things to see and do and give you a deeper and more profound insight into a country than a guide book can ever hope to do. In this way, staying with locals can enrich your travelling experience, helping you to make the most of your adventure.

With a three million strong community that is growing every day, couchsurfing is a safe way to travel. You can choose whether you stay with a male/female/couple and are free to peruse their public profiles to gauge personality, common interests etc. You can also see reviews left by other travellers who stayed with a certain host and contact the traveller to see whether they would stay there again.

An additional way to ensure peace of mind is to invest in backpacker travel insurance before you go. While the unpredictability of travelling is half the fun, it is important to be covered should anything go wrong.

Photo by Wonderlane via Flickr Creative Commons

If what you are looking for is a relaxing, friendly atmosphere and breathtaking views, than Hotel Il Perlo Panorama in Bellagio might be just perfect for you. A family owned hotel, providing all the comforts of a home, Il Perlo is run by two of the most lovely people on Earth - Carlo and his beloved mother. The two of them welcomed us into their hotel with opened arms and never shied away from going the extra mile to keep us happy.

Built on top of the hill overlooking Bellagio and the fairy-tale like Lake Como with its perfectly manicured gardens and luxurious villas, Il Perlo is the perfect point to start exploring the lake. For me personally, if there is a heaven it can only be fond in the Alps, therefore, in my opinion, Hotel Il Perlo is located in one of the most breathtaking locations in Europe. And when a hotel offers the best panoramic views over heaven, I cannot help it but fall in love with it. So here is my love story. 

Due to its location up the hill, and the lack of public transportation, Carlo drives the guests to and from Bellagio in a black Opel. He runs the shuttle service three times a day, but if you need a pick up in between, all you need to do is call the reception and they will send the car for you in no time.

Il Perlo Panorama is a 2-star hotel, but you would never guess that. The service, design, friendliness with which the guests are welcomed, are bringing this family owned hotel close to 4-stars. We stayed in one of the corner rooms facing the lake and loved everything about it. 

Starting with the artwork decorating the walls (which by the way, guests could purchase and take home as a souvenir), the private balcony from where we could admire Bellagio and the snow caped mountains in the distance, the large and comfy bed, beautiful wood furniture, and the generous size of the room, and finishing with the overall decor, so homey, and welcoming, this place inspired us a tremendous joie de vivre.   

Oh, the views! There are many hotels in Bellagio and around Lake Como, but none of them has quite this breathtaking views. Waking up, having breakfast and going to bed with this show nature puts up every day here, believe me, it's priceless. I could have stayed here, caught in this perfect state of bliss, forever, letting the gentle May sun caress my face, while watching the mountains reflecting in the mirror of the lake disturbed by nothing but the boats and ferries operating between the villages sprinkled around it. It's not only that we could see the whole Bellagio at our feet, but also at the tip of the peninsula we could spot the famous Villa Serbelloni and its gardens.

We finish just in time to take the shuttle to Bellagio where we would visit our favorite gardens on the lake - The Gardens of Villa Melzi. We would romantically walk the cobbled streets of Bellagio, discover its secret corners, admire the boats dozing near the shores, take a ferry to Villa del Balbianello to see where Casino Royale and Star Wars movies were shot, stop by Villa Carlotta on the way back...

But even knowing all the marvelous sight we are about to see, doesn't make it any easier to leave the Il Perlo's terrace.

So in the afternoon we come back, our souls drunk with all the beauty seen during the day, take our seat on the terrace again, order an aperitivo and enjoy life. The four days we spent at Il Perlo were some of the best of our life. And the fact that every guest of the hotel we've met had a sparkle in their eyes, tells us we were not the only ones enjoying this hotel to the max.

For premium accommodations during your visit to London, consider making reservations to stay at the Crown Plaza London Heathrow. Just one of more than 370 hotels representing the Crown Plaza brand, you can expect the kind of elegance and style that is synonymous with comfort and quality. Add in some great services designed to make you feel most welcomed and right at home along with some friendly customer service and you will be glad you made the choice to choose the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow.

Located just 2 miles from the airport and only a 20-minute drive from central London, you would be ideally situated to go anywhere including Wembley Arena, Twickenham Stadium and Westfield Shopping Centre, just to name a few nearby venues and attractions.

There are 465 rooms at the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow of which you can choose a Standard, Club, Family or Accessible room or a Suite. All rooms are equipped with High Definition LCD TVs with a wide range of HD channels and Wi-Fi connection, along with other amenities such as minibar, laptop safes, and even fluffy bathrobes for the Club room package. Upgrade to a Club room or suite and enjoy other extras like complimentary snacks, access to the Club Lounge and more.

Choose from a wide selection of delicious dishes at Orwell’s Brasserie serving modern British dishes with their own fusion of international flavours, for breakfast, lunch or supper. Kids eat for free from selections off the children’s menu. For adults looking for a more casual dining experience, opt for Dr. O’Driscoll’s Irish Bar at the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow. Here you will find some pub favourite dishes and can enjoy a pint of your choice of beer. For a great cocktail, choose Orwell’s Bar and nibble on bites chosen from the deli style menu.

For those leaving London for a family vacation or just rushing out of town for a business trip, book an overnight stay at the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow and save yourself the hassle of rushing to the airport the day of your flight. Choose a Park, Stay and Go package allowing you 4, 8 or 15 days parking in the designated parking area and depart on your trip without a worry in mind, knowing that your car is conveniently stored and ready for you upon your return. No need to fuss catching a taxi when you get back, when you can just catch a short ride back to the hotel and load the family or all your business documents in your own ride and head home at your own leisurely pace.

The Park, Stay and Go option is not just about parking convenience. It’s also about you and your family. For the duration of your stay you have access to the hotel’s facilities too, including the state-of-the-art fitness center, indoor pool, spa, gym and even 9-hole golf course, in case you want to get a little fun in before your trip. Whether you are heading out on a vacation or a business trip, the planning can be quite stressful already so enjoying a short care-free stay at the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow will help you set a positive, relaxed mood before you jet-set off.

If you travel often on business, look into becoming a member of the park, Stay and Go Club. It’s free to join and the more often you stay, the better the deals you will get.

Comfort, quality, satisfaction, relaxation and savings – it’s what you can expect from the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow.

Though Tokyo is known worldwide for its notoriously high prices, truth is, budget accommodation options can be found. It's all a matter of knowing where to look. During our latest trip to Japan, my husband and I stayed at Grand House Changtee Hotel, and not only they had affordable room prices but they were even located in one of the best areas in Tokyo.

Changtee Hotel is located only 5 minutes from the Ikebukuro train and metro station. When we booked the hotel we had no idea what this neighborhood was all about, but we soon discovered this was one of the most interesting parts of Tokyo and one of the places most popular with the young and stylish inhabitants of this amazing city. Needless to say all the nearby streets are packed with restaurants, bars, shopping malls, pachinko (Japanese arcade games used for gambling) and even a cat cafe. You can find absolutely anything your heart desires here, from budget to luxury. But one of our favorite things to do in Ikebukuro was people watching. Japanese fashion is incredibly different from the Western one and absolutely fascinating.

Further reading: 3 Day Trips From Tokyo You Shouldn't Miss

The room also featured an air-con unit and free Wi-fi, and downstairs, next to the reception there were free water and tea facilities, a microwave and self-laundry facilities. The staff spoke good English, Japanese and Chinese and everybody was extremely friendly and helpful. 

In the reception they have this board, which we believed to be a very cute idea, with the nationalities of the guests staying in the hotel on each given day, weather information and events. It happened that during the exact period we stayed at Changtee Hotel, the Ikebukuro autumn festival was going on and the receptionist pointed us to the nearby street where the festival was hold. We attended the parade two days in a row and we were absolutely smitten. 

Due to its great accessibility and connections, this Tokyo hotel was our getaway to exploring the area and the nearby cities of Kamakura and Nikko. We also discovered that Tokyo is not that expensive, as we were able to find budget friendly accommodations for our trip. In addition to the great deal we got on the hotel it was very clean and quiet. The guests have the option to stay in a more traditional Japanese style room or the standard western style room without the hassle of having to change hotels. It also proved to us that Tokyo is not really as expensive as 'advertised' and that budget friendly accommodation can be found. More than that, this hotel is a clean and quiet one. And on top of it all, you have the option of staying in a traditional Japanese room and if you decide this is not for you, you can change to a Western style room without the hassle of changing hotels.

When we visited the charming city of Lubeck in Northern Germany earlier this year, we stayed at Hotel Baltic, a budget and family friendly hotel located just one minute away from the Lubeck Central Station and the bus station and only a few minutes from the heart of the city. As we arrived by train, the location of this hotel was ideal, as there was no need to use the public transport to get to the hotel, nor to carry our luggage for long.

The room was basic but comfortable, with a small flat screen, carpet covered floors, and free Wi-fi. We really liked how comfortable the beds were, which provided us with a very good night sleep, especially that the double glazed windows were protecting us from any unwanted noise from outside. Even though the bus station was just in front of our window, there didn't seem to be very many (if any at all) buses running during the night. The only real inconvenience was that the hotel has no elevator, and we had to struggle with the luggage for three floors.

The bathroom was newly renovated, spacious and very well organized. Everything one needed, from towels to shampoo and soap was provided, and everything sparkled.

We simply loved the setting in which the breakfast was served, with all kind of interesting little details in the sailing theme and the fact that there was a lit candle on each table. I think this was the first time ever we had breakfast by candle light and we were thrilled. I mean, what a great idea! We should totally do this at home too. It really adds a festive mood to what is supposed to be the most important meal of the day.

The guys at Baltic Hotel are currently working to fit the very green inner courtyard for breakfast purposes as well, so I can only imagine just how even more wonderful having breakfast here it would be in the near future.

For it's location and value for money, Baltic Hotel from Lubeck is the ideal place to spend the night when visiting the town, be it for business or tourist purposes. Especially for the budget conscious guests traveling by train, either using an Interrail or Eurail pass or not, this hotel is a God sent.