How to Find Cheap Accommodation Almost Anywhere

This month I had to find a reasonably-priced place to stay in one of the most expensive cities on earth.

The average price of rent here in San Francisco is $1200+ per month for a shared apartment, but I found a place to stay indefinitely, last minute, for $25 a night ($750 a month).

This basic process can be used to find a place to crash just about anywhere, but in general this much effort is only required in big cities. Outside the city I’ve never failed to find something by asking people on the street.Continue reading >>

Strike Mission: From Budapest to Istanbul in 4 Days

This has happened before: I have a deadline to be somewhere, I’m nowhere near it, and I’m out of time.

Back in late November I was in Southern Peru and needed to get to Santiago, Chile in under a week (just look at the map – it’s FAR). I waited until the last possible minute and then blew through Arequipa, the international border, and all the surf towns of Northern Chile, making it to Santiago via nonstop 24-hour busride (with a day to spare). I even managed to get a few days of surfing in along the way.Continue reading >>