Money Woes and Ho Ho Ho's

As my last post was a tad gloomy, I figured I'd better fess up about some of the dramas we've been having since our arrival in Berlin.

Finding an affordable room in Berlin proved
harder than we thought

It all began about two weeks into our stay, in the cosy apartment we'd secured via Airbnb. We began talking with our host via the Airbnb site back in October, as we weren't having much luck responding to rental advertisements on Craiglist or the local website WG-Gesucht.de.

I figured if we contacted hosts directly and asked whether they wanted to secure a tenancy for 1-2 months, we may get a better deal. And I was right.

Our host offered us the room in her 2 bedroom apartment for the same daily rate as 2 dorm beds in a hostel. We figured this was a good deal as we would have the autonomy/privacy of our own room in a quiet apartment, rather than sleeping a noisy hostel dorm with 10 other people. In addition, the location was fantastic - walking distance to the East Side Gallery and the nightlife of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, 3 stops from Alexanderplatz and Mitte and literally one street away from where my friend lived.

What Travel Fatigue Feels Like

The weather matches my mood

It's been a tumultuous week for us here in Germany and just as the weather has dampened and darkened, so too has my enthusiasm for this trip.

I know from previous travels how important it is to listen to these feelings and not ignore them, as the remedy can often be as simple as laying low for a little while and licking your wounds... just until the desire to explore returns and your stamina is restored.

In the days leading up to our flight to Berlin I imagined the weeks ahead involving little more than nights spent cruising from one graffiti-covered bar to the next, with days spent recuperating inside the countless museums and serene art galleries that inhabit this city.

But the truth is, in the month we've been here we're yet to set foot in a museum and the big nights out have been few and far between. This is in part because I no longer have the stamina for it (the partying I mean - I can quite happily sit up all night watching movies and scoffing chocolate, but my days of swilling endless jugs of beer and dancing fervently until dawn are sadly over) and in part because what we've really been missing is the same dull, predictable, domestic routine we left behind 6 months ago.

It may sound inconceivable, but after almost half a year living out of bags and hustling our way across foreign countries I really just want somewhere to lounge around in my trackies and sip cups of tea.

Boring, huh?

How to Get Free Accommodation

Accommodation can be one of the single biggest travel expenses you'll face. It can also have a major impact on your enjoyment of a trip - particularly for long-term travellers who are more prone to bouts of boredom (yes, even travel can get boring), loneliness, isolation and travel fatigue.

Budget accommodation is often very basic

I remember meeting a very worldly traveller in Cambodia who described needing to "take a holiday from travelling" and splash out on a nice hotel, as she'd simply had enough of budget rooms and basic amenities (and in South East Asia basic can mean basic - as in no flushing toilet, cold showers, a single lightbulb and a mat on the floor). 

Certainly nothing recharges those wanderlust batteries quite like a night of luxury - as I experienced first-hand this week when my partner surprised me with a gorgeous room in The Circus Hotel in Mitte for my birthday. 

The Circus Hotel in Mitte, Berlin

Although we haven't exactly been slumming it in our apartment in Friedrichshain, it was still wonderful to feel like holidaymakers instead of travellers for 24 blissful hours. We relaxed and sipped wine from our chic suite overlooking the courtyard; watched movies on the big plasma TV from the confines of our king-size bed and washed away the frosty Berlin winter (and our hangovers) with a lengthy hot rain shower in our serene en-suite bathroom... 

Whilst such luxury is definitely not going to be cost-effective over the long term, you can still treat yourself every now and again - particularly if you can get some of your other accommodation absolutely free.

How? 

It's not as difficult as it sounds...