Most likely your biggest expense for your trip to Europe will be lodging. That’s true for me, even though I go strictly budget. I try to maximize the value received. I learned pretty quickly not to trust what my neighbor or church friend said about where I should stay.
If you have read other articles on this website, you may know already that I have chosen to stay in hostels almost all of the time on my first two trips. On the third trip occurring this summer, 2026, I am only staying in hostels if a private room there makes sense. Without going into details here, I made this decision because my aging hip and knee make me less sure-footed when I first change positions, and I don’t want to be falling out of the top bunk and causing a commotion in the middle of the night.
The point of this article is to encourage you to explore all options until you decide on the one that is right for you.
How We Older Women Traveling Solo Could Think About Hotels
Let’s start with hotels, which would probably be my first thought when visiting an American city. I love a great hotel, but for budget reasons, I’ve rarely if ever stayed in one in Europe. This summer I will be doing so.
If you were to adopt my approach, you would get to decide what level of luxury is important to you and what amenities you will actually use. I would say to myself, it’s great that they have a hot tub, but I have no intention of using it. I don’t want to pay for a lot of stuff I won’t use.
Do I really need the hotel breakfast? For me that depends on whether there will be a convenient place to get a cup of coffee and a bit to eat. I’m not an especially big breakfast eater. On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful “full English” breakfast in a modest hotel in London.
So far I haven’t stayed in a purpose-built American chain hotel In Europe. As a compromise, I learned I could have both a familiar brand and a handsome older building, no doubt one with some “character.”
For location, I have learned I won’t return to the hotel in the middle of the day anyway, so I didn’t feel I had to stay right in the heart of the tourist area. On the other hand, it is a real pain for me to stay somewhere remote from restaurants and pleasant walking, as I did in Prague.
Why I Ruled Out Short-Term Rentals and Some Other Options
I stayed in one apartment, in Strasbourg, and would choose that same one again, but that doesn’t mean I want to cook for myself. I also don’t care if I can do laundry right at my lodging. I remember fondly some experiences of locals helping me figure out the laundromat (which will be called a washateria or about anything else in Europe). In fact, I enjoyed Florence and Paris more because of these interactions.
So far I haven’t chosen to stay in a monastery in Europe, although I have done so twice in the U.S. I haven’t really found a bed and breakfast or guest house I feel good about either, although a couple are booked for the 2026 trip. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I Love Staying in Hostels–You Might Too
Next, you could think about my preferred accommodation, which is hostels. You might know them as youth hostels, but the vast majority of them now accept people of any age, or at least 18 and over. Nonetheless, one in Rome turned me away because I looked over 35. No kidding. They said this age restriction was listed in their terms and conditions, but nowhere online did I find their terms and restrictions.
Frankly I’ve seen more older people in American hostels than European ones, but none of the other clientele seem to mind that I’m older. I don’t let it bother me.
What do I have to give up to sleep in a hostel? The answer is quite a few things, including privacy, the feeling like my belongings are completely secure, a perfectly quiet room, space to unpack much of anything, and a predictable degree of cleanliness and convenience.
However, what I gain from sleeping in a hostel is dollars for sightseeing and lengthening the trip. It has cost me between a fifth and a third of what a hotel would cost. As detailed elsewhere, this feature alone is worth it to me.
Another plus–one that is huge for me–is that I can easily encounter and talk with people, mostly young, from all over the world. The conversations can be wonderful. I’ll be writing more about hostel experiences later.
Other Adventures in Finding a Place to Stay
As I write in more detail about your money and your lodging, links to the articles will appear just below.