Travel is great experience. But it also has its down sides. One of those are the sleeping costs. Budget travel is all about getting those costs down. That is why I use sleeping bag liner.
Smelly beds and room corners
Getting a free place to sleep from someone on a Couchsurfing is a great thing, but expecting he will also provide clean sheets or steam clean his couch after every ten users is a bit much. Sometimes you get only some space in corner of the room on the floor. And you are happy and grateful because this floor is located near to somewhere where you really wanted to be.
Standards are better when you decide to actually pay for a room. But again, less money less luxury. We managed to find the cheapest room in Barcelona once. It was very central. There was a reason it was so cheap.
Please come closer and share our place. Welcome.
Different standards of cleanliness
After years of traveling on a budget we actually learned some things. Budget places very often save some money with cleaning and changing bed sheets less frequently as one would like or expect. First thing is to harden up. Check. Not everyone keeps his place as clean as we do with our goblin cave.
Second thing is to be prepared. I don’t want to wake up in the morning in a stranger’s bed with weird red spots on my skin. Or on a lower bunk bed in a dodgy hostel with a suspicious stains on the pillow.
Sleeping bag liners rule
That is why I always pack my sleeping bag liner. It is smaller than an actual sleeping bag. When traveling with only carry-on luggage, every centimetre counts. When staying in less than perfect rooms, I always sleep in it. It was a life saver during one month backpacking over Indonesia. Guest houses without running water can be a great place to stay, if you are prepared. Back then I would carry around an old duvet cover. After some time it was a bit smelly but still clean compared to some of the beds on offer.
Sleeping bag liners don’t take much space in the backpack
Bed liners on offer are usually packed in miniature bags and can be pushed in the smallest empty corner in the backpack. I chose the one than can be washed and dried easily on the trip and I love it even more than my old duvet cover.
