During my final year of uni I decided to hostel hop, as we all know rent in London is notoriously expensive. It worked out cheaper travelling to and fro Manchester each week and crashing in hostels, than it did to rent a shed in zone 4. This Dazed article highlights the lengths students go to to avoid adding to their stomach churning debt.
I was no stranger to hostels as I'd visited many whilst backpacking and always loved the thrill of meeting fascinating motley crews. I'd wholeheartedly recommend HH to fellow laid-back Lukes who are on a shoestring and open minded. The biggest perks were the cool cats I met along the way and calling a different part of London home each week. Also as a creative writing student, I soon found the outrageous stories I overheard in the common room at 4am seeping into my work.
Advent calendar spotted in Clink 78.
If this is something you'd consider, there are three key things I'd recommend: investing in a 16-25 railcard, braving megabus coach journeys and finally to ditch your earphones. They instantly make you unapproachable and you never know what wacky stories Kylie Minogue is blaring over.
Most hostels I visited were groovy, but there were two in particular that I frequented. The electric Clink 78 in Kings Cross is packed with character and travellers down for a good time. The impressive building is an old courthouse where The Clash once stood trial and Charles Dickens worked as a scribe.
The much tamer St.Christopher's Inn in Greenwich also became a second home to me, not just because of the convenience of my uni being a stone's throw away, but because of the stellar staff! One minute we're singing (PERFORMING) Man I Feel Like a Woman, the next we're at Jazz cafe in Camden listening to an all choir cover Outcast's 2003 album Speakerboxxx / The Love Below.
The much tamer St.Christopher's Inn in Greenwich also became a second home to me, not just because of the convenience of my uni being a stone's throw away, but because of the stellar staff! One minute we're singing (PERFORMING) Man I Feel Like a Woman, the next we're at Jazz cafe in Camden listening to an all choir cover Outcast's 2003 album Speakerboxxx / The Love Below.
& My biggest tip for saving cash? Stop eating. Start photosynthesising.
