Bucharest: Meeting People While on the Go

1. A typical Airbnb place of stay

When traveling in Canada we usually consult with site such as priceline.com to find deals on hotels as we loathe paying full price for accommodations. Our philosophy is that we spend so little time in the hotel we would rather spend money doing things or eating good food. However, because we are travelling for an extended period of time we needed to find a website that provides accommodations at bare minimum prices. There are three that we have discovered that are particularly useful when traveling for extended periods in Europe. Although they are available in North America as well, there are fewer options available as there are fewer travellers.

Travellerspoint.com is a great website that allows people to search for budget accommodations including hostels, inns, and apartments. The website is particularly easy to use and the accommodations often include breakfast. While we always book a private room, even when staying at a hostel, shared bathrooms are sometimes a necessity. The accommodations on this website are all proper businesses and can be booked instantly as online availability is indicated. We used this website extensively when we travelled through Europe last time and found some great deals (including $22 CND for a hotel room just outside Paris).

During this year's travel we have discovered another website called airbnb.com. The search mode is similar to the one above but the listings include "regular" people who have a room or apartment to rent. There is a little back-and-forth emailing with the potential host to confirm availability but we usually receive responses within a few short hours. We generally have found the accommodations are more inexpensive than found elsewhere. Additionally, whether we book a private room or a whole apartment, there is the advantage of having access to a kitchen and sometimes laundry facilities.

2. Our Koblenz host picks
us up.

After our booking in Koblenz and Bucharest we have also realized a further advantage of using airbnb.com - meeting and living with people who live in the area. Although we have only needed to use this website recently, the few experiences we have had so far have been excellent! The hosts have been gracious and have welcomed us and encouraged us to feel right at home. They have given suggestions on what to do, pointed out the best places to eat, indicated things to avoid and generally given us insights into daily life in their country. Our stay in their homes has definitely made our travelling experience richer. The only drawback about airbnb.com is that there is a booking fee that is a percentage of the cost of the stay.

Recently we have added a new site to our list for finding accommodation - couchsurfing.com. While we had heard of it before, we were a little hesitant about using the site. Our understanding was that people register online if they have space in their house to rent and any registered "couch surfers" can stay free of charge and accepting any given visitor is at the discretion of the host. Although we recently registered just to check out the website, we haven't actually used this service. However, one afternoon in Bucharest we stumbled upon another aspect of couchsurfing.com by accident.

3. Rob at high tea

On our last day at Bucharest we decided to walk to their Arch de Triumph which is located in the middle of a traffic circle on a wide street that is flanked by extremely luxurious homes many of which are residences of ambassadors from other countries. As we approached the Arch we were struck by an incongruent sight - a person sitting in the middle of the traffic circle on a chair apparently sipping tea. A small crowd was standing away from the tea drinker while a photographer took pictures. Of course we walked over to investigate and, with any luck, to take a turn at the photo op.

With a little investigation, we discovered that the members of the group were strangers to each other but all were registered on couchsurfing.com and had decided to join the event that was posted online. Adam, a Polish-Australian, was visiting Bucharest and decided that he wanted to photograph the second picture in a series of photos titled "Tea Traveller". As such he posted a request on couchsurfing.com for someone to bring a chair to this location at 5:00 pm and invited anyone who wanted to participate to come at the appointed time. What else does one have to do late in the afternoon on a Saturday?

4. Meeting the couchsurfing gang

Of course we joined in the fun and took our turns taking photos in a traffic circle in front of the Arch de Triumph. The light was perfect as the sun was beginning to set and the pink rays reflected beautifully off the white surface of the Arch.

5. Juan from Spain in Bucharest

After dozens of photos were taken we chatted for a while and decided to go out for dinner and drinks at a Romanian restaurant located in the old town. It was a great evening of eating, drinking, laughing, and even a bit of dancing. The multicultural group consisted of two Romanians, one Dutch, two Spanish, one Polish-Australian, one Turk and two Canadians. Thankfully the language of choice was English.

6. A dance with Laura from Romania

It was explained to the two novice Canadians that couch surfing is a website dedicated to people who want to meet new people - especially those that are interested in travelling. So, besides being free, this website provides a forum for people to get together - sometimes on a weekly basis. Laura, one of the Romanians, indicated that she wanted to meet new people so she regularly checked for bulletins announcing meetings in Bucharest. Anna, who was from Holland, was living in Bucharest for a six-month term and although she was staying in a residence, she was using couchsurfing as a way to meet people other than her colleagues.

There is a world of possibilities out there if you are travelling on a budget and are open to meeting people. Brand new day, brand new adventure!