Warning: I hit $11 a night on my Canada trip and now I can't decide if hostels or camping is the real winner
I did 9 nights around Vancouver Island in June and my total lodging came to $98, which works out to about $11 a night. That number surprised me because I always figured camping was the only way to go that cheap. Half the nights were tent spots at provincial parks for $13 to $18 a night split with a buddy. The other half were hostel dorms in Victoria and Nanaimo at $32 to $40 a night, which sounds bad until you count the free breakfast and the kitchen. Hostels won on sleep and showers, camping won on noise and cost. So which one actually saves you more once you add in gear and food, because I keep going back and forth on it.