When it comes to travel on a shoestring - my favorite style - the amount of money you spend or save on accommodation becomes a serious matter. There was a time when travelling to China was very, very cheap, and accommodation options where everywhere. Unfortunately, with China experiencing the economic boom, things have changed quite...

In a recent article in Brave New Traveler entitled "When Does Budget Travel Become Exploitation?" , writer Ernesto Machado raises some interesting points about what happens when the "budget" mindset goes too far. In an example he gave, a foreign couple argued with the owner of a hostel, since they wanted to pay $10 less...