Travel Tips & Tricks For Budget-Conscious TEFL-ers

As a budget-conscious TEFL-er, I’m always on the lookout for tips and tricks to help make life easier. My latest find is this: if you want a bit of special treatment, consider bringing your laptop with you on holiday, especially if you are staying at hostels.

Conventional wisdom holds that this may make you a target of theft. You could lose your laptop to any number of accidental events. Laptops, even expensive little ones, add what is usually unnecessary weight.

This is all probably true.

However, in this day and age where guidebook writers and hostel reviews are out and about…you can believe your hostel owner will be wondering why a budget traveler, one staying at hostels no less, has a laptop along for vacation. Guidebook writers or hostel reviewer don’t come out and say that, so your honest answer that you’re an English teacher on holiday won’t cancel that impression. I think there is just enough of a question in their mind to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Nowadays though with the plethora of online hostel review sites that exist, you don’t need to be a guidebook writer for your voice to be heard. So this fact may make those in charge a little more guest-friendly too. I’ll admit that if I didn’t feel dire need to use the laptop daily, I don’t think I’d opt to bring it simply for possible slightly better service.

But if you need it anyway – word to the wise – lugging around your laptop may net you better service.