It’s the battle most young travelers find themselves waging: how to get the most experience at the lowest price. Nonetheless, there are some places where even the least expensive accommodations cost the same as a beachside resort.
Then again, depending on where you go, it might arguably be worth it. Presumably, that’s what traveler Howsweethesound (@howsweethesound) thought when she booked a tent on the side of an Italian mountain for $236 per night.
As her video starts, Howsweethesound is basically roasting herself. She’s walking along a dock lugging a duffel bag and a backpack. Under text that says, “Cheapest accommodation on the Amalfi Coast,” she shares her hike to her “bargain” room. Before she’s able to inspect it, she adds a night to her reservation. That’s now a $708 expenditure.
Then, after climbing dozens of stone stairs—so many her leg was trembling—Howsweethesound reaches her quarters. With a common dining area and a grapevine-enclosed terrace overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, it’s like something out of a novel. “Look at this,” she said with gasp and smile. “How is this even real?”
Then things get even more real.
She finds her room, and unzips the door. There’s no sugarcoating it: it’s a tent. But it does overlook the sea. It also looks spacious, clean, and aesthetic. Almost rendering the bathroom situation moot.
A follow-up gives a glimpse into the restrooms. They’re spartan, but clean with lemon trees out front, laden with fruit.
“Last night was magical […] better than any resort hotels,” she said in the video showing the lemon trees.
Some people in the comments were ready to embrace the magic of nights listening to guitar under the moon and stars. Others were less keen to take a trip that involves anything close to camping. But either way, the internet is locked in on her Italy trip.
“How do I cancel someone else’s reservation?” quipped @the_real_stephyne.
@baconbits02 asked, “Did you not…plan anything?” Then there was a firestorm of opinions on the “right” way to travel solo. It basically boils down to whether to plan or not to plan.
“No shade sis I would HATE to travel with you lol,” said @erika_nanaa. Then @stefanie.miss.b offered a vibe check, writing, “All it takes to be adventurous is to … go on one adventure.”
One travel writer, recalling his time in Italy, noted that “the Amalfi Coast is a place made in someone’s dream.” Little villages are tucked into coves along the Mediterranean shore. It is worth visiting more than just one of the small towns, which include Ravello, Amalfi, Praiano, and Positano.
Positano might be the most famous of the towns along the coast, and it’s been a favorite of chic vacationers since the time of ancient Rome. Before speeding Fiats and orange micro-busses clogged the mountain passes, carts loaded with sumptuous goods from the ancient world decorated Roman villas. These ruins are still seen in the vicinity of the Church dell’Assunta.
The town itself is believed to have been founded in the ninth century by inhabitants of a nearby village “fleeing Saracen incursions,” reports the city’s website. As a mountain town, the city’s fortunes rose, fell, and rose again. Wiped out by a tsunami in the 14th century, the city rose to prominence in the 1700s as a port and trading hub. But by the unification of Italy (circa 1861), the city’s fortunes had again changed and it was a sleepy fishing village.
Reinvention came again with the introduction of a reliable road, the SS163, connecting the mountain village to the rest of Italy. It allowed the first tourists in the early 20th century to reach the coast. A fashionable coterie of artists, intellectuals, and celebrities discovered the Spiaggia Grande and Fornillo beaches. Both are fashionable and still appreciated today by the celebrity set. A beach chair with an umbrella at the famous La Scogliera starts at 550€ for the day.
If that’s a little too much for the budget to bear, there are waterfalls and holy sites to visit. The Oasis of Vallone Porto and Montepertuso are both within walking distance of the city. And if walking into the mountains seems like too much work to do on vacation, the local dining scene boasts some of the best pastries in Italy.
BoardingArea reached out to Howsweethesound via email and with a TikTok direct message. We’ll update this if she tells us whether or not she could smell the lemon trees as she slept.
@howsweethesound Those steps are gonna be the death of me #budgettravel #campingtents #amalficoast ♬ original sound – howsweethesound
