Budget Vacation Accommodation in London...with a difference.

I am realising there is a sure fire way to rape people repeatedly without it actually being physical, or illegal. It's called selling or leasing property. I mean, in my real life I gripe ad nauseum about high property prices here on the island and how everyone thinks their 2' x 4' shack is a million or multi-million dollar property. I have seen it all - real dumps which the owners don't even try to make aesthetically palatable before a showing and then bold facedly tell you they want you to part with TT$1.7 million and upwards, when in your mind, you had it valued at nothing more than TT$700,000.

In Tobago, I always laugh at how home owners rent the downstairs of their house and call it a "villa", when it's...the downstairs of a house. Villa screams "pay me three times as much" and it works, especially on long holiday weekends when one island empties out onto the next.

But hotel hunting when planning a vacation is a whole new level of crazy, especially for the cost-conscious and hygienically aware traveller. As much as I love budget accommodation, especially as I just need a room to park my bag, sleep and shower, I don't do hostels for example. I work too hard to stay in a hostel, sharing a shower with dozens of strangers, so no. Some of these "budget" hotels are not really "budget" and some are just also dumps.

But THIS one took the cake and I found this quite by accident cause I was not really looking for a place in London but was curious as to if ever I visited and needed privacy in a non-hotel environment, what that would look like and what it would cost. Well...this guy, who has a photo up (how brave of him) is  renting out his garden shed. Now, most of the homes I have been to in London have a shed in the garden, and most use it as extra storage - kinda like a garage or an attic. It is a small thing really, and my cousin used his to store wine, tools and other such junk. The neighbourhood fox also used it - dug a hole and slept under it during the winter. This guy has listed his shed on Airbnb for RENT!

The Urban Cabin as I have now dubbed it.

The going rate for this - US$67 a night! Are you kidding me?

I read some of the reviews and while there were others who felt this was craziness to the nth power as I did, he actually got great reviews for his urban cabin. Dunno how I felt about this part of the cabin's amenities though -

Shower + bath for an extra £3 a night when available in house (guarantees cannot be given in advance). Otherwise the local swimming pool is very close!

It just reminded me of how blessed I am that while I may not be able to stay in the same hotels as the Kardashians (my heart breaks from the disappointment), I can afford to stay in more comfortable and convenient lodging. Hell, I am blessed enough to be able to take nice vacations. I do not ever take that for granted. I probably would not stay there if I could afford a room at a Travelodge, but hey...to each his own. I would however be a bit alarmed by this "perk"

Family, dog and cat, all friendly and talkative.

Well, if you're looking for interesting conversation, this may be the place for you. lol.