Once you reach Europe and buy your railpasses, you need to find a place to spend the night in. As you travel across Europe, you will repeatedly find yourself looking for places to stay in. Accommodation is a major concern while traveling in Europe or in any other place. If you’re traveling on a shoestring budget, then you need to find ways to stretch that dollar.

Here are some tips to find cheap places to sleep in.

• Explore small hotels and B&Bs. Larger hotels are usually more expensive than their smaller cousins.
• You can book yourself into a hotel that has a chain across Europe. This way, the accommodation will be predictable.
• Business hotels in some countries need customers in the summer and on weekends, when their clientele is away. You may get a discount in such hotels if you try getting a booking on weekends and in summer.
• Be clear about what you need in a hotel and stick to the basics while choosing a hotel.
• Since room prices vary greatly within a hotel, you have to specify that you need a cheap room.
• If you’re in Europe in an off-season time, then you can bargain for cheaper rates.
• Read through your guidebook to find budget hotels and inexpensive places to stay.
• As you step off the bus or train, you'll sometimes be met by hotel runners wielding pictures of their rooms for rent. If you like what the runner says, and the hotel isn't too far away (many are), follow him to his hotel.
• Have your current manager call ahead to make a reservation at your next destination (offer to pay for the call).

Editor's note: Compare rail pass prices at the cheapest source of rail passes online: Rail Pass and Rail Europe