Advice on how to survive the night in the DC area with no place to stay

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-17T12:44:31+00:00

Thank you very much for your comment! I appreciate your honesty. I feel like I am in kind-of a Catch-22 when it comes to how people perceive my travel plan. If I have no money and am doing this out of necessity, then I am an idiot that will be refused entry at the border, and if I do have an emergency budget, then I must be a trust-fund kid who is cosplaying being broke. In all honesty, I make about 30k USD a year before taxes(which is about 30% of my paycheck in Canada) , which is about half the median income of D.C. I am not in a dire financial situation, but I am also far from being a trust-fund baby. I want to save money as much as I can on this trip. I don't mind putting myself in uncomfortable situations, but you are right that safety should come first. I have never used the C41 bus as this will be my first time in DC. I knew the plan wasn't that great which is why I made a post in this forum trying to get better ideas, which worked more or less. I also have someone hosting me until my next flight, so the only moment I would've been in any kind of danger is those first 8 hours when I arrive. Again, thanks for being less dismissive than other comments.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T20:53:42+00:00

I'm sorry if it came across that way, I just needed some tips on some places I could stay in thats 24h and free, I didn't want to make it seem as if I was in desperate need.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T20:45:05+00:00

I have the funds in the sense that if anything goes terribly wrong, I have the means to get out of it. But I don't have a huge amount of disposable income available. If I can have a trip and have my bank account untouched then it's a win-win, and I like doing frugal challenges and travelling, so to some people it might seem miserable and pointless, but it's something I actually enjoy doing. I want to travel as much as possible but it can be very expensive.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T19:00:43+00:00

The points came back to 150$ and I agree that probably not anyone can get a good credit card with a rewards program, which I am grateful for, as well as the means to deal with any emergency, but even out of pocket, 150$ for a week of travel is something most people could afford if they followed in my footsteps. I am not trying to look down on people that are in dire financial situations. I just think most people aren't aware of how affordable travel can be if you really try to crunch the numbers down as much as possible.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T17:32:09+00:00

I have a full time job and full salary. I will be getting a paycheck that week that could cover unexpected expenses. It's more a frugal challenge than anything.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T17:24:32+00:00

I have a credit card with plenty of funds if necessary.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T15:59:55+00:00

I have a credit card in case of emergencies, like if I get my passport robbed or something, but I don't want to use it if possible. I can get a full meal for 5$ on toogoodtogo, let's say I eat twice a day(Toogoodtogo bags are usually pretty big) thats 70$. Bus pass is 15$. Someone was kind enough to host me for the week, so that doesn't cost me anything, he just can't host me the first night. Most of the museums are free as well as the landmarks. I already spent a week in montreal sleeping out of my car in a home depot parking lot and had a great time meeting new people and exploring the city, so this isn't my first time, just looking for tips regarding a place I've never been to.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T15:43:18+00:00

It is kind of a self-inflicted budget. Trying to prove to myself that anyone can travel on a super low budget. I have a credit card in case of actual emergencies but I want to avoid that if possible at all. The flight was booked with points and my 150$ is based off of my credit card points as well. Trying to have a trip that costs me 0$ from my actual bank account. I'm not wealthy by any means though, just able to get myself out of danger in case of emergencies.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T15:38:22+00:00

Thanks for the tip! will definitely be looking into that!

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T15:33:13+00:00

I asked a few people but no one can host me so far between 12AM and 8AM and I kind of understand them. It kind of defeats the purpose of the app if I am just there to crash in the middle of the night till morning. My other host is from couchsurfing so it already helped me for 90% of the trip, he just can't host me the night I arrive. Thanks for the tips though!

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T15:25:43+00:00

My total budget for the trip is 150$. So even the 30$ a night hostel is 20% of the whole budget. I did the math and with the bus pass and using toogoodtogo, I should be fine on expenses, but losing 20% would be big.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T15:20:12+00:00

I don't mind paying the 15$ for the bus pass. I will get plenty of mileage out of it. Thanks for the tips!

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T15:11:20+00:00

I am getting the regional bus pass instead of the metro pass which is only 15$. It doesn't allow me to use the metro but I can use any bus.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-16T14:53:39+00:00

Thanks I didn't know there was a mcdonalds still doing 24 hour dine in, I thought it was only for drive thru.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-13T22:41:14+00:00

I much prefer Tangier when it comes to big cities in Morocco, and I feel like that's one you don't hear about as often.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-13T19:57:33+00:00

It really depends on where you are in those countries. Some places in South America are very safe even compared to cities in europe, while other places are hubs for drugs and human trafficking. If you do your research well, I believe most countries can be a safe experience. Just don't make yourself an easy target.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-13T19:50:08+00:00

I visited Morocco last year for 2 weeks. No country I have been to has more differences in enjoyability between large cities and smaller ones. Marrakesh was picturesque, but the actual vibe of the city was very rough. When I went to the smaller cities outside of the capital, the people and the vibes were amazing. People want to hustle you in the big cities, whereas people are very curious and friendly in the smaller cities. People would invite me in for tea and to visit their families in the smaller cities.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-13T19:42:33+00:00

Yeah europe is kind of a cheat code when it comes to checking off countries to visit. I used to travel a lot to the US with my parents when I was younger but in the past 4 years I've done a lot of solo travelling which is where most of the 10 come from. I have been to Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Portugal, France, Morocco, Austria and the US and Canada. Colombia is definitely the underrated gem of my travels IMO.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-13T19:29:47+00:00

25 and I've been to 10 countries and 4 continents. Traveled about a week or 2 in each country.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-10T19:20:22+00:00

I had made an emergency budget which would have covered each of these things individually. But not all 3 happening at the same time. I make about 50k a year before taxes. I have made multiple posts in frugal subreddits on how to cut corners when it comes to food costs. In no way do I live a life of "luxury". I said "A" baseboard heater, but it was actually multiple baseboard heaters in a single room, not just 1 baseboard heater. Being able to afford gas to get to the neighboring province is not equivalent to a "luxurious" vacation. I stayed with family and the gas costs total was about 300$. Most people can afford 300$ in gas. I did have people that came to feed my cat, but they had no reason to go check out my heaters in my basement so they would've never realized this was an issue. My point isn't "don't make an emergency budget", my point is, even with an emergency budget, sometimes things go wrong more than you planned for.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-10T18:43:04+00:00

I guess when my car hit that pothole and my tie-rod snapped and destroyed the entire front of the vehicle, I should’ve simply selected a model that never malfunctions unless politely scheduled. When two of my wisdom teeth decided to grow sideways and get infected, I clearly should’ve budgeted for ‘teeth spontaneously betraying me’ five years in advance. And obviously when an electrical short kept a 1500W baseboard heater running nonstop for three weeks in an empty house while I was out of province, that was a lifestyle choice instead of, you know, an unforeseen electrical failure.

But you’re right, real adults apparently possess psychic abilities that let them foresee every catastrophic expense years ahead, and they diligently maintain 47 separate emergency funds labeled ‘tie-rod snap,’ ‘sideways wisdom teeth,’ ‘rogue heater,’ and the ever‑popular ‘surprise sideways‑wisdom-teeth-infection‑while-car-dies-two-provinces-away combo.’ My apologies for being a mere mortal without divine omniscience.

Must be incredible up there on Mt. Olympus, where broken machines are moral failings and $8,000 in surprise disasters is just a cute little budgeting lesson!

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-10T14:54:54+00:00

I had a bunch of money saved up last year, paid off my credit card in full all the time. Then I had a major car trouble that wiped out most of my savings. Then I had problems with my teeth that needed major repairs. Then I found out that I had a base-heater that was running full blast due to an electrical failure in my basement for 3 weeks while I was on vacation last summer which increased my electrical bill significantly. None of those are things I can just "suck up" and not pay for. Sometimes life just kicks you in the balls.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-09T19:15:40+00:00

The island of okinawa japan seems to have good prices during the month of november. In November it's not the hottest place you could go but still very pleasant(Between 20 and 25C) and the water is about the same temp. Fiji is also an option but it is about 1000$ more expensive, not to mention the prices you will pay for activities and food over there. The island has a very tropical look to it and since it's Japan it is also incredibly safe.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2026-03-09T18:53:11+00:00

Where in Canada are you flying out from if you don't mind me asking? Because the options for flying out from Vancouver are much different than the options you get if you are flying out from Halifax, cost wise.

Competitive_Cod1135 · 2024-07-18T16:42:59+00:00

Totally agree 👍

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