Leeds England is surprisingly interesting! We went there for a night in a hostel and had a blast! Here is the full cost and experience breakdown.
Leeds is a solid stop-over town… you can see everything in 1 day. The lodging is expensive relative to other places in England.
Cost Per Day
$119.59
Number of Days On Trip
1
Total Trip Cost
$119.59
Itinerary – Leeds, England
We are still on our journey up to Scotland and just wrapped up our house sit in Morley England. So… we needed a stopover before our next house sit! Where is close to Morely that is connected easily by train and fairly cheap for a night? That’s right, Leeds, England.
Since we only had a day in town, we took a quick lap around to the main sites like the Corn Exchange and walked through the several shopping arcades. There was even a TK Maxx so we used this opportunity to buy our new girly pink roller luggage. We then stopped off at a market to stock up for dinner (using left over cash from another trip) and the next day’s travel. Many people think that Leeds is not much of a destination, but we were presently surprised!
The Hostel
We found ourselves a 6 bed Art Hostel that we could stay for a night a quick 10 minute walk from the train station and off the main path. It was quiet, comfy, and had a kitchen we could use!
This time, we had some memorable experiences at the hostel. People from all over England were chilling in the kitchen making their food! So, as one does, we struck up some conversation! Brad played chess with a legally blind physical therapist (and lost). Of note, chess seems to be a common game in hostel common areas.
This hostel also let us store our luggage for free before our check-in time, which is a game changer! It allowed us to explore the town a bit instead of waiting in the public space for hours. They gave us sheets and each bed had an outlet for charging electronics. Now, we ask our lodging if this is an option before we finalize our booking!
So what do you make for food in a shared hostel? Lots of things! One of my favorite go-to recipes is what I call “Fancy Noodle”. All of the ingredients are easy to get anywhere in the world. It is easy to carry, it is filling, and healthy when you augment with meat and veggies!
Plus, it takes literally 10 minutes to make, costs about $1 per serving, and smells AMAZING (enough so that people comment on it). I love it because it is a flexible recipe to what you have on hand to use.
Fancy Noodle Recipe
Ingredients:
- dry noodles (Chicken or Beef Ramen) with seasoning packet
- salt/pepper/oil
- 1 onion
- 2 eggs
- 2 cloves garlic (minimum). More if your preference
- half inch piece of ginger
- (optional) peanut butter/soy sauce/hot sauce
- (optional) Meat/Veggies
- Zucchini
- Bell Pepper
- Chicken
- Beef
Preparation:
- Dice your onion, mince your garlic, and mince your ginger
- tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium high heat
- Throw in your onion and ginger. Add the garlic a minute later so it doesn’t burn.
- Saute for a couple of minutes for color. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add enough water to cook your noodles. Bring to simmer
- Add your noodles and cook until 75% done.
- Crack your eggs right into the pan. Cover with the lid and let steam to cook the eggs to your preference.
- Add the seasoning packet right at the end.
- Add any Optional sauce you have on hand and want.
- (Optional) Saute meat or veggies on the side to add just before eating.
- Enjoy!
Trip Cost Breakdown
| Item | Category | Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
Hostelworld |
Hotel |
$25.27 |
|
Eurail |
Transportation |
$28.54 |
Cost Analysis and Value Assessment
You will notice that the hostel costs more than the hostel we stayed at in London at $72. I think this has to do with it being a 6-bed hostel instead of 8-bed. Additionally, there was a kitchen we were able to use at this one. This lodging option was the least expensive in the area at the time and we didn’t have to spend lots of money eating at restaurants.
We also got some new luggage on this trip since our roller bag broke! Though, I am not counting it in this trip cost on the account of it is not a normal trip expense. It cost about $60 USD for reference. We expected it to last a few months… but alas, you will discover in a few trips this was not the case.
Was the trip worth the $119 per day price tag? Not particularly. Will we go back to Leeds? Nah, we’ve seen what it has to offer. It was okay for what we needed but I would go somewhere else next time.
Concluion
Leeds is a solid stop-over town. We had interesting experiences chatting with people at the hostel. We enjoyed walking around and seeing the town (it was relaxing). We had a decent night’s sleep. But, we were ready to move on the next day.
