Many Uses of Craigslist

Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) is an indispensable resource for travellers or those who want to travel. It is a good source of short-term rooms and apartments when you travel, since there are Craigslists in virtually every major city in the world.

Just looking at what is offered in Moscow today, I found a room in a shared flat for only about $665 for the rest of the summer, or a very nice apartment in central Moscow for about $65 a night, with the price negotiable for longer stays. There were many similar places to stay--check under vacation rentals or sublets.

Craigslist is also useful in finding tutors, tennis partners or other friends in a city where you don't have many contacts. I have used it to find tennis players in Florida, and right now am studying Russian with a young woman who advertised on Craigslist here in Montreal. She is not a trained teacher, but she arrived from Moscow recently so she is up to date with current language usage, which is not always the case with expats who left many years ago. In addition, I can study what I want, and the cost is very reasonable.

If getting the money together to travel is an issue (and when is it not?,) you can check Craigslist for jobs or roommates, or use it to sell some of your stuff before you leave.

Of course, it can be dangerous to book an apartment or room overseas sight unseen, or to send money to unknown persons.

Still, if you exercise caution, Craigslist is one of the best free resources on the Web.