Hey everyone,
This is more a budget question than whether or not to travel with someone (as im married i dont have a choice!)

My wife and I are a young couple and our itenerary includes south america, NZ and SEA, Ive done some research but was wondering if most hostels charge for the room or per person sharing a room?

Were currently budgeting around $30USD each on accomodation per day, and then $20 each a day for food/activities, bringing us up to $50 a day (this is minimum and we'll probably have more saved up by the time we leave)

So I guess im trying to see if we will be able to have a room for close to the same price as getting 2 bunk beds.
We dont mind roughing it at all and Id rather save money to extend the travel than have a private room, but if its not a big difference then why no hey?

Also if theres any other money saving benefits of traveling with someone, let me know - You could say I have crocodile arms, I have trouble reaching my wallet...

I find that there's a lot of variables in whether you get charged per person or per room. If you book your hostel through a booking engine like BnA or Hostelworld, all prices are per person, and anything labelled as "private room" will require paying the per person price times the number of people the room can hold.

But if you're booking directly, maybe half the time you'll be quoted a per room cost on a private room. Ask if you're not sure. Other types of accomodation - pension, B&B, budget hotel, etc. - pretty much always quote a per room price.

I find that traveling with a partner doesn't so much save money as it increases the quality of accommodation. We can often stay in comfortable beds at a pension for the same price as two bunks in a hostel. In big cities this is less true, and sometimes you'll have to book dorms. On our last trip, we only had to stay in dorms in 7 cities in 5 months, and I don't think we spent any more than we would have in dorms.

Looking at your numbers, I'd say you have a decent total budget, but your accommodation to everything else ratio is out of whack. Outside of NZ, it will probably be unusual to spend more than $10 per person on accommodation, but activities will add up quick. I've historically spent only about 1/4 to 1/3 of my daily budget on accommodation.