A lot of people, young and old, stay in hostels run by Hostelling International . Despite the cost savings over staying in a hotel, we prefer our tent, especially during the peak summer months. During these school vacations, almost all of Europe seems sometimes to have been taken over by young budget-minded hostellers. If you want to investigate this style of travel more, check out The Internet Guide to Hostelling for more information. In short, more people camp out in Europe than stay in hotels.
Many towns have a municipal camping area within blocks of the town center.
Many more, especially in tourist areas, have a number of private campgrounds to choose from. Just look for the international camping sign. Europeans often try to fit as many tents into their campgrounds as possible. They are sometimes very crowded. On the other hand, it s very rare that anyone with a small tent gets turned away for lack of space.