$40, One Night, and a Stranger’s Couch

Dubai, 2AM. My layover was longer than my patience, and hotel prices were a joke I couldn’t afford. Airbnb was a last resort, not a dream. I ended up in a stranger’s spare room—no skyline view, just a rattling fan and a host who offered tea and stories about his own layovers. It wasn’t glamorous. I slept light, half-worried, half-grateful. But I woke up to homemade breakfast and a conversation that made the city feel less like a stopover and more like a place people actually live. Sometimes, $40 buys you a night of awkward honesty and the reminder that travel isn’t always about the destination—or the photos you’ll never post. #Travel #LayoverLife #RealTravelStories