Seeing Pope Francis On the Cheap

It’s been a known problem ever since the pope announced that he was coming to visit: there simply are not enough rooms at the literal inn(s) for all the faithful welling into Philadelphia to see him. With an estimated one million visitors expected to flood the city and only tens of thousands of hotel rooms – all booked solid, of course – there has to be a place to put everyone. For some people, sleeping on the floor is a worthwhile sacrifice in order to see the pontiff.

Would you sleep on the floor for a chance to see the pope?

Museums, classrooms, and churches will end up sheltering some of the faithful – particularly young people – who come to Philadelphia. Yoga mats or sleeping bags will have to make do for those without beds. Lewis Held, director of group travel for APilgrimsJourney.com, a Pittsburgh company that organizes worldwide Catholic tours, said that many student groups will be accommodated this way. They consider it a worthwhile trade off for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the pope.

It’s not that there haven’t been other options for those who didn’t lock down one of Philadelphia’s <12,000 hotel rooms. Sites like Airbnb have done a brisk business with those who have offered rooms or even entire houses or apartments for rent within the city… for a steep price. With weekly rental rates running into the thousands of dollars, there haven’t been many frugal options for those watching their pennies. Philadelphia city officials announced that they were discussing the possibility of allowing camping in city parks during the weekend of the papal visit, so that’s another option. For many faithful, it doesn’t matter where they rest their head, just that they get to see the pope.