[General] 'turn out' or 'end up'?

[Heidi L]

Dear friends,

Here's one tip to save money while traveling:

Choose a hotel that's a little farther from popular attractions. If you're staying several days, check out prices on hostels or vacation homes - both can end up being cheaper than a hotel in the long run.

I would like to know if it's OK to say "both can turn out to be cheaper than a hotel in the long run" here?

If the answer is positive, which one do you prefer and why?

Thank you!

 

[MikeNewYork]

They can both be used. I would choose "end up".

 

[5jj]

As hostels are generally cheaper than hotels anyway, it seems odd to say that they might end up/turn out cheaper.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

Plus "in the long run" seems superfluous. They either are cheaper or they aren't.

It's not a question of the prices becoming cheaper the longer one stays.

 

[Heidi L]

As hostels are generally cheaper than hotels anyway, it seems odd to say that they might end up/turn out cheaper.

Plus "in the long run" seems superfluous. They either are cheaper or they aren't.

I read this tip in a magazine that lots of Taiwanese students study for learning English. Should I throw it away?

I was trying to rephrase the tip on traveling on a shoestring as follows and please check if it's alright:

-Since hotels can sometimes be very expensive, if you have a small budget, or if you don't want to waste money on accommodations so that you can do more things on your trip, hostels might be another alternative.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

I don't think the problem with the magazine article is the English, it's the sense of what it's saying.

Your rewording is quite good. I would remove the second comma and the 's' of accommodations and it would be even better.

 

[SoothingDave]

I am not a teacher.

I don't think the problem with the magazine article is the English, it's the sense of what it's saying.

Your rewording is quite good. I would remove the second comma and the 's' of accommodations and it would be even better.

You mean you would say "accommodation" as a singular?

It is plural in AmE.

 

[Roman55]

You mean you would say "accommodation" as a singular?

It is plural in AmE.

I am not a teacher.

Yes, I would say accommodation as an uncountable mass noun because I speak BrE.

And yes, you're right, I know.

 

[Heidi L]

But I'm not sure if it's appropriate to say "another alternative". Will it be better to just say "hostels might be an alternative"? Because I think that 'alternative' itself kind of refers to another choice/option, 'another alternative' sounds weird to you?

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

You could say "hostels might be an alternative" and that would be fine but there is nothing weird about "another alternative".

You are right when you say that "alternative" refers to another choice, but an alternative is one of two or more choices, so there is not necessarily only one other choice. In fact, in the original quote from post #1 (which has now undergone so much tinkering that part of it has disappeared) the two alternatives of hostels and holiday homes were mentioned.