Hostels: The Key to Affordable Travel.

Hey, guys, I have been getting a lot of questions about Hostels. A vast majority of the United States seems to only know about Hostels from some scary movie, which everyone tells me to watch, but I haven’t. I can only tell you about my experiences staying in hostels.

I have probably stayed in close to 15 different hostels around the world, all of them a little different, but with the same basic idea. I will dive into the in and outs of hostel life throughout this article.

Why I like Hostels

1. They are cheap. I mean from $5 to $20 a night cheap. If you want to see the world, but don’t have that millionaires pocketbook, these are for you.
2. They are filled with other like-minded travelers. You will meet the coolest people in Hostels. It makes traveling alone much less scary. You are guaranteed to make a few friends if that is your goal.
3. They have organized group activities. Many of the hostels I have stayed at have offered free walking tours of the city. Organized pub crawls on the weekends and free dance classes on a given night.
4. Communal kitchen. This means you don’t need to eat out every night. You can cook to save money as well. They sometimes even have a free coffee/tea station.

Why I dislike Hostels

1. Dorm-Style rooms. The cheaper prices means, that many people are sleeping in the same room, bunk bed style. Lots of people in a tight space, coming and going from a room at all times of the night.
2. Lack of privacy. It is difficult to find an area without people. The bathrooms are shared. The common rooms are shared. They are loud.
3. Bad Wife. Lots of people means, the Wi-Fi doesn’t always work the best. Sometimes it does. Many hostels are designing co-working spaces for people working that allow better internet, and a space to be productive.
4. Uncomfortable beds/less clean atmosphere. You are not staying at a 5-star hotel. This doesn’t bother me, but I could see it bothering some. I have never stayed at a dirty hostel, but I know they exist.

How to choose?

I have the Hostelworld app downloaded on my phone. I search using the app. Click here to go to the Hostelworld website.

I look for a place with great reviews and lots of them… You can find a place with a perfect score, but only 4 reviews doesn’t say a lot.

I try to find a place close to the city center or close to where I want to be. They have a map and on the app and they also tell you how far away you are from things.

I pick the place from there that resonates with me best. Sometimes I pick the place with the pool, the place with the best rooftop, the place with a good price, and a female-only dorm.

Safety

Let us talk safety for a second. I have never felt unsafe in a hostel, but some friends have. In all honesty, there are weird people everywhere. I will probably encounter something one day. You can pick one bedroom rooms, they just cost more money. When available I choose female-only dorm rooms, unless I’m traveling with males. Go with something that makes you comfortable

What to bring?

Lock- I bring a lock with me to lock up my locker. Sometimes the hostel provides one, sometimes they don’t.

Towel-They will sometimes charge for a towel. It is not a lot, but if you are going to be going from hostel to hostel, it might be nice to bring one with you. I bring one of those microfiber ones, that rolls up small and dries quickly.

Earplugs/eye-mask- Everyone wakes up at different times, you don’t want to be woken up at 3:00 am with someone turning on the light and digging through their bag. Sometimes hostel beds have curtains and cubbies that help with privacy, but this isn’t always the case.

Shower shoes- you don’t want to be stepping into a shower that everyone has been showering in without them.

Toiletry bag- Something that can get wet in the shower. I also bring a few plastic bags to put clean clothes into that can hang on the wall. I don’t want to place my clothes on the wet bench

Bag for dirty clothes- Some hostels have a washer and dryer, but not all. Bring a bag to place your dirty clothes until you find one.

Conclusion

I absolutely love hostels. They have allowed me to travel the world for cheap. I have met some of my best friends in them. I was able to see a city for way less, than booking excursions from another company. I can work and party inside them and it doesn’t matter your age. I have met 80-year-olds staying in them.

Favorite Hostels(so far)

1. Castle Rock Hostel-Edinburgh, Scotland
2. Masaya Medellin-Medellin, Colombia
3. Abbey Court- Dublin, Ireland
4. Kabul Party Hostel- Barcelona, Spain
5. Clink78, -London, England

If you wish to check out these hostels. Click here.

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Safe travels- Emily