If you’re thinking about staying in hostels on your up coming trip or want to know what it’s like, continue reading. Hostels are not for everybody and it takes an adventurous person to stay in them. They can be loud at times and the travelers that visit them usually have a young mindset. Obviously they are cheap but some hostels are like gems and surprisingly not horrible to stay in.
Back when I lived in Europe, I stayed in many hostels and most were acceptable. I’m not a big fan of hostels and it would take a lot of me to stay in one again. For people who are thinking about staying in one, here is an idea of what it’s like.
What it’s like to Stay in Hostels?
Like I said earlier hostels can be quite loud and the people can be obnoxious. Can be is the key word. This is not always the experience but more times than not people in hostels love to party and can be loud when coming in from the bars. However it’s worth saying that your time at hostels will differ depending on where you are.
You can’t control how loud people are but you can control where you want to stay and how much you want to pay. Usually hostels will give you the option to pay for a single room (if available) so you can have privacy. It’s always more money than staying in a large room with a lot of people (like most hostels are designed). I’ve done both and the first time was the last time I stayed in a large room at a hostel. People snore and can be generally quite loud so you won’t get great sleep. And what’s the point of being tired while traveling? Better option is to stick with a single room if you can. Also people are less likely to “mess” with you if you stay in a room by yourself. I would imagine that this is important for women who are traveling together or alone. Sometimes you get a crazy and so it may be worth to get your own space.
Hostel I stayed at in Sweden. Basic but hey it had a chandelier!
The food can actually vary from each hostel but surprisingly most of the hostels I went to, in Europe, did have some sort of breakfast included in the already cheap price. The truth though, is that the food is not high quality and usually rather bland. Sometimes I passed on the food because it didn’t look that appetizing. The best food I had at a hostel was in Sweden and Finland but their hostel prices were way more expensive than the average.
Most of the time hostels are in the cheaper parts of the city but that isn’t always true. Sometimes you can stumble on an amazing hostel in a preferred neighborhood. I’ve stayed in areas that were known for its drugs and prostitutes (like in Geneva), but it really wasn’t that bad as most people would imagine. Remember most of Europe has a lower crime rate than the US and you’re not really in danger. Sometimes you can find a hostel in the preferred area but like the one I stayed in Geneva they are usually in the area that is less than ideal. However I was in the mindset to save money so I wasn’t really too concerned and by morning we had already left to explore the rest of the city.
How to Choose a Hostel
There are three main websites to use when picking a hostel and these were the ones I used while I lived in Europe. Here is the general guidelines when picking a hostel.
- Make sure it’s in a generally ok neighborhood
- Always check the reviews on the hostel website and on others like TripAdvisor
- Don’t take every review to heart. Some people seem to have impossibly high standards
- Don’t choose anything below 80% positive reviews. That was my strategy and it worked
- Book in advance
Book at…
The booking is easy and I’ve never had a problem when arriving at a hostel. They always had my credit card number and name on file. Make sure you do have a credit card that works so you don’t get thrown out.
I think the most important advice is to not risk it and pay extra for a really nice hostel instead of a crappy one. Hostels can drop off in terms of general comfort and niceness pretty quickly. They will save you money, but most of the savings you’ll get are like 5 – 10 dollars. In my eyes it’s better to stay at a hostel that takes care of their visitors and actually has a decent bed with decent sheets and serves a decent breakfast.
As you can tell booking a hostel requires a lot of research but this research is important. You don’t want to stay at a hostel that is far away from any of the sites you want to visit because you’ll still have to pay money to get to these places. That money is probably better spent on a hostel that is close to every where you need to be or close to public transportation so you can easily get up and go.
Friends are good to have when staying at hostels.
Hostels or Hotels?
For me I will always pick hotels over hostels. Although hostels are cheap and there are lot of nice hostels to stay at, I’d rather have my own space to come back to every day. If you’re on a seriously tight budget than hostels are necessary. While living in Europe I was on a tight budget so hostels were about the only option.
There are alternatives that don’t include hostels or hotels. For example AirBNB and couchsurfing sound like great options if you’re adventurous enough. AirBNB is like staying in some bodies home but you may be able to find the exact area you want to stay in for much much less than a hotel. And the accommodations will usually be better than most hostels.
Remember safety and comfort should come first. If you’re not the adventurous type than I don’t think hostels would be your best bet. You have to get over the noise, food, and general lack of comfort. However they are cheap and are great for people who want to travel for a long time on a budget.
images by: shawnvoyage
