Your What, Why, and How Questions Answered
Why I Love Hostels
Have you ever become best friends with someone you just met?
The weird but wonderful phenomenon of spending one day with a person but feeling like you’ve known them for years?
When suddenly, you feel more connected with a stranger than most of your friends back home?
That feeling is the everyday reality of staying at a hostel.
I have stayed in dozens of hostels worldwide, and it is my favorite type of accommodation when traveling.
Not only is it typically the best way to save money, but also the easiest way to meet other travelers.
From carpooling to a volcano and getting lost in a rainforest to singing late-night karaoke and experiencing chaotic pub crawls, the memories that I’ve made with people I meet at hostels are treasures I will store within my heart for a lifetime.
As a traveler who believes that the people you meet make a trip special, I recommend hostels to everyone.
What exactly is a hostel?
A hostel is a type of accommodation that differs from a hotel in that it can offer both private and shared rooms.
Although some hostels offer private rooms, most likely you’ll be in a dorm room, if affordability is the primary reason you’re in a hostel.
A dorm room typically looks like this:
It’s a shared form of accommodation where travelers sleep in the same room together.
Before you immediately reject this idea — hostel dorms usually only cost about $10-$40 a night. This means a huge reduction in travel costs since accommodation is often one of the largest expenses of a trip.
Furthermore, many hostels offer free or discounted social activities, such as walking tours, day trips to historical sites or nightlife outings.
These are great opportunities to make new connections or see places that you could not on your own.
For example, when I was in Oahu, Hawaii, I went on a group tour to hike the Koko Crater Railway Head Trail — one of the top-rated activities that offer spectacular vistas of the island — that is most cost-effective to get to by carpooling.
Hostels vary widely. It is important to do research before selecting the first or cheapest one that you find.
How to Find the Best Hostel:
- Location, location, location.
What part of the city do you want to be in?
Hostels are often conveniently located in the city center or near major tourist attractions.
The tradeoff is a higher price. On the contrary, cheaper-priced hostels could be an hour away from the main parts of the city.
While this may be attractive for budget travelers, keep in mind that transportation costs can add up.
- Sociability
The main appeal of hostels is their social benefits.
However, not all hostels host great social atmospheres.
The best way to know is if the hostel offers social activities for guests or at least social spaces, such as a bar or common area.
- Amenities
What does the hostel provide? Consider whether a kitchen, gym, or computer/working space is important to you.
- Other factors
Other factors to consider are a hostel’s cleanliness, whether there is free breakfast, good wifi connection, privacy curtains in dorms, and female-only dorm options.
Ultimately, the best way to judge a hostel is based on its reviews.
My favorite booking platform, Hostelworld, identifies reviewers based on their demographics so users can see to what extent past travelers’ reviews align with their interests.
Hostel Myths Debunked:
- Hostels are unsafe
Let me start by firmly stating: no, real-life hostels are completely unrelated to the movie.
The people that stay in hostels book for similar reasons as you: to save money and/or to meet other travelers.
Yes, you share spaces with strangers, but in my experience, everyone minds their own business.
In fact, I feel safer, as a solo female traveler, staying with other travelers versus alone in a hotel or Airbnb, knowing there is someone there to assist if needed.
- There are no hostels in the United States
The United States’ hostel culture may not be on par with other countries, with less than 300 hostels, but most major cities have at least one.
In Chicago, for example, the HI Chicago Hostel, located a short walk South of Millenium Park, is a great option for travelers.
They offer free group activities throughout the week, such as hot dog welcome parties, museum tours and cultural outings.
I led weekly dinner outings for guests as a volunteer, and I loved interacting with travelers from all different cultures.
- Hostels are just for young backpackers
Firstly, “young” is just a mindset. Your mindset can be as young or as old as you want!
Secondly, anyone can stay in a hostel. While most hostels host younger travelers on a budget, they are by no means exclusive to this demographic.
Guests come from a wide range of different countries, ages, and professions — this is the beauty of a hostel.
Considerations Before Your Hostel Stay
Hostel Specific Packing List:
- shower shoes (flip slips, sandals, swim shoes… whatever. Protect yo’ feet)
- a towel (some hostels will charge you for towels… save yourself the trouble and get a travel towel)
- sleeping mask or earplugs (I sleep well no matter the circumstances but if you are a light sleeper then consider these)
- chargers (it can be helpful to have a power strip to charge multiple devices at once)
- a shower bag/kit (it can even be a strong grocery bag… super useful to grab and go when you need to use the shower that’s down the hall)
- socks specifically for the hostel (sometimes hostels have a “no shoes” policy, so it’s nice to have something on your feet so you’re not barefoot)
- a lock (dorms often have locker storage available, but without the locks. hostels will charge you for borrowing their locks, so bring your own to protect your stuff when you’re out and about)
How to Make the Most of Your Hostel Stay:
- Talk to people: seriously. travelers are there for the same reason as you, so that’s already one out of the many things you likely have in common!
- Attend the social outings: one thing about hostels and meeting new people is that your travel plans will likely change. so it’s great if you can be flexible with your itinerary and make time to try out of of the events your hostel is hosting, if available)
- Ask the staff for recommendations: the hostel staff can be your best resource for finding things to do or places to eat at in your destination. definitely be as friendly and patient with them as possible, and you may get a helpful gem of a recommendation!
- Utilize the kitchen area: I’ve found that the best place to meet people in hostels, besides the social outings, is the kitchen. start up a conversation with someone while you’re heating up your food, or better yet, offer up some of your food! tell me if I’m wrong, but I think that food is the fast-track to bonding with others.
- Be courteous: remember, you are sharing your stay with other people. pretend that you are staying at a friend’s house — don’t come in late at night and make a lot of noise (and certainly don’t turn the lights on in your room!), clean your dishes if you use any in the kitchen, and if asked to do so, make sure you bring down your bedsheets upon check-out.
I hope this article convinces you to try a hostel on your next trip or at least sheds some light on a new way of traveling.
Please let me know what your hostel experiences have been like, or if you have any questions at all, feel free to comment below or shoot me a message on my Instagram!
Safe and budget-friendly travels everyone 🙂
gottacaseofwanderlust 
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