Is a Hostel Really Right for Me?
Written by Karen BryanIn this guest post Jennifer Gregory advises travelllers to consider if a hostel will suit their needs. Jennifer is a writer with a passion for travel. After completing her degrees in Social Work and eBusiness, she traveled through Europe, across America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. She now writes for On the Go Travel Blog.
My first trip across Europe was an amazing experience. I was on a limited budget and had little cash to spend on rental cars, cabs, expensive restaurants, and fancy hotels. Instead, I opted to hike, bike, eat locally, and spend my evenings in hostels.
Hostel by Ranciedad
Hostels are an inexpensive, and sometimes free, alternative to costly hotels or motels. While most hostels will meet your basic needs, they definitely don’t provide the amenities or accommodations you’ve come to expect from regular hotels. Hostels aren’t for everyone, and that’s ok.
It’s incredibly important, however, to determine whether or not staying in a hostel is going to be right for you before you leave on your trip. You don’t want to waste your time in Europe scrambling for a last-minute hotel room when you could be taking in the sights on what is likely going to be a once-in-a-lifetime vacation experience!
Take the following into consideration as you plan your trip:
Hostels provide travelers with a certain degree of flexibility. It’s often easier to find a hostel at a moment’s notice than it is to book a hotel room. While some hostels will allow you to make reservations in advance, some do not. Make sure you purchase a good guide book so that you’ll have information on all of the area’s hostels before you arrive. If you have a set agenda, making reservations in advance is recommended. Staying in hostels allows for a certain degree of flexibility in that you aren’t wedded to a particular destination each day or evening – you can change your travel schedule without worrying about hotel cancellation fees and late arrival charges. If you are anxious about not knowing where you’ll stay each night, hostels may not be the right choice.
Don’t be surprised when the hostel receptionist asks you if you’d like to sleep in a same-sex or co-ed room. Some hostels offer both types of rooms while others do not. Decide in advance and know what you’ll do if presented with this situation. This is most uncomfortable if you should happen to be traveling alone and find yourself at a hostel with co-ed rooms only. Otherwise, you’ll likely enjoy a same-sex room unless you are traveling in mixed company, in which case you might want to stay together.
You may have to rent sheets or purchase shower tokens. You’ll want to make sure you have flip-flops to wear in the showers, and you’ll have a limited amount of time to spend depending on the number of tokens you’ve purchased. Learn to shower quickly. If you can’t live without a 30 minute shower, you may be better off in a hotel.
Ask about the hostel’s opening and closing schedule. Arrive early enough to get a good night’s sleep while planning to rise early. Most of your roommates are likely to get up early, and they will start making noise, so it’s not likely that you’ll have an opportunity to sleep in late – ever. If you’re planning a leisurely vacation, and want the flexibility of sleeping late or getting up early, a hostel may not be the best choice.
There are, of course, quite a few things to consider when deciding whether or not to stay in a hostel during your travels. Be sure to research the area in which you’ll be traveling by checking out the websites or calling the hostels you might visit. Gather as much information as possible and, whether you choose a hostel or a discount hotel in Europe, you’ll always be prepared!
My comments – I think that there’s a lot of confusion about the definition of a hostel versus a budget hotel, I’ve written about this in the Wandalust post,” Hostels – Doss Houses or Trendy Budget Accommodation“. I stayed at the Generator Hostel in Berlin when I attended the ITB in March 2008, mainly because hotel prices were so inflated due to the Travel Fair and I wasn’t prepared to pay more than 100 euro per night for a hotel room.
I’ve also found that a lot of hostels are branching out a little and including a lot more private rooms. I can’t remember its name, but in Dresden, for example, I stayed in a very large hostel that had dorm rooms and large groups but also had double rooms with ensuites, and breakfast included in a small dining room. I figure that on most of my travels the accommodation is only necessary for sleeping so it doesn’t have to look fancy – just be clean, central and affordable, and hostels often do this.
In Scandinavian hostels, especially those anywhere other than in small podunk places, reservations are absolutely necessary.
Amanda, I am not keen to sleep in hostel dorms, which are the cheapest option for solo travellers as I’m a pretty light sleeper but once you start paying for a private room, even without its own bathroom, it pushes the price up a lot.
Anna, do you think that hostels are extremely popular in Scandinavia as there’s no much competition from budget hotels, which in some cases if there is more than one traveller, can be as cheap as hostels?
This is a great piece! Personally, I think hostels are a great option for travellers, especially for meeting other travellers, who are always chock full of tips. I wrote a post myself on tips to finding a good hostel. Feel free to check it out.
Yes hostels can be a great way to meet fellow travellers and exchanging travel highs and lows.
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Karen,
you’re absolutely right – as always ;)
Hostels in Scandinavia are not that cheap to begin with, and can cost almost as much as renting a room in a private apartment – a B&B of sorts. Hmmm… need to write a post about those. Next week! :)
Probably the biggest advantage of staying in a hostel is that they are very social places. If you stay in a hotel it isn’t often that you’ll interact with that many people, but in a hostel it’s nearly impossible to avoid.