Over my most recent backpacking adventure, I stayed in over 18 hostels while backpacking South America. While each one had its own quirks, the basics of each hostel are relatively the same. Let’s get into it.
1. What is a hostel?
A hostel is basically lower-priced shared accommodations. They typically have bunk beds and are used for short-term stays by travelers. There are typically communal bathrooms and lounge-like areas and sometimes a kitchen. Hostels offer different types of stays such as private rooms (which are more expensive of course), female-only dorms, and dorms with varying capacities from 4 to 20 beds (with exceptions).
2. Why stay in a hostel?
Hostels undeniably have their own sense of community no matter what city you are visiting. With travelers from all over the world, everyone is excited to explore the city and gain new experiences, especially with strangers. Hostels can offer activities such as free walking tours and even host night activities, especially if they have a bar. A couple of hostels I stayed at got free access to certain clubs within the city and dozens of people would leave from the hostel bar together to the club and all become great friends. Hostels also offer luggage storage most of the time. It is extremely convenient if you plan on taking day or night trips away from your city of origin and cannot or do not want to bring all of your stuff. Hostels typically have a tour desk as well that can help you plan excursions or give you maps around the city. They also normally have very good food suggestions of places you may not have ever found on your own.
For me, I cannot imagine traveling and not staying in hostels. It’s convenient, inexpensive, and extremely fun. My favorite part of traveling solo is meeting new people, which in writing sounds odd, but hostels provide you the exposure to push you out of your comfort zone and meet people you would have never before crossed paths with.
3. Choosing your hostel
If it is your first time staying in a hostel, especially if you are alone, I recommend spending a little extra money on the highly rated ones that are very popular in that area with a lot of activities/amenities. Hostel life definitely is not for everyone however this will be a good way to ease yourself into a shared living space with strangers and meet new people. My favorite site is Hostel World. Hostel World connects you with various hostels all over the world and has even created a group chat within their app to connect people that have booked the same hostel for the same dates. Depending on where you are, hostels will definitely vary in price. For example, hostels in South America ranged from $7-$15 a night while I noticed some around Europe were easily $15-$25 a night (with exceptions in both locations). So always keep in mind that while it can be a cheaper alternative to a hotel, it is important to find the right one for your needs.
Know what environment you are looking for! Hostels can range from calm to party vibes and you definitely want to read reviews before booking. If you are looking to meet new people and have a fun night out, look into hostel that advertise that and have a bar or set up events. If you have early plans or want to get some sleep, definitely steer clear of these types of hostels. You will want something more reserved and possible one that includes a free breakfast to start your day easy.
Once you’ve eased yourself into hostel living and have gotten comfortable with the concept, you can see where your priorities lay. I know budgeting was very important to me when I was in South America. I was mostly trekking; all I needed from a hostel was a bed and sometimes a free breakfast, nothing fancy. I chose smaller hostels with fewer amenities to save money and everything always worked out great. That being said, if you ever walk into a hostel and have a gut feeling something isn’t right or you ever feel unsafe, trust that feeling and go to a different one. Hostels really are everywhere and your safety is always more important than sticking to a budget.
What I prefer at hostels I stay at, not required but very helpful-
- beds with curtains- this is not as common as you would think but find a hostel that has curtains on your bed for privacy is really nice, especially if all you want to do is relax and lay in bed all day after traveling for so long.
- outlets in the bed pod- most hostels had this for me but there were many that did not. Charging your phone at night just becomes an extra hassle without an outlet by your side to make sure your valuables are safe.
- a bar- even if you personally do not drink, I found that hostels with a bar made making friends a lot easier. They usually host other fun activities to get people involved and meet others and it is a great way to socialize in a new city.
- lockers- while this may be a no-brainer, there were a couple of hostels I stayed at that did not have lockers to protect our belongings. However, as I said earlier, theft was not a big problem for me while I was traveling but for peace of mind locking your stuff away is necessary.
- free luggage storage- this was pretty common at most hostels I stayed at however is not necessary for many people. Luggage storage was incredibly important for me during my type of traveling as I would go on treks for many nights and needed somewhere to store my bags until I returned.
- free breakfast- while not always great food, an included breakfast is the easiest way to start your day exploring, especially if you’re planning on eating out for lunches and dinners.
- kitchen access- going with the free breakfast, having access to a kitchen to cook your own meals is also great for saving money. It can also be pretty fun meeting other people and cooking together.
- wristbands or room keys- for another level of safety, I preferred hostels that required me to show proof I was staying there. It made me feel more comfortable and know that everyone I was sleeping beside was meant to be there.
With all that being said, there were hostels I stayed at that included none of the above and I still loved them! So take this with a grain of salt.
4. Safety in hostels
As a young solo female traveler, many people asked if I felt safe staying in a room with strangers. They were even more shocked when I told them I only stayed in mixed dorms rather than female-only dorms. I can confidently say, there was not a single hostel I felt unsafe in. I slept in rooms varying from 6 people to 25 and felt the same level of comfort (in terms of strangers’ presence) in all of them. For me, it was reassuring to have so many people there. As in, if someone were to have tried and steal from or even hurt someone, there were so many other people in the room to help. That being said, everyone, I met was incredibly friendly. Of course, there is always the possibility that someone does not have your best interest at heart but that was not my personal experience. Everyone was also traveling and in the same exact situation so there was no theft or danger around me.
The best way to feel more comfortable is to introduce yourself to everyone as soon as you move in. When you start talking to and meeting these people you’ll realize there is nothing to fear and more than likely you’ll even become great friends with a few of them.
Many hostels give you a key or a wristband to show proof you are staying with them which is extremely reassuring in terms of safety. I personally preferred to have a key to my room rather than just a wristband but I know other people would rather not in fear of losing it.
With all this being said, do not completely put your guard down. Do not forget you are in a new city surrounded by strangers. While it is an amazing experience and I love hostels, I always am careful of whom I talk to and drink with as well as knowing my surroundings. While hostel living is a community that tends to look out for each other, you can never be too safe and unfortunately, there are bad people in the world. So just as staying in any other place, stay aware!
5. What you need to bring
- shower shoes- obviously. you are sharing communal showers with who knows how many people, definitely bring shower shoes
- travel towel- most hostels do not provide towels, especially not for free so if you are planning on showering you need one. Also if your hostel does not have curtains you could use this as a makeshift curtain! However, only works on the bottom bunk.
- your own shower stuff- hostels do not give you free amenities like hotels. You will need your own soap however typically you can purchase some from the front desk if you need it.
- thin lock- I prefer one with a combination rather than a key. I specify thin because I had brought another lock that seemed average but was far too thick to fit into the locker pad.
- sleeping eye mask- people are coming and going all the time and some will just turn on the lights at 3 am. These are also helpful of course on bus, train, and plane rides.
- ear plugs/headphones- same exact reason as the sleeping mask
- tape for loose outlets- this is pretty specific however many of my hostel outlets were loose and quite frankly drove me mad trying to position the charger perfectly for it to not fall out until I bought my own tape.
- tote bag/small purse- you will more than likely already have this with you, if you are given the top bunk I recommend putting stuff you will need for the night within this bag. I typically kept my headphones, phone and charger, glasses, toothbrush, and toothpaste in there for easy access.
- tupperware- if you plan on cooking within the hostel, you may want a tupperware container to store your stuff in the fridge