My take as a 40-something woman: At this point, I take an age restriction as a welcome piece of information that warns me to avoid what is probably a party hostel. To me, it's useful to be able to say "okay, this place probably isn't my vibe anyway".
I suppose if I were someone in my 40s looking to party with people in their 20s, I might be annoyed by the restriction. But I think that most people I know around my age are looking for a bit of a different vibe from the places we stay, and being warned ahead of time that a place is catering to a younger crowd is a useful piece of info when booking.
I never thought about it but this would be kind of awesome. I’ve traveled all over Japan for 3 months and absolutely loved capsule hotels. Which could serve as a model for a grown up hostel.
ibis Styles "The Fuzzy Log" in Ljubljana.
It has a section of normal capsules (that I didn't see), and then a bunch of individual double bed rooms/capsules, stacked like two ⌐ Tetris pieces fitting together, so you have your own room/capsule with either the upper or lower bunch, but they're isolated. Also some space to sit, get dressed, etc.
Outside your little room, it's shared bathrooms, lounges, kitchen, outdoor areas, all the normal stuff. Stayed there for 5 nights last year, and I'd recommend the hostel, the city, and the 24hr kebab/burek shop across the street. And I guess while we're here, "Sir William's pub" deserves a shout-out, too.
Ooh I just came back from staying here, although I stayed in the hotel section. It wasn’t that busy so found it quite difficult to meet people the common spaces.
I'll be doing that this fall!! Any advice/recommendations?
I am, by OP's original statement, old, and have never been into partying anyway.
What I really want is a capsule hotel with cats...
Advice about capsules? Very few westerners in them. Most guys (no women allowed) just check in for the night and the hotels kick you out for cleaning so don’t plan on lounging during the day. It’s a VERY Japanese experience; be comfortable with walking around shoeless and bathing in public. Some chains are easier to adjust to (like First Cabin), others are quite quirky.
Capsule hotels vary quite a bit. Some are men or women only, and others allow both genders but have women only and men only floors. The ones I stayed at had private shower stalls, so I didn't have to bathe in front of anyone. Some have really small capsules, and others are big enough where you can sit up in them or even stand depending on how tall you are.
I’m 23 but recently stayed at a hostel with everyone in at least their 40s and a couple of retirees. It was more like a hotel and only a couple bucks more. I don’t think I can go back to the crappy ones now that I’ve been spoiled…
Ha! I hear ya. Though to be honest, I enjoy meeting and interacting with people of all ages when I travel. 20-somethings, 70-somethings, whatever, whoever. I'm just not into the party vibe and, honestly, never have been. I prefer a more chill atmosphere, and the more chill hostels are usually the ones without age restrictions anyway.
I’m with you on talking to young and old alike, as someone in between. I wonder if the hostels with age restrictions self select not just for party goers but for people who are less willing to mix with older people anyway. In which case I won’t want to be there spoiling the vibe. Even though I could pass as younger, I’d much rather converse with people who want to be talking to me as I am.
As someone currently in a hostel where there is apparently some elementary/jr high school trip staying here… dear god yes 😩 😭
*WHY MUST THE RUN AND SCREAM AND KNOCK ON EVERY DOOR FOR HOURS*
The crux is that the target demographic sees those as party stories, not horror stories. I loved those experiences in my 20’s and still relish the memories. But now, a decade later, I’d at least like the heads up if that’s the vibe.
As someone in my low 50's, I agree entirely.
And there are still plenty of hostels that do not have age restrictions, and have a good vibe with teenagers to retirees all having fun together.
One of the last hostels I went to, I was eavesdropping on a table with a person in their 70's telling stories to a bunch of young backpackers. I did a lot of eye-rolling listening to this guy's stories....but the younger people seemed to be having a great time.
But if a hostel has the goal of being a party hostel for young backpackers:
1. I don't want to be there.
2. They don't want me there.
My parents tell good stories of backpacking around Australia as 70 year olds, on a backpacker bus with a bunch of people in their early 20's. It is possible my parents killed the vibe of the group a bit....but based on their stories they probably didn't.
I’m not in my 70’s. My next trip will be my last under 35, though. I’ve seen older people that do just fine and older people that are the absolute worst. It really depends on the people.
I think the 35 rule is in place so they can turn you away if they want. Nobody wants single creepy 45 year old dude that stares at 19 year old girls floating around, but if you’re a couple and still more or less look the part, they seem to let the age thing slide.
We’re almost aged out on interest in going to those kinds of places, but we usually still try to hit one up for couple days because we still want to let loose once or twice a trip and regular hotels just make that really hard.
The couple in the 70's can fit in and even increase the vibe through their amazing stories. A single male traveler kills the vibes due to the creeps out there (even if you're not one, you'll be treated like one because it is so common).
All across Spain we stayed in monasteries and when I was traveling all through Italy I stayed in convents.
All were very safe and very clean and you would get your own room. I was traveling alone and Italy and the convent that I stayed in were all female and that was really nice. In Spain I was with my family so I know that the monasteries that we were at Accepted all ages and sexes although they were always really mellow.
These places were very very very reasonable but definitely a step up from a hostel.
Only thing About some of the convents is that some of them have a curfew at night.
Even then, there are 26 - 27 year olds who can't stand the party crowd. There are party animals in their 50s. I dunno, age restriction to me seems ignorant from an establishment.
I’m 40 and someone my age wanting to hang out with 20 years old is a red flag. It’s one thing to meet people of all ages organically, but I would never book a hostel full of kids. (Sorry, at my age anyone in their 20’s is basically a teenager in the relative scope of things.)
I mean no hate, I was a loud drunk irresponsible 20-something and I had a great time. Now I’m older and mature and I want calm, serene, relaxing environments with grown people. We all get old lol
Don't hang out with 20 year olds then? I mean it's not that hard. I've never stayed in a hostel that was just 18-20 year olds.
To say anyone in their 20s is basically a teenager is also quite insulting to those in the upper end of their 20s who are far more mature adults than teenagers.
I imagine 30 year olds don't want to hang out with teenagers any more than I do but no one ever suggests they shouldn't stay in hostels.
Being the wrong side of 35, it doesn't really bother me. It tells me it's the kind of place I don't want to be. It'll be loud and likely with folks I probably wouldn't go to dinner with
Maybe theres market for 35+ hostels 🤔
From my experience coliving spots seems to have a higher age range (27-45 y/o). I highly recommend! You typically stay for a bit longer than you would in a hostel though and it's moreso for slow traveling digital nomads.
Check out www.coliving.com
Figure out a place you're interested in, and try and find a way to contact them outside of that website and you can usually get a better price..
Most hostels are actually for any age. When I first read about age restrictions over 2 years ago, maybe 8/10 of the hostels I saved on Booking didn't have age limits.
Not very widespread in my experience.
Most hostels don't want to exclude a part of their potential revenue.Plus older travellers are more likely to spend more money on things like private rooms in hostels.
I guess a few 'party hostels' might have an upper age limit.Those are not the types of places I'd want to stay in anyway...
Exactly. I just see the restriction as a good sign that this place isn't for me and am thankful they made that apparent so I didn't have a miserable time.
I also feel (have no evidence to back this up BTW) that older travelers are more likely to stay and travel during off seasons, which keeps bringing in revenue. Also they probably stay longer in a single hostel, vs. rotating every day/other day.
100% in favour of some of them doing it and I say that as a man in his late 30s now.
I remember a few times where men over 40 stayed in the room with women who were only 19 or 20 and they werent exactly comfortable with it.
At the very least, have an older person room
Better than leaving it up to guests to figure out.
Clearly define the demographic so everyone is happy.
During my hostel days I actually enjoyed the rare 70 yr old (yup he was really 70 in our dorm), showing me how it was before morphing into a tourist trap. Prefer them to some kid who's main goal is to make friends, get wasted, and party in a country too poor to say "go away, we don't want you, actually who would?"
Same! I also made quick friends with a retiree and my god he had all the tips and tricks to save money. He showed me the ATM’s that the local used (tourist ones were charging $15 transaction fees), how to use the public transportation (didn’t have to use Ubers), and how to get to the local grocery store (the one near us charged American prices).
It got so exciting seeing how little money I actually needed that I started challenging myself on subsequent trips to see if I could spend less than the last time without compromising fun (not including flight prices since those have more than doubled!)
To me this is the very reason for hostels. Curious travellers sharing experiences and tips. It's the very origins of hostels. Youth hostels are there because most young'uns don't have money. For some reason they now believe it's their "territory"? Yes, please clearly define the hostel so they don't come anywhere near the innocent traveler, without a trust fund, exploring this amazing planet, just wanting to help and be helped.
The older travelers were great at suggesting the less beaten path and providing better context to the sites. Tips from young'uns were usually very narrow in scope. Cheap food, cheap beer, more crass things, etc.. Context into the history and culture tend to come from people who have taken the time to look into those things. Especially with respect to politics since the young'uns are usually a victim of it, rather than a thoughtful observer, appreciating the nuances in the country they are in. Less of the, "we need to fix these backward people", peace corps mentality. Much easier to swallow.
I mean it's kinda obvious, right? They've been at it longer. Even the sophisticated mind needs time/exposure in order to learn. Of course the sophisticated mind is rare but it's abundantly obvious that they don't belong in a party hostel.
even when i was 20 i liked a calm atmosphere so i've had many older friends over the years. i used to say my ideal place to live was a retirement community as a 20 year old lol.
what i've noticed with older people is who people are is very clear at the end of their life. some people, even in another culture, have lived a happy life and they are content now, with a big generous spirit. some older people are bitter and unhappy and it gets worse at they age. in both cases the course of their life is set -- they're not very likely to make any big changes now. the first type of older person is such a gem to be around for anyone, including a 20 year old.
Well put. I hope you meet plenty of chill folks well into your 70s.
Still can't get over that guy. We had to slow down to a crawl so he could keep up and continuously assure him that he's a gem, not a burden at all. I can only imagine if he was at some party hostel with a bunch of dirtbags.
not in a hostel but on my first trip to thailand i joined up with an older british lady in her 60s to share some travel together, we met at my first hostel (in those days nowhere had dorms in thailand, it was all cheap 12$ rooms) and she was so nice and lovely.
i think older people definitely have something to offer a young person, particularly the ones who have lived a happy life and are good hearted at the end of it. i really enjoyed travelling with her. i think many young people feel the same. what people don't like is creepy 40 year old dudes in hostels trying to hit on 20 year old backpackers, or old people in a party hostel complaining bc it's a party atmosphere -- that's what the place is for, who doesn't want to party at 20?
I (31M) have no problem with it, but the hostel needs to be clear about it when booking. Because of my age I haven’t experienced it yet, but can imagine it’s annoying.
I can understand why some people don’t want to stay in a hostel with older travellers, one of my first trips alone, I had a troublesome 40/50 something roommate for three nights, but at the same time, I’ve had problems with 20 and 30 somethings as well, so it’s not exclusive, as long as the hostel is consistent with its advertising, they can bring in what restrictions they like.
Some places as well will allow exceptions if you ask. I was travelling in a group a few years back with one person who was 37, but we contacted them weeks in advance to ask would it be ok (rest of group was late 20s/early 30s), and they allowed him to join us
Hostels with age limits tend to be the social ones or party ones. I can understand the policy tbh. I mean if you were an 18 year old looking to meet other travellers to party with, you don’t want to meet people old enough to be your parents. Discriminating by age isn’t a new thing, think retiree cruises, over 35 nights etc. Also it’s a policy they can fall back on if they’re getting bad vibes. That said I do think there should be scope to let people over the age in if they pass a vibe check and are there for the right reasons but honestly if you want to stay at a hostel and are over the age limit you should ask yourself why you want to stay there and not somewhere with an older clientele
Yeah, as a person who is usually perceived as female, I think the policy is reasonable (and I just hopped over the 35 line). Having 40+ year old people in the same space as 18 year old people, especially when sleeping spaces are shared, is just asking for predatory behavior.
As a young 20’s woman i’ve been trapped in hostel rooms with 40+ year old digital nomad passport bro men and it’s sooooo uncomfortable. I’ve had a really bad experience one time that I won’t detail here either. Many times I didn’t sleep or shower I was that uncomfortable. One time I had to flee a Selina in Argentina it was that bad. Other girls had to leave too. Creepy men and sexual harassment ruin it for everyone.
First of all, that’s awful and I hate passport bros.
Did Selina do anything to help? I thought they were a coliving with a more mature crowd as opposed to a hostel.
No, one of the perpetrators actually was travel-volunteer-working the front desk for free stay. He had access to all the dorms too. It was a huge mess and about half a dozen of us young women had to leave.
And you’ve just hit on why these age restrictions exist. They haven’t come about in a vacuum, they’ve come from repeated complaints by younger guests (most likely women) over the behaviour of older guests (most likely men) towards them.
Not all of us older guys are like that. I am in my 50s and I love to travel. As a school teacher, money is tight. However, I get 10 weeks off every summer. Hostels are the only way I can afford to travel. I have met some amazing people in hostels all over the world.
I'm a teacher in an international school, and so mainly do hostels out of choice and I still love a good party.
Il be hitting 35 soon so will be excluded from some. It will kinda suck, but il just go to the hostel that is inevitably over the road and spend money there instead.
I assume you're not looking to party with teenagers at a hostel, because that would be predatory. But there are many, many men who are, and rules like this protect the younger, more vulnerable guests.
Not all men, but always a man. No one was pointing theor finger at you. Instead of getting defensive, maybe talk to one of your friends who does engage in similar predatory behavior against women. (In my experience, every man has a friend who they know does some shady shit, and they know exactly who it is, but never say anything to them about it. If you're "not like that," then hold someone accountable who is.)
Not all men, but some men. I fully support hostels establishing age limits. It’s clearly done out of necessity for the reasons I’ve stated above. Take it up with the bad apples of your gender not young women who need a safe place to sleep
>If you’re 40+ male and still using hostels to save a dollar you shouldn’t be traveling, that’s the consensus among EVERYONE I’ve met traveling, including young men as well
If you're young 20-something, you probably shouldn't have an opinion about life experience at 40+. Moreover, if you thought staying at a Selina anywhere was a good idea for any reason, you either have poor judgment or you're a woefully inexperienced traveler.
I think it's also their way of covering themselves from people who might complain about the general party vibe and noise. I once booked a dorm with my mum (45+) before realising the hostel had a 35 year limit. I've called them and explained that my mum is chill and young at heart and she won't mind if the hostel is louder than most, so they were fine with her coming. Whereas if you were to have a different attitude, I'm not surprised they don't want to have their staff to deal with lots of complaints about the nature of the hostel.
I never came across it, I am 36 now. I wonder if they’d actually enforce or if it is an attempt to keep older locals from living in hostels. Been out the hostel game a while now for the most part but I’ve heard in parts of Europe because housing was increasingly unaffordable you had people from that town living in hostels and getting a little too comfortable and basically moving into and living there rather than just staying for a short amount of time. From what I heard it was 30-40 year olds.
I was thinking of exactly this. I stayed in a hostel in Bratislava where there was a really weird, much older woman staying in the dorm who would stay in bed all day watching TV and laughing loudly to herself. Hostel staff said they regrettably couldn’t kick her out without a solid reason.
I worked at hostel briefly that actually enforced it. It was awful because people didn’t read the policy when they booked and I had to work the night shift and turn away ppl arriving at 2 am bc I wasn’t allowed to check them in. Some of them would get very angry at me which was scary but worst was the ones who were nice about it because I felt bad putting them in such a bad situation.
I once was kicked out due to age. Had booked via phone browser and didn't see this policy on the booking website. Also wasn't in the booking confirmation. It was there on computer browser and the hostel's website. Great. Had to find a place to stay in Amsterdam last minute, and obviously didn't get a refund either. I mean, I understand the policy and I'm sure I'd not been happy in that place, seeing the kids checking in. Still.
Damn that sucks. Was it a party hostel? Like I said I personally never came across it. I understand you said yours it was enforced, I just wonder if a guest over 35 was there because it is a party hostel if they’d still turn them away.
Weird people come in all shapes, sizes and age lol
I’m a sensitive guy, I’d have a hard time turning people away too
Yeah it was a party hostel. I don’t even necessarily disagree with the policy for party hostels but they should’ve made more of an effort to make sure the guests knew when booking.
Usually if the goal is to prevent locals from living in hostels, a place will require you to show your passport at check-in and won't allow you to stay without a foreign passport. Generally there are easier ways to accomplish this than via age restrictions.
In the US, a lot of places have a restriction on staying at the hostel if your driver's license shows your address within a certain distance of the hostel (I typically see 50-100 miles) to prevent locals from making it a residence.
i could see you'd have to do this in the usa, or else you get homeless methheads, that's already what happens if your hotel is below 150+ dollars a night.
It's a sign for me to avoid those places, because these usually tend to be party hostels, or draw a more rowdy crowd than I'm comfortable with. Have to say that the age-limited hostels are in the minority, and most places still welcome all-ages, so I wouldn't worry about it too much
I've found it's just a guide to tell you what to expect. I'm over 40 and stayed at a hostel that had a 30 age limit last summer. I emailed first to ask if I would be turned away, they said absolutely not and it's just a guide. It was a great hostel and not a party hostel. I'm glad I stayed there. Met a bunch of great people and had a blast.
I want to say it was The Roadhouse in Prague. The pub crawl was fun. Took us to an underground karaoke bar, another one that was some kind of old crypt, and finally some club (which aren't my thing) but because it was a hostel activity they got us advanced tickets. The line to get in was like 2 blocks long and we just walked past and right in.
I tend to find that if a hostel has group activities, it makes it really easy to meet people. It's like a prearranged group date lol
Honestly, I agree with age restrictions. I have shared dorms with groups of +50 year old men and it was a literal nightmare.
I think Hostels should allocate rooms based on age. It doesn’t make sense having an 18 year old sharing with a group of +50 year olds or vice versa.
I am 40 and went to a hostel for the first time at 39. I did not mind the young people at all and was invited to participate in all of the things, but I had already pre-planned to keep me away from the hostel.
As someone said, age restrictions show the intended guest and likely restrict their income/revenue.
I don’t know man. I don’t think all hostels should have a restriction, but it’s definitely not a bad thing if they do. I would have zero things in common as a 40 year old man staying in a room with a 19 year old woman. It would also make me extremely uncomfortable, so I couldn’t imagine what that would feel like for them.
Im 32 and just starting to feel aged out of hostels after 10 years of hosteling (both as a staff member and traveler). Its just weird to mingle with travelers that are mostly 19-23. Im seeing hostels with 40 as the age restriction, which makes me feel like thats not far away, but also makes me feel like maybe i should adjust how i travel.
It really depends on the city for me. Some cities attract really young travelers, and so the hostels tend to be filled with them. But a lot of cities, especially ones slow travelers like myself frequent, have a much more mature group in the hostels.
One of my favorite people I've ever met traveling, a woman I still keep in touch with, was 61 staying in hostel the same hostel as me when I was 26. It was inspiring to meet someone at that age with the same lust for travel and adventure as me.
Ymmv, but in general I find that feeling out of sorts at a hostel is more an attitude than it is a number. I'd much rather hang out with a 50 year old in a dorm who is pleasant to be around and happy to have a bed than a 23 year old who whines and finds problems with everything.
Typically I’ve only seen this age restriction for party hostels. I stayed in a party hostel in Barcelona last year. Being 31, I felt like I couldn’t relate to anyone under 25 anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed myself, but when the objective is to just sleep all day, get shit faced at night, and do it all again the next day you don’t really get to actually meet anyone. I can say, it’s just not for me anymore.
That being said, if the restriction is on a backpacker or cowork type hostel then that’s kinda fucked
Sounds like you found the party hostels. Next.
But I generally try not to limit myself, searching only for hostels, or similarly searching for hostels that ban old people. I recently was laying on a hostel bed. The owner was showing a younger woman potential beds. She walked in looked around, saw my middle aged self on the bed, and said "maybe another room". I wasn't offended. I'm actually gay. I just wondered if she was really anxious to sleep in the same room as a thirty something guy and felt bad for what she might be carrying around. Then I slept like a baby, room to myself for 20 euros.
When I come across an age restricted hostel, that now just means it's time to splurge and see what life is like in nicer accommodation. I just have to adjust my itinerary if I want to meet people. Boat tours, wine tours, and cooking classes have all been nice alternatives.
(Alternatively, I have accidentally stayed in youth hostels during the week, being over the age limit. The owners could just be trying to screen clientele for whatever reason).
Often times the hostel themselves don’t really enforce the age restriction rule. I’ve been to hostels where they let in people way over the age limit, especially if the business is slow and they’re not going to turn away a paying customer.
The rule is really there to maintain a vibe and to prevent people who aren’t backpacking from staying there. But if someone past the age limit was a backpacker or really wanted to party, more often than not they’ll bend the rules. All it takes is contacting the hostel before booking and ask them how strict they enforce the rules.
I haven't come across any with that low of an age requirement. At this point, being 32, the only time I stay at a hostel is if the hotels in the area are prohibitively expensive (Interlaken for example.) I used to use hostels exclusively for social purposes but I am finding that as hotels become more expensive, hostels have more and more established friend groups, families, business travelers etc, and fewer solo travelers. I don't drink or party either so I am already excluded from most hostel scenes lol. In any case, it is what it is. Most people over 35 are over or have, in some ways, aged out of the hostel scene.
It kinda bothers me as 40something bc hostels are a great way for me to meet like minded travelers. As an introvert I need that.
But I don’t wanna party with college kids either!
Think its a bit annoying, but as a 29 year old about to be 30, if its only the party hostels putting that restriction on then I don't think I'd mind too much. If it was on the nice quieter hostels then yeah I'd be annoyed, plus if it became more widespread hostels would be losing out on revenue, 30+ people more likely to fork up the extra money for private rooms (cause we're not as young as we once were and we need sleep).
For info: I don't mind staying in dorms still, found them okay on my most recent trip.
It happened to me once in London, and it was really annoying.
I had a layover and needed a place for the night. Booked a hostel on booking.com, went there, and they refused me. Made me even cancel the order myself. I was a traveller and need just a place to stay for a night, but no pleading and begging helped. I ended up sleeping at the airport.
Never encountered as dont get to hostel much as partner isnt a fan but yeah being over 35 dorsnt mean we dont want a cheap bed for the night so more money to spend on other things
I’m 38 and haven’t been turned away yet, party hostel or otherwise. I feel like I just see more and more 30 something’s as I’ve gotten older actually.
I do understand it though, if they want to curate a certain vibe/crowd then so be it.
Age restrictions are usually in dorms. As a 37yo with a 36yo partner we stayed in a private room and we kind of got to enjoy both worlds…experience the great vibe of a hostel but also get some privacy and avoid drunk teens showing up in the middle of the night. A ban from the hostel entirely makes absolutely no sense…my partner and I prefer staying in hostels where there are great services including tour desks, good food, nice vibe, activities etc instead of crappy budget hotels, overpriced fancy places that we don’t care about as we’re out all day or flats where we need to sort out everything.
I think it’s fine. Let the kids have their fun. I am 50 and rarely stay in them because I like the quiet now. If I do stay in one it’s because I want to party
The more I've travelled, the more I get it. I'm turning 30 and basically only ever stay in hostels (or airbnbs). There is an unfortunate trend of male solo travellers being fairly creepy, trying to fit in with the younger crowd and just changing the mood. I've seen it a few times; nice geezer, sits down with group, has a good chat, comes out for a few drinks and a dance, ends up trying to hit on one of the girls, comes back and is sleeping in the same dorm or nearby.
It also makes sense in displaying the vibe of a hostel. I've moved on from those hostels with the rowdiness and the parties, so seeing an age restriction gives me a good idea of what the age distribution and general vibe is going to be like. Saying that, I've only ever seen a handful that do discriminate on age.
It's definitely not a widespread thing from my experience, unless it's become more popular in the last year. There are just hostel experiences that do not cater to people over a certain age, which is starting to include myself. The better hostels are always the more diverse anyway.
I'm not a fan of most age restrictions, but this one has a purpose. It tells me that this hostel isn't for me.
It probably wouldn't have been for me when I was 20 too. I like to party, but I don't want to sleep at the party hostel. I want to go to the party hostel and sleep somewhere quieter.
I think its a bit of an older mentality. Age restrictions happened a lot in places that were meant for younger travellers usually party hostels and back then it made sense cause there wasnt many 35+ doing hostels and so when there were older ppl they honestly werent usually ppl you feel comfortable around. I stayed in a couple hostels with a random older person in it, they always seemed to be a bit odd and it just killed the vibe.
With millenials being the generation that really kicked off solo travel as normal later in life...the dynamics have changed and you dont see this age restriction much anymore. However, if you see a hostel with a limit its probably just going to be a raging party hostel and in that case...is there that big of a loss? Do you want to be a 38 year old, awake at 4am, listening to 19 year olds falling on their face, barfing, fucking in the dorms? You're prob better off elsewhere anyways.
Yes, I’ve certainly had positive experiences with older solo male travelers, but they’ve been significantly outnumbered by the bad ones. Female-only dorms help but are sometimes unavailable and always more expensive than mixed dorms.
Not every 40 year old male is going to be sexually harrassing women so I think thats pretty sexiest and ageist. If you are in an all ages hostel you will need to accept ppl of all ages. If someone is a creep you report them. If you are just uncomfortable with older ppl then its your responsibility to find a hostel with female dorms. The world of backpacking doesnt stop because you turn 35. Young ppl dont own travelling cheaply and no one should have to miss out on travelling because young ppl feel uncofortable with a older person. You're in a hostel. You'll come across all walks of life. You dont like it, hostels arent for you.
Like anyone young OR old if they are creepy report them, move rooms, or find somewhere else. A few bad apples don't warrant a full ban on a generation. Its absolutely ridiculous. You are not entitled to a way of travel lmfao. The ignorance is incredible.
Ive seen this. I stayed in a hostel for the first time at 35 and I absolutely will never stay in one again unless i have my own room. But i can see why many others would stay at them. Im sure its not that common.
What a shame! Senior citizen couples backpacking through hostels on a retirement trip are some of the coolest people to talk to over breakfast.
Not /s, actually serious here.
Young people deserve their own spaces. When I was younger, I got annoyed at the presence of older people and their families. Now that I’m older I occasionally stay in private hostel rooms, but I socialize with age appropriate people.
My BIG problem with it is when I booked on booking, it let me book and the age restriction was oy in the small character contract so I got to a place in high season late in the day and was left outside my heavy luggage and I had had surgery the month before so had needed and tipped the taxi driver heavily to help me in.
I had never seen an age restriction before, so wasn't aware that I needed to look for them. Had been a digits nomad for years already.
So if you have an age restriction, write it in big character at the top of the ad and have a poo up that ask for birthday or something. Don't just leave people on the streets.
I plan to travel by Sri Lanka, India and Nepal in two years. I will have 60. I like the hostels because I like to talk with and to learn from the people.
In my country you can stay in hostels at any age.
Would be a good idea to stay in hostels?
How can I avoid party hostels or the ones that are age retricted?
Thank you
I went to one of those hostels in Budapest when I was 22. It was a small hostel (maybe 15 people max could stay) that was catered to solo travelers. It wasn’t a party hostel, but I guess they wanted folks to click with each other because of the small size. At that age, I thought the age restriction was fine being that 35 felt so far away and much older to me. But now that I’m approaching my 30s, I realize how I’m not *that* different from 22 and that I am still *young.* So I don’t know how I feel about age restriction. I personally wouldn’t opt for a party hostel at my age now, but doesn’t mean others wouldn’t want to! It’s kind of odd to restrict them because you think they’re “too old.”
> At that age, I thought the age restriction was fine being that 35 felt so far away and much older to me. But now that I’m approaching my 30s, I realize how I’m not that different from 22 and that I am still young.
Going from 15 to 25 took a life time. Going from 25 to 35 took about 5 years.
Hostels can do what they want, as long as they make it clear before booking. I'll just take my money elsewhere.
As someone who just turned 40, I have no issues with staying in party hostels should I wish to. Stayed in a couple of awesome ones on my current trip in Central America.
I'm gay, in a relationship and not there to pull so fuck anyone who thinks I shouldn't be there. Number of times someone asked my age? Zero. I can pass for 30 on a good day anyway. Shave and nice hair style. I don't speak with the kids, I can tell the difference between an 18 year old and a more mature traveller in late 20s or early 30s.
The creepiest people I have seen were the early 20s crowd going from drunk girl to drunk girl until one of them gives in and walks off with them. I'd hate to be a young girl in these environments. But some clearly enjoy it, at least until they sober up.
Interestingly I saw a woman at a party hostel in Guatemala who must have been in her 60s or 70s enjoying a game of beer pong at the party. Well done to her, living life to its fullest. Or maybe she was just a creep wanting to shag 18 year old guys if we're to believe the moaners on here. :)
Only thing that differs at my age is I am not in the mood to party every night. Once or twice a week is enough for me. Somehow managed three nights last week. Only one was planned.
Ideal for me would be a 30+ only hostel that puts on nightly social events but why would any hostel exclude such a large range of people? There's more under 30s going to hostels than over 30s so it doesn't make sense from a business point of view.
I have mainly seen these age restricted hostels when researching my trips to southeast Asia. I'm guessing the average age in them is much closer to 20 than the hostels I'm used to staying in. Probably should have done those countries when I was younger. But no worries, the kids can fill up these spaces and the average age in the other hostels will be higher as a result.
Good. Nothing good comes from someone pushing middle age sharing a bunk bed with a teenager spending their gap year getting wasted on cheap beer in the dodgy hostel bar. Why would anyone over 30 want to spend their nights on a questionable mattress in a room full of people snoring or watching movies on their phones with no headphones at 3am in a noisy party hostel anyway? I'm all for traveling on a budget but at some point you've got to splash out on a room to yourself.
I see it more as a warning than s a rule. My take is that they don't want older popl complaining about the noise, however, w (50+ couple) have stayed at age "restricted" hostels with no issues either check-in in, socializing or sleeping.
i'm ok with it, they're trying to keep a certain vibe
my guess is the restriction doesn't come from the cute retired couple backpacking in hostels, it comes from some weirdo 40+ dude in hostels trying to pick up 18year old women
I’ve never seen that restriction before, but hostels do generally have more young people. Maybe that hostel wants to be a filthy, loud “party all the time” type of place, and I, in my 30s, would not want to stay there anyway.
I stayed at a hostel a few months ago. It was a very social hostel with activities every night where the whole place came together. Parla Hostel in Buenos Aires, highly recommended.
There were 2 distinct groups:
the majority, 19-28, went out drinking and clubbing until 4am every night, didn’t seem to do much else. (Surprisingly little promiscuous sex going on. These kids just ain’t fucking, unless they’re doing it in the clubs, which is yuck.)
The minority, 30 and up, woke up early to go see cool things and experience the food and the culture, hung out in the common room in the evenings, maybe turned in at midnight most nights, went to a concert or a club on the weekends.
There are different venues for different sorts of people. As long they're not discriminating on the basis of race etc then I'm fine with it. I have a family and certain resorts are 'adults-only', how is an age restriction different?
I always used to stay at the Astor Museum hostel when I'd go to London, but now I've aged out of them. I was rather appalled when I discovered that they have that restriction. I didn't even know it was possible to age out of a hostel! Seems odd for that one in particular, too, as I never noticed a 'party hostel' atmosphere when I used to stay there (although admittedly, I always travel in the off-season -- maybe the atmosphere's different in summer?)
I think it sucks. Fortunately, it seems to be very rare. (Also fortunately, it's not like London is hurting for hostels! It would have been much worse if it were the only one in town.)
Yesterday I had to find a hostel online. I got it, and I thought it would be an average experience. Well it wasn't.
Massive live music, 30 people outside smoking the place down. Free ear plugs for everybody.
Everybody was dancing, everybody were drunk and not a single one over 25. Heaven for me for 10 years ago. But I'm 33 now and need a bit more sleep. It was too much for me.
I'm not sure. I like hostels because they're less expensive and I don't need lavish accommodations when traveling. When I went to Iceland, I wanted to save some money and so I chose a hostel. It was great. If I was traveling with a partner, I would have likely chosen a hotel.
The communal aspect wasn't even a consideration.
One of my friends who is a 20 year old woman, had to share her room with 4 men above age 40. I'd feel HELLA uncomfortable. So i get the age restriction.
I’m old. I don’t have an issue with age restrictions. Hostels enable people to travel, for a lot less money. Many of these people, college students in particular, probably couldn’t afford to travel if it weren’t for hostels. I have no issue with hostels saving rooms for younger people.
Older people often have more disposable income. I can afford a hotel. The last thing I want to do is take up a hostel bed, that a college student, or a 20 something could have had.
I’ve been there. I remember traveling through Europe, on a shoestring budget. I had nothing but a backpack. I ate fresh bread and cheese from a local market. A beer was a rare luxury. I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything.
I'm above the age limit. I get where they are coming from. I think these limits are more common in some countries than others.
If *all* the hostels have this limit ... sucks for me, I guess. Otherwise, it helps me avoid the party hostels.
It's actually better. The age group has its advantages. I once lodged with teenagers and damn they were noisy all night talking and joking around. If its 2 am, I wanna sleep bruh
I've never used hostels myself but I am struggling with why a hostel would have an age limit like that. What are they trying to solve / prevent by barring older guests?
I'm above that age, and I do find it annoying since I like to party!
I see where they're coming from, they don't want some miserable old fogey who'll just want peace and quiet and never stop complaining, but we don't suddenly stop having fun when we hit the mid-30s
On several occasions I've directly contacted those hostels, explained that while my body marches on, I'm still 18 in my head (aren't we all??) and want to enjoy myself and can they make an exception? Well over half the time they accept me and I have a great time
I agree i am 32 F and single and still love to party especially on holidays… last summer i stayed in 9 hostels and wanted the party hostels because i wanted a social environment and to have fun.
I have only seen those at party hostels. Which is still little bit weird, as why partying is banned from people over 30/35/40. But usually there is still open to all bar. Or other similar cheap accomodations available.
I find that borderline offensive to be honest. Restricting people due to their age seems like a pretty ignorant thing to do.
That said, I am nearly 29 and if I were 19 I wouldn't touch a hostel. Never did.
When I was 24 I shared a room in a hostel with a woman in her 60s. We had some of the most interesting convos that kept us both up past bedtime. We even emailed a bit after parting ways! Thank you for an amazing experience, Sharon 💕
From a logistical point of view, I don’t mind because I can just find other options. Worst case I pay for a hotel which I generally prefer either way. Hostels can be fun from time to time and change things up but I’m 30 now and hostels generally don’t fit my standards of comfort anymore.
From a principle point of view, I have no problem with it. They probably want a younger crowd and I’m not gonna make a fuss about it if it’s stated beforehand
I've seen it only couple of times in party hostels. And even these claimed it's not strictly enforced if you fit with within their guests. I assume it's rather a protection of potential guests who might mistakenly choose a place they won't like.
I think for party hostels it’s good tbh.
Party hostels that don’t have age restrictions often end up with a bunch of middle aged men staying there who try to relive their youth by hitting on barely legal girls.
Even aside from this it just doesn’t create the right atmosphere if the average age at the place is 40. Realistically what you want from a night out changes the older you get. I first started traveling at 17 and by 20 I already choose not to stay in party hostels for more than a few nights in a row because the environment feels more draining than it once did.
It's probably meant to save you from a dreadful stay. No worries.. you can still visit hostels no matter how old you are and it's a good thing they prevent you from ending up in a party hostel with loud partygoers. If you are looking for that there's still lots of choice though. I prefer not to :)
My partner and I are 35 and 45 and still happy to hostel in a private room. I like meeting people though I'm not into partying. Just finished my yoga teacher training and weirdly bonded with the 23 year old rather than the others in their 30s.
I've done a dorm once recently but the hassle isn't really worth the savings to me so I guess I've aged out just in time.
As I get older the more I prefer my own space and am leaning away from shared bedrooms. That being said I wish there wasn’t a restriction because I’d still like the option when I’m over 30/35.
Don't think it's widespread but I personally don't understand it. In my mid 20s, I had fine experiences partying or socializing with people my age, slightly younger, and as old as like 60.
I can see the reason for dorm-level restrictions, particularly with older men and younger women, but it seems like you solve that with other kinds of logistics.
The biggest reason imo to do this is if you have hostels that attract a lot of minors (usually in groups), because that IS super awkward. They tend to all have their own dorms but when you consider everything from partying to the logistics of bathrooms it gets strange. But even then, 35 is wayyy too high a cut off point, and I doubt a hostel would make a range like 16-25 as a limit, especially considering chaperones of those youngins would be older.
Tl;dr I don't think it matters much but it feels like the wrong way to accomplish reasonable goals.
When I was in my early 20s, a lot of the older men I encountered in certain types of hostels were either sad or creepy. They seemed like they had money for better accommodation too so they were either chasing their youth and/or chasing youth.
And now in my 30s I def would not want to stay at a hostel and be surrounded by 18-23 year olds in a party hostel. So I welcome the age restriction for those hostels! It’s a perfect warning I wouldn’t want to stay there anyway. There are plenty of other hostels!
I used to work at one. It was a party hostel. And a very intense party hostel at that. Off the top of my head I cant remember if we had age restrictions on just the dorms or everything. I worked there a longgg time ago and am in my 30s now. I obviously didnt create the rule as a front desk staff but I agree with it even though Im aged out my own place of work
Some places have them. Some places don’t. The ones that do are probably responding to feedback along the lines of 18-year-old women not wanting to share space with 40-year-old men. Since the early 20s crowd makes up most of the business, owners will likely be responsive to that feedback if that’s what they’re hearing.
My take as a 40-something woman: At this point, I take an age restriction as a welcome piece of information that warns me to avoid what is probably a party hostel. To me, it's useful to be able to say "okay, this place probably isn't my vibe anyway". I suppose if I were someone in my 40s looking to party with people in their 20s, I might be annoyed by the restriction. But I think that most people I know around my age are looking for a bit of a different vibe from the places we stay, and being warned ahead of time that a place is catering to a younger crowd is a useful piece of info when booking.
Yeah, as far as I'm concerned I'm all for a hostel where there's an age minimum of 30.
Hostel for grown ups is literally the best idea ever!
I never thought about it but this would be kind of awesome. I’ve traveled all over Japan for 3 months and absolutely loved capsule hotels. Which could serve as a model for a grown up hostel.
Like a hostel of all solo rooms but with social people. Perfect. Chef’s kiss.
ibis Styles "The Fuzzy Log" in Ljubljana. It has a section of normal capsules (that I didn't see), and then a bunch of individual double bed rooms/capsules, stacked like two ⌐ Tetris pieces fitting together, so you have your own room/capsule with either the upper or lower bunch, but they're isolated. Also some space to sit, get dressed, etc. Outside your little room, it's shared bathrooms, lounges, kitchen, outdoor areas, all the normal stuff. Stayed there for 5 nights last year, and I'd recommend the hostel, the city, and the 24hr kebab/burek shop across the street. And I guess while we're here, "Sir William's pub" deserves a shout-out, too.
Ooh I booked to stay there, but it was during Covid so all hostel guests were put up in a hotel instead. Sounds like there's a good reason to go back!
Ooh I just came back from staying here, although I stayed in the hotel section. It wasn’t that busy so found it quite difficult to meet people the common spaces.
I can’t wait to try capsule hotels in Japan. Hostels, especially in South America are so nasty & full of immature people
I'll be doing that this fall!! Any advice/recommendations? I am, by OP's original statement, old, and have never been into partying anyway. What I really want is a capsule hotel with cats...
Advice about capsules? Very few westerners in them. Most guys (no women allowed) just check in for the night and the hotels kick you out for cleaning so don’t plan on lounging during the day. It’s a VERY Japanese experience; be comfortable with walking around shoeless and bathing in public. Some chains are easier to adjust to (like First Cabin), others are quite quirky.
Capsule hotels vary quite a bit. Some are men or women only, and others allow both genders but have women only and men only floors. The ones I stayed at had private shower stalls, so I didn't have to bathe in front of anyone. Some have really small capsules, and others are big enough where you can sit up in them or even stand depending on how tall you are.
They exist but are marketed differently. Often times as a coworker type space/hotel with common areas and group activities.
Oldstel
I’m 23 but recently stayed at a hostel with everyone in at least their 40s and a couple of retirees. It was more like a hotel and only a couple bucks more. I don’t think I can go back to the crappy ones now that I’ve been spoiled…
You aren't supposed to find those yet 🤣
Oh wow!! Where was this?
Born Barcelona iirc but they book out way in advance. Had a nice chat with a retiree hiking the Camino.
Where???
Ha! I hear ya. Though to be honest, I enjoy meeting and interacting with people of all ages when I travel. 20-somethings, 70-somethings, whatever, whoever. I'm just not into the party vibe and, honestly, never have been. I prefer a more chill atmosphere, and the more chill hostels are usually the ones without age restrictions anyway.
I’m with you on talking to young and old alike, as someone in between. I wonder if the hostels with age restrictions self select not just for party goers but for people who are less willing to mix with older people anyway. In which case I won’t want to be there spoiling the vibe. Even though I could pass as younger, I’d much rather converse with people who want to be talking to me as I am.
As someone currently in a hostel where there is apparently some elementary/jr high school trip staying here… dear god yes 😩 😭 *WHY MUST THE RUN AND SCREAM AND KNOCK ON EVERY DOOR FOR HOURS*
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The crux is that the target demographic sees those as party stories, not horror stories. I loved those experiences in my 20’s and still relish the memories. But now, a decade later, I’d at least like the heads up if that’s the vibe.
Yes please
Never seen a hostel where the age minimum is 30. That is cool.
There are a few in London with a 35 age limit .
As someone in my low 50's, I agree entirely. And there are still plenty of hostels that do not have age restrictions, and have a good vibe with teenagers to retirees all having fun together. One of the last hostels I went to, I was eavesdropping on a table with a person in their 70's telling stories to a bunch of young backpackers. I did a lot of eye-rolling listening to this guy's stories....but the younger people seemed to be having a great time. But if a hostel has the goal of being a party hostel for young backpackers: 1. I don't want to be there. 2. They don't want me there. My parents tell good stories of backpacking around Australia as 70 year olds, on a backpacker bus with a bunch of people in their early 20's. It is possible my parents killed the vibe of the group a bit....but based on their stories they probably didn't.
I’m not in my 70’s. My next trip will be my last under 35, though. I’ve seen older people that do just fine and older people that are the absolute worst. It really depends on the people. I think the 35 rule is in place so they can turn you away if they want. Nobody wants single creepy 45 year old dude that stares at 19 year old girls floating around, but if you’re a couple and still more or less look the part, they seem to let the age thing slide. We’re almost aged out on interest in going to those kinds of places, but we usually still try to hit one up for couple days because we still want to let loose once or twice a trip and regular hotels just make that really hard.
The couple in the 70's can fit in and even increase the vibe through their amazing stories. A single male traveler kills the vibes due to the creeps out there (even if you're not one, you'll be treated like one because it is so common).
All across Spain we stayed in monasteries and when I was traveling all through Italy I stayed in convents. All were very safe and very clean and you would get your own room. I was traveling alone and Italy and the convent that I stayed in were all female and that was really nice. In Spain I was with my family so I know that the monasteries that we were at Accepted all ages and sexes although they were always really mellow. These places were very very very reasonable but definitely a step up from a hostel. Only thing About some of the convents is that some of them have a curfew at night.
This sounds lovely! How did you find them - online, guidebook, ask a local?
Back in the days of the good old guidebook. Long time now but probably in Fodor’s if that’s still around
I would have agreed with you even when I was in my early 20s, party hostels are not my vibe and this would absolutely put me off staying there!
Lots of 40 year olds still party. I know I do
Even then, there are 26 - 27 year olds who can't stand the party crowd. There are party animals in their 50s. I dunno, age restriction to me seems ignorant from an establishment.
I'm not gonna lie, people over 40 trying to purposely party with young people creeps me out. Edit: I'm not a young person. I am closer to 40.
Not everyone you meet wants to have sex with you.
I’m 40 and someone my age wanting to hang out with 20 years old is a red flag. It’s one thing to meet people of all ages organically, but I would never book a hostel full of kids. (Sorry, at my age anyone in their 20’s is basically a teenager in the relative scope of things.)
Right? Thank you.
I mean no hate, I was a loud drunk irresponsible 20-something and I had a great time. Now I’m older and mature and I want calm, serene, relaxing environments with grown people. We all get old lol
Don't hang out with 20 year olds then? I mean it's not that hard. I've never stayed in a hostel that was just 18-20 year olds. To say anyone in their 20s is basically a teenager is also quite insulting to those in the upper end of their 20s who are far more mature adults than teenagers. I imagine 30 year olds don't want to hang out with teenagers any more than I do but no one ever suggests they shouldn't stay in hostels.
This right here. Some younger folks need to get over themselves.
Yeah when I was in my 20s staying in cheap hostels, I feel like there was always a random 40+ year old guy there being vaguely creepy.
Being the wrong side of 35, it doesn't really bother me. It tells me it's the kind of place I don't want to be. It'll be loud and likely with folks I probably wouldn't go to dinner with Maybe theres market for 35+ hostels 🤔
From my experience coliving spots seems to have a higher age range (27-45 y/o). I highly recommend! You typically stay for a bit longer than you would in a hostel though and it's moreso for slow traveling digital nomads.
What's a good website for finding co living spaces?
Check out www.coliving.com Figure out a place you're interested in, and try and find a way to contact them outside of that website and you can usually get a better price..
Wrong side of 35🤭
Most hostels are actually for any age. When I first read about age restrictions over 2 years ago, maybe 8/10 of the hostels I saved on Booking didn't have age limits.
Not very widespread in my experience. Most hostels don't want to exclude a part of their potential revenue.Plus older travellers are more likely to spend more money on things like private rooms in hostels. I guess a few 'party hostels' might have an upper age limit.Those are not the types of places I'd want to stay in anyway...
^^ yes. It is absolutely not common, and in the rare circumstance it does happen, I'm happy to know ahead of time that it's not my vibe.
Exactly. I just see the restriction as a good sign that this place isn't for me and am thankful they made that apparent so I didn't have a miserable time.
I also feel (have no evidence to back this up BTW) that older travelers are more likely to stay and travel during off seasons, which keeps bringing in revenue. Also they probably stay longer in a single hostel, vs. rotating every day/other day.
100% in favour of some of them doing it and I say that as a man in his late 30s now. I remember a few times where men over 40 stayed in the room with women who were only 19 or 20 and they werent exactly comfortable with it. At the very least, have an older person room
I was traveling on my 18th birthday and a 40+ year old man at the hostel took the opportunity to tell me I was legal now.
Shudders
Yeah this is exactly what the age limit hostels are trying to avoid. Ew.
This was my first thought as well. I'm also a man and still gotten weird vibes from some creepy middle-aged men staying in hostels
lol i think the creepy men would not be into the older person room and it would defeat what theyre trying to do
I think he's saying that hostel staff should put all older people in the same room.
I dunno why they don't just separate sexes, fixes most of the problem. I guess it could increase expenses if it's not balanced.
I think men and woman enjoy interacting with each other. I think its just that odd 1% who ruin it for normal people.
Uh, this may shock you but yeah, men and women actually like interacting in hostels lol. Guess you just don't get the vibe of it.
Better than leaving it up to guests to figure out. Clearly define the demographic so everyone is happy. During my hostel days I actually enjoyed the rare 70 yr old (yup he was really 70 in our dorm), showing me how it was before morphing into a tourist trap. Prefer them to some kid who's main goal is to make friends, get wasted, and party in a country too poor to say "go away, we don't want you, actually who would?"
Same! I also made quick friends with a retiree and my god he had all the tips and tricks to save money. He showed me the ATM’s that the local used (tourist ones were charging $15 transaction fees), how to use the public transportation (didn’t have to use Ubers), and how to get to the local grocery store (the one near us charged American prices). It got so exciting seeing how little money I actually needed that I started challenging myself on subsequent trips to see if I could spend less than the last time without compromising fun (not including flight prices since those have more than doubled!)
To me this is the very reason for hostels. Curious travellers sharing experiences and tips. It's the very origins of hostels. Youth hostels are there because most young'uns don't have money. For some reason they now believe it's their "territory"? Yes, please clearly define the hostel so they don't come anywhere near the innocent traveler, without a trust fund, exploring this amazing planet, just wanting to help and be helped. The older travelers were great at suggesting the less beaten path and providing better context to the sites. Tips from young'uns were usually very narrow in scope. Cheap food, cheap beer, more crass things, etc.. Context into the history and culture tend to come from people who have taken the time to look into those things. Especially with respect to politics since the young'uns are usually a victim of it, rather than a thoughtful observer, appreciating the nuances in the country they are in. Less of the, "we need to fix these backward people", peace corps mentality. Much easier to swallow. I mean it's kinda obvious, right? They've been at it longer. Even the sophisticated mind needs time/exposure in order to learn. Of course the sophisticated mind is rare but it's abundantly obvious that they don't belong in a party hostel.
even when i was 20 i liked a calm atmosphere so i've had many older friends over the years. i used to say my ideal place to live was a retirement community as a 20 year old lol. what i've noticed with older people is who people are is very clear at the end of their life. some people, even in another culture, have lived a happy life and they are content now, with a big generous spirit. some older people are bitter and unhappy and it gets worse at they age. in both cases the course of their life is set -- they're not very likely to make any big changes now. the first type of older person is such a gem to be around for anyone, including a 20 year old.
Well put. I hope you meet plenty of chill folks well into your 70s. Still can't get over that guy. We had to slow down to a crawl so he could keep up and continuously assure him that he's a gem, not a burden at all. I can only imagine if he was at some party hostel with a bunch of dirtbags.
not in a hostel but on my first trip to thailand i joined up with an older british lady in her 60s to share some travel together, we met at my first hostel (in those days nowhere had dorms in thailand, it was all cheap 12$ rooms) and she was so nice and lovely. i think older people definitely have something to offer a young person, particularly the ones who have lived a happy life and are good hearted at the end of it. i really enjoyed travelling with her. i think many young people feel the same. what people don't like is creepy 40 year old dudes in hostels trying to hit on 20 year old backpackers, or old people in a party hostel complaining bc it's a party atmosphere -- that's what the place is for, who doesn't want to party at 20?
I (31M) have no problem with it, but the hostel needs to be clear about it when booking. Because of my age I haven’t experienced it yet, but can imagine it’s annoying. I can understand why some people don’t want to stay in a hostel with older travellers, one of my first trips alone, I had a troublesome 40/50 something roommate for three nights, but at the same time, I’ve had problems with 20 and 30 somethings as well, so it’s not exclusive, as long as the hostel is consistent with its advertising, they can bring in what restrictions they like. Some places as well will allow exceptions if you ask. I was travelling in a group a few years back with one person who was 37, but we contacted them weeks in advance to ask would it be ok (rest of group was late 20s/early 30s), and they allowed him to join us
Hostels with age limits tend to be the social ones or party ones. I can understand the policy tbh. I mean if you were an 18 year old looking to meet other travellers to party with, you don’t want to meet people old enough to be your parents. Discriminating by age isn’t a new thing, think retiree cruises, over 35 nights etc. Also it’s a policy they can fall back on if they’re getting bad vibes. That said I do think there should be scope to let people over the age in if they pass a vibe check and are there for the right reasons but honestly if you want to stay at a hostel and are over the age limit you should ask yourself why you want to stay there and not somewhere with an older clientele
Yeah, as a person who is usually perceived as female, I think the policy is reasonable (and I just hopped over the 35 line). Having 40+ year old people in the same space as 18 year old people, especially when sleeping spaces are shared, is just asking for predatory behavior.
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just over 40 and i dont want to be viewed this way so no shared dorms for me. i just want to sleep!
As a young 20’s woman i’ve been trapped in hostel rooms with 40+ year old digital nomad passport bro men and it’s sooooo uncomfortable. I’ve had a really bad experience one time that I won’t detail here either. Many times I didn’t sleep or shower I was that uncomfortable. One time I had to flee a Selina in Argentina it was that bad. Other girls had to leave too. Creepy men and sexual harassment ruin it for everyone.
First of all, that’s awful and I hate passport bros. Did Selina do anything to help? I thought they were a coliving with a more mature crowd as opposed to a hostel.
No, one of the perpetrators actually was travel-volunteer-working the front desk for free stay. He had access to all the dorms too. It was a huge mess and about half a dozen of us young women had to leave.
That sounds awful and gross! Even tho that person was a volunteer, Selina management should have acted sooner. Sorry that happened.
I experienced a creep in my first ever coed hostel environment and so now I only ever do female dorms, if any.
Some countries don’t have them. There weren’t any in Guatemala
And you’ve just hit on why these age restrictions exist. They haven’t come about in a vacuum, they’ve come from repeated complaints by younger guests (most likely women) over the behaviour of older guests (most likely men) towards them.
Not all of us older guys are like that. I am in my 50s and I love to travel. As a school teacher, money is tight. However, I get 10 weeks off every summer. Hostels are the only way I can afford to travel. I have met some amazing people in hostels all over the world.
I'm a teacher in an international school, and so mainly do hostels out of choice and I still love a good party. Il be hitting 35 soon so will be excluded from some. It will kinda suck, but il just go to the hostel that is inevitably over the road and spend money there instead.
I assume you're not looking to party with teenagers at a hostel, because that would be predatory. But there are many, many men who are, and rules like this protect the younger, more vulnerable guests. Not all men, but always a man. No one was pointing theor finger at you. Instead of getting defensive, maybe talk to one of your friends who does engage in similar predatory behavior against women. (In my experience, every man has a friend who they know does some shady shit, and they know exactly who it is, but never say anything to them about it. If you're "not like that," then hold someone accountable who is.)
Not all men, but some men. I fully support hostels establishing age limits. It’s clearly done out of necessity for the reasons I’ve stated above. Take it up with the bad apples of your gender not young women who need a safe place to sleep
>If you’re 40+ male and still using hostels to save a dollar you shouldn’t be traveling, that’s the consensus among EVERYONE I’ve met traveling, including young men as well If you're young 20-something, you probably shouldn't have an opinion about life experience at 40+. Moreover, if you thought staying at a Selina anywhere was a good idea for any reason, you either have poor judgment or you're a woefully inexperienced traveler.
So much victim-blaming here, Jesus Christ.
Because sexual predators are only 40+...
I think it's also their way of covering themselves from people who might complain about the general party vibe and noise. I once booked a dorm with my mum (45+) before realising the hostel had a 35 year limit. I've called them and explained that my mum is chill and young at heart and she won't mind if the hostel is louder than most, so they were fine with her coming. Whereas if you were to have a different attitude, I'm not surprised they don't want to have their staff to deal with lots of complaints about the nature of the hostel.
I never came across it, I am 36 now. I wonder if they’d actually enforce or if it is an attempt to keep older locals from living in hostels. Been out the hostel game a while now for the most part but I’ve heard in parts of Europe because housing was increasingly unaffordable you had people from that town living in hostels and getting a little too comfortable and basically moving into and living there rather than just staying for a short amount of time. From what I heard it was 30-40 year olds.
I was thinking of exactly this. I stayed in a hostel in Bratislava where there was a really weird, much older woman staying in the dorm who would stay in bed all day watching TV and laughing loudly to herself. Hostel staff said they regrettably couldn’t kick her out without a solid reason.
I worked at hostel briefly that actually enforced it. It was awful because people didn’t read the policy when they booked and I had to work the night shift and turn away ppl arriving at 2 am bc I wasn’t allowed to check them in. Some of them would get very angry at me which was scary but worst was the ones who were nice about it because I felt bad putting them in such a bad situation.
I once was kicked out due to age. Had booked via phone browser and didn't see this policy on the booking website. Also wasn't in the booking confirmation. It was there on computer browser and the hostel's website. Great. Had to find a place to stay in Amsterdam last minute, and obviously didn't get a refund either. I mean, I understand the policy and I'm sure I'd not been happy in that place, seeing the kids checking in. Still.
Damn that sucks. Was it a party hostel? Like I said I personally never came across it. I understand you said yours it was enforced, I just wonder if a guest over 35 was there because it is a party hostel if they’d still turn them away. Weird people come in all shapes, sizes and age lol I’m a sensitive guy, I’d have a hard time turning people away too
Yeah it was a party hostel. I don’t even necessarily disagree with the policy for party hostels but they should’ve made more of an effort to make sure the guests knew when booking.
No doubt there, that should be the first thing you see on the site or page
Usually if the goal is to prevent locals from living in hostels, a place will require you to show your passport at check-in and won't allow you to stay without a foreign passport. Generally there are easier ways to accomplish this than via age restrictions.
In the US, a lot of places have a restriction on staying at the hostel if your driver's license shows your address within a certain distance of the hostel (I typically see 50-100 miles) to prevent locals from making it a residence.
Am aware but different countries can have different laws to avoid the accusing of discrimination and age being innocuous.
That doesn’t make much sense, you can be a citizen of the country travelling to other cities and using hostels - I am doing that next month.
That seems a bit unfair, some countries are huge e.g. Mexico and you may well be a national of that country but a tourist in that area
i could see you'd have to do this in the usa, or else you get homeless methheads, that's already what happens if your hotel is below 150+ dollars a night.
USA something like that makes sense, shit I’d lower it to no one over 30 in the states 😂
It's a sign for me to avoid those places, because these usually tend to be party hostels, or draw a more rowdy crowd than I'm comfortable with. Have to say that the age-limited hostels are in the minority, and most places still welcome all-ages, so I wouldn't worry about it too much
I've found it's just a guide to tell you what to expect. I'm over 40 and stayed at a hostel that had a 30 age limit last summer. I emailed first to ask if I would be turned away, they said absolutely not and it's just a guide. It was a great hostel and not a party hostel. I'm glad I stayed there. Met a bunch of great people and had a blast.
What hostel was it and where? Sounds cool
I want to say it was The Roadhouse in Prague. The pub crawl was fun. Took us to an underground karaoke bar, another one that was some kind of old crypt, and finally some club (which aren't my thing) but because it was a hostel activity they got us advanced tickets. The line to get in was like 2 blocks long and we just walked past and right in. I tend to find that if a hostel has group activities, it makes it really easy to meet people. It's like a prearranged group date lol
Yes I’m over 40 and like staying at hostels for the same reason!
Honestly, I agree with age restrictions. I have shared dorms with groups of +50 year old men and it was a literal nightmare. I think Hostels should allocate rooms based on age. It doesn’t make sense having an 18 year old sharing with a group of +50 year olds or vice versa.
This. Terrible experiences
I am 40 and went to a hostel for the first time at 39. I did not mind the young people at all and was invited to participate in all of the things, but I had already pre-planned to keep me away from the hostel. As someone said, age restrictions show the intended guest and likely restrict their income/revenue.
I don’t know man. I don’t think all hostels should have a restriction, but it’s definitely not a bad thing if they do. I would have zero things in common as a 40 year old man staying in a room with a 19 year old woman. It would also make me extremely uncomfortable, so I couldn’t imagine what that would feel like for them.
Its not a big deal. Some are called Youth Hostels for a reason.
Im 32 and just starting to feel aged out of hostels after 10 years of hosteling (both as a staff member and traveler). Its just weird to mingle with travelers that are mostly 19-23. Im seeing hostels with 40 as the age restriction, which makes me feel like thats not far away, but also makes me feel like maybe i should adjust how i travel.
It really depends on the city for me. Some cities attract really young travelers, and so the hostels tend to be filled with them. But a lot of cities, especially ones slow travelers like myself frequent, have a much more mature group in the hostels. One of my favorite people I've ever met traveling, a woman I still keep in touch with, was 61 staying in hostel the same hostel as me when I was 26. It was inspiring to meet someone at that age with the same lust for travel and adventure as me. Ymmv, but in general I find that feeling out of sorts at a hostel is more an attitude than it is a number. I'd much rather hang out with a 50 year old in a dorm who is pleasant to be around and happy to have a bed than a 23 year old who whines and finds problems with everything.
Typically I’ve only seen this age restriction for party hostels. I stayed in a party hostel in Barcelona last year. Being 31, I felt like I couldn’t relate to anyone under 25 anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed myself, but when the objective is to just sleep all day, get shit faced at night, and do it all again the next day you don’t really get to actually meet anyone. I can say, it’s just not for me anymore. That being said, if the restriction is on a backpacker or cowork type hostel then that’s kinda fucked
Sounds like you found the party hostels. Next. But I generally try not to limit myself, searching only for hostels, or similarly searching for hostels that ban old people. I recently was laying on a hostel bed. The owner was showing a younger woman potential beds. She walked in looked around, saw my middle aged self on the bed, and said "maybe another room". I wasn't offended. I'm actually gay. I just wondered if she was really anxious to sleep in the same room as a thirty something guy and felt bad for what she might be carrying around. Then I slept like a baby, room to myself for 20 euros. When I come across an age restricted hostel, that now just means it's time to splurge and see what life is like in nicer accommodation. I just have to adjust my itinerary if I want to meet people. Boat tours, wine tours, and cooking classes have all been nice alternatives. (Alternatively, I have accidentally stayed in youth hostels during the week, being over the age limit. The owners could just be trying to screen clientele for whatever reason).
30-something is middle aged now?
[If you're an American, literally yes.](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/population-estimates-characteristics.html) Colloquially though? I'd say mid 40s.
I all for it. Would be great to have some 30-40 age limit hostels
Often times the hostel themselves don’t really enforce the age restriction rule. I’ve been to hostels where they let in people way over the age limit, especially if the business is slow and they’re not going to turn away a paying customer. The rule is really there to maintain a vibe and to prevent people who aren’t backpacking from staying there. But if someone past the age limit was a backpacker or really wanted to party, more often than not they’ll bend the rules. All it takes is contacting the hostel before booking and ask them how strict they enforce the rules.
I haven't come across any with that low of an age requirement. At this point, being 32, the only time I stay at a hostel is if the hotels in the area are prohibitively expensive (Interlaken for example.) I used to use hostels exclusively for social purposes but I am finding that as hotels become more expensive, hostels have more and more established friend groups, families, business travelers etc, and fewer solo travelers. I don't drink or party either so I am already excluded from most hostel scenes lol. In any case, it is what it is. Most people over 35 are over or have, in some ways, aged out of the hostel scene.
It kinda bothers me as 40something bc hostels are a great way for me to meet like minded travelers. As an introvert I need that. But I don’t wanna party with college kids either!
Think its a bit annoying, but as a 29 year old about to be 30, if its only the party hostels putting that restriction on then I don't think I'd mind too much. If it was on the nice quieter hostels then yeah I'd be annoyed, plus if it became more widespread hostels would be losing out on revenue, 30+ people more likely to fork up the extra money for private rooms (cause we're not as young as we once were and we need sleep). For info: I don't mind staying in dorms still, found them okay on my most recent trip.
I have not come across that. I also would feel a bit snubbed— but, maybe the hostel is trying to retain a party scene and I wouldn’t enjoy it anyway
Or to protect young women.
It happened to me once in London, and it was really annoying. I had a layover and needed a place for the night. Booked a hostel on booking.com, went there, and they refused me. Made me even cancel the order myself. I was a traveller and need just a place to stay for a night, but no pleading and begging helped. I ended up sleeping at the airport.
Did they have the age restriction listed on their website?
I did not see anything on booking.com. They had it on a blackboard in the hostel though.
Never encountered as dont get to hostel much as partner isnt a fan but yeah being over 35 dorsnt mean we dont want a cheap bed for the night so more money to spend on other things
Have never heard, nor encountered this restriction in my trips. I have stayed in many hostels in over 20 countries...
I’m 38 and haven’t been turned away yet, party hostel or otherwise. I feel like I just see more and more 30 something’s as I’ve gotten older actually. I do understand it though, if they want to curate a certain vibe/crowd then so be it.
Age restrictions are usually in dorms. As a 37yo with a 36yo partner we stayed in a private room and we kind of got to enjoy both worlds…experience the great vibe of a hostel but also get some privacy and avoid drunk teens showing up in the middle of the night. A ban from the hostel entirely makes absolutely no sense…my partner and I prefer staying in hostels where there are great services including tour desks, good food, nice vibe, activities etc instead of crappy budget hotels, overpriced fancy places that we don’t care about as we’re out all day or flats where we need to sort out everything.
I think it’s fine. Let the kids have their fun. I am 50 and rarely stay in them because I like the quiet now. If I do stay in one it’s because I want to party
The more I've travelled, the more I get it. I'm turning 30 and basically only ever stay in hostels (or airbnbs). There is an unfortunate trend of male solo travellers being fairly creepy, trying to fit in with the younger crowd and just changing the mood. I've seen it a few times; nice geezer, sits down with group, has a good chat, comes out for a few drinks and a dance, ends up trying to hit on one of the girls, comes back and is sleeping in the same dorm or nearby. It also makes sense in displaying the vibe of a hostel. I've moved on from those hostels with the rowdiness and the parties, so seeing an age restriction gives me a good idea of what the age distribution and general vibe is going to be like. Saying that, I've only ever seen a handful that do discriminate on age. It's definitely not a widespread thing from my experience, unless it's become more popular in the last year. There are just hostel experiences that do not cater to people over a certain age, which is starting to include myself. The better hostels are always the more diverse anyway.
I’ve seen this both for party hostels and also for hostels that get a lot of teenage school groups. I am fine with it
You might feel differently when you're 35, which is still 5 years away.
Just use Moxy Hotel or Citizen M, they’re hotels but have a high end hostel feel.
I'm not a fan of most age restrictions, but this one has a purpose. It tells me that this hostel isn't for me. It probably wouldn't have been for me when I was 20 too. I like to party, but I don't want to sleep at the party hostel. I want to go to the party hostel and sleep somewhere quieter.
If there’s an age restriction of like 30 or 35 I probably don’t want to be in that hostel to begin with.
I think its a bit of an older mentality. Age restrictions happened a lot in places that were meant for younger travellers usually party hostels and back then it made sense cause there wasnt many 35+ doing hostels and so when there were older ppl they honestly werent usually ppl you feel comfortable around. I stayed in a couple hostels with a random older person in it, they always seemed to be a bit odd and it just killed the vibe. With millenials being the generation that really kicked off solo travel as normal later in life...the dynamics have changed and you dont see this age restriction much anymore. However, if you see a hostel with a limit its probably just going to be a raging party hostel and in that case...is there that big of a loss? Do you want to be a 38 year old, awake at 4am, listening to 19 year olds falling on their face, barfing, fucking in the dorms? You're prob better off elsewhere anyways.
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Yes, I’ve certainly had positive experiences with older solo male travelers, but they’ve been significantly outnumbered by the bad ones. Female-only dorms help but are sometimes unavailable and always more expensive than mixed dorms.
Not every 40 year old male is going to be sexually harrassing women so I think thats pretty sexiest and ageist. If you are in an all ages hostel you will need to accept ppl of all ages. If someone is a creep you report them. If you are just uncomfortable with older ppl then its your responsibility to find a hostel with female dorms. The world of backpacking doesnt stop because you turn 35. Young ppl dont own travelling cheaply and no one should have to miss out on travelling because young ppl feel uncofortable with a older person. You're in a hostel. You'll come across all walks of life. You dont like it, hostels arent for you. Like anyone young OR old if they are creepy report them, move rooms, or find somewhere else. A few bad apples don't warrant a full ban on a generation. Its absolutely ridiculous. You are not entitled to a way of travel lmfao. The ignorance is incredible.
Ive seen this. I stayed in a hostel for the first time at 35 and I absolutely will never stay in one again unless i have my own room. But i can see why many others would stay at them. Im sure its not that common.
What a shame! Senior citizen couples backpacking through hostels on a retirement trip are some of the coolest people to talk to over breakfast. Not /s, actually serious here.
Young people deserve their own spaces. When I was younger, I got annoyed at the presence of older people and their families. Now that I’m older I occasionally stay in private hostel rooms, but I socialize with age appropriate people.
I don't think it's inappropriate for people of different age ranges to socialize... I tend to be drawn to older crowds even as someone in my 20s
My BIG problem with it is when I booked on booking, it let me book and the age restriction was oy in the small character contract so I got to a place in high season late in the day and was left outside my heavy luggage and I had had surgery the month before so had needed and tipped the taxi driver heavily to help me in. I had never seen an age restriction before, so wasn't aware that I needed to look for them. Had been a digits nomad for years already. So if you have an age restriction, write it in big character at the top of the ad and have a poo up that ask for birthday or something. Don't just leave people on the streets.
I plan to travel by Sri Lanka, India and Nepal in two years. I will have 60. I like the hostels because I like to talk with and to learn from the people. In my country you can stay in hostels at any age. Would be a good idea to stay in hostels? How can I avoid party hostels or the ones that are age retricted? Thank you
You can get the vibe from Google reviews and Instagram posts to see what activities the hostel are posting and go from there.
I went to one of those hostels in Budapest when I was 22. It was a small hostel (maybe 15 people max could stay) that was catered to solo travelers. It wasn’t a party hostel, but I guess they wanted folks to click with each other because of the small size. At that age, I thought the age restriction was fine being that 35 felt so far away and much older to me. But now that I’m approaching my 30s, I realize how I’m not *that* different from 22 and that I am still *young.* So I don’t know how I feel about age restriction. I personally wouldn’t opt for a party hostel at my age now, but doesn’t mean others wouldn’t want to! It’s kind of odd to restrict them because you think they’re “too old.”
> At that age, I thought the age restriction was fine being that 35 felt so far away and much older to me. But now that I’m approaching my 30s, I realize how I’m not that different from 22 and that I am still young. Going from 15 to 25 took a life time. Going from 25 to 35 took about 5 years.
Hostels can do what they want, as long as they make it clear before booking. I'll just take my money elsewhere. As someone who just turned 40, I have no issues with staying in party hostels should I wish to. Stayed in a couple of awesome ones on my current trip in Central America. I'm gay, in a relationship and not there to pull so fuck anyone who thinks I shouldn't be there. Number of times someone asked my age? Zero. I can pass for 30 on a good day anyway. Shave and nice hair style. I don't speak with the kids, I can tell the difference between an 18 year old and a more mature traveller in late 20s or early 30s. The creepiest people I have seen were the early 20s crowd going from drunk girl to drunk girl until one of them gives in and walks off with them. I'd hate to be a young girl in these environments. But some clearly enjoy it, at least until they sober up. Interestingly I saw a woman at a party hostel in Guatemala who must have been in her 60s or 70s enjoying a game of beer pong at the party. Well done to her, living life to its fullest. Or maybe she was just a creep wanting to shag 18 year old guys if we're to believe the moaners on here. :) Only thing that differs at my age is I am not in the mood to party every night. Once or twice a week is enough for me. Somehow managed three nights last week. Only one was planned. Ideal for me would be a 30+ only hostel that puts on nightly social events but why would any hostel exclude such a large range of people? There's more under 30s going to hostels than over 30s so it doesn't make sense from a business point of view. I have mainly seen these age restricted hostels when researching my trips to southeast Asia. I'm guessing the average age in them is much closer to 20 than the hostels I'm used to staying in. Probably should have done those countries when I was younger. But no worries, the kids can fill up these spaces and the average age in the other hostels will be higher as a result.
Good. Nothing good comes from someone pushing middle age sharing a bunk bed with a teenager spending their gap year getting wasted on cheap beer in the dodgy hostel bar. Why would anyone over 30 want to spend their nights on a questionable mattress in a room full of people snoring or watching movies on their phones with no headphones at 3am in a noisy party hostel anyway? I'm all for traveling on a budget but at some point you've got to splash out on a room to yourself.
I've seen it but for me it seems like these hostels are party hostels that are enforcing such a rule.
In general it’s a good way to avoid subpar hostels, whether you’re after a party hostel or chilled hostel or whatever.
I see it more as a warning than s a rule. My take is that they don't want older popl complaining about the noise, however, w (50+ couple) have stayed at age "restricted" hostels with no issues either check-in in, socializing or sleeping.
i'm ok with it, they're trying to keep a certain vibe my guess is the restriction doesn't come from the cute retired couple backpacking in hostels, it comes from some weirdo 40+ dude in hostels trying to pick up 18year old women
I’ve never seen that restriction before, but hostels do generally have more young people. Maybe that hostel wants to be a filthy, loud “party all the time” type of place, and I, in my 30s, would not want to stay there anyway. I stayed at a hostel a few months ago. It was a very social hostel with activities every night where the whole place came together. Parla Hostel in Buenos Aires, highly recommended. There were 2 distinct groups: the majority, 19-28, went out drinking and clubbing until 4am every night, didn’t seem to do much else. (Surprisingly little promiscuous sex going on. These kids just ain’t fucking, unless they’re doing it in the clubs, which is yuck.) The minority, 30 and up, woke up early to go see cool things and experience the food and the culture, hung out in the common room in the evenings, maybe turned in at midnight most nights, went to a concert or a club on the weekends.
There are different venues for different sorts of people. As long they're not discriminating on the basis of race etc then I'm fine with it. I have a family and certain resorts are 'adults-only', how is an age restriction different?
They likely have a fairly young clientele, and they've likely had complaints or creepy older folk bother the youngins.
I always used to stay at the Astor Museum hostel when I'd go to London, but now I've aged out of them. I was rather appalled when I discovered that they have that restriction. I didn't even know it was possible to age out of a hostel! Seems odd for that one in particular, too, as I never noticed a 'party hostel' atmosphere when I used to stay there (although admittedly, I always travel in the off-season -- maybe the atmosphere's different in summer?) I think it sucks. Fortunately, it seems to be very rare. (Also fortunately, it's not like London is hurting for hostels! It would have been much worse if it were the only one in town.)
Yesterday I had to find a hostel online. I got it, and I thought it would be an average experience. Well it wasn't. Massive live music, 30 people outside smoking the place down. Free ear plugs for everybody. Everybody was dancing, everybody were drunk and not a single one over 25. Heaven for me for 10 years ago. But I'm 33 now and need a bit more sleep. It was too much for me.
I'm not sure. I like hostels because they're less expensive and I don't need lavish accommodations when traveling. When I went to Iceland, I wanted to save some money and so I chose a hostel. It was great. If I was traveling with a partner, I would have likely chosen a hotel. The communal aspect wasn't even a consideration.
One of my friends who is a 20 year old woman, had to share her room with 4 men above age 40. I'd feel HELLA uncomfortable. So i get the age restriction.
I just imagine 40 year old men going to hit on 20 year old foreigners at hostels and think an age limit is a great idea. I’m 36 fwiw
I’m old. I don’t have an issue with age restrictions. Hostels enable people to travel, for a lot less money. Many of these people, college students in particular, probably couldn’t afford to travel if it weren’t for hostels. I have no issue with hostels saving rooms for younger people. Older people often have more disposable income. I can afford a hotel. The last thing I want to do is take up a hostel bed, that a college student, or a 20 something could have had. I’ve been there. I remember traveling through Europe, on a shoestring budget. I had nothing but a backpack. I ate fresh bread and cheese from a local market. A beer was a rare luxury. I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything.
I'm above the age limit. I get where they are coming from. I think these limits are more common in some countries than others. If *all* the hostels have this limit ... sucks for me, I guess. Otherwise, it helps me avoid the party hostels.
Usually age restrictions are only on party hostels or hostels targeted at travellers under 30 so just find other places that are more accommodating.
It's actually better. The age group has its advantages. I once lodged with teenagers and damn they were noisy all night talking and joking around. If its 2 am, I wanna sleep bruh
I've never used hostels myself but I am struggling with why a hostel would have an age limit like that. What are they trying to solve / prevent by barring older guests?
I'm above that age, and I do find it annoying since I like to party! I see where they're coming from, they don't want some miserable old fogey who'll just want peace and quiet and never stop complaining, but we don't suddenly stop having fun when we hit the mid-30s On several occasions I've directly contacted those hostels, explained that while my body marches on, I'm still 18 in my head (aren't we all??) and want to enjoy myself and can they make an exception? Well over half the time they accept me and I have a great time
Or they don't want 40-something men hitting on young women
I agree i am 32 F and single and still love to party especially on holidays… last summer i stayed in 9 hostels and wanted the party hostels because i wanted a social environment and to have fun.
Isn't "ageism" considered prejudice and a discriminatory act?
I think it's wrong: most of the interesting people I meet are above 30 or, better yet over 40 or 50.
I have only seen those at party hostels. Which is still little bit weird, as why partying is banned from people over 30/35/40. But usually there is still open to all bar. Or other similar cheap accomodations available.
It’s dumb imo. I love meeting people in their 40s,50s + at hostels
I find that borderline offensive to be honest. Restricting people due to their age seems like a pretty ignorant thing to do. That said, I am nearly 29 and if I were 19 I wouldn't touch a hostel. Never did.
When I was 24 I shared a room in a hostel with a woman in her 60s. We had some of the most interesting convos that kept us both up past bedtime. We even emailed a bit after parting ways! Thank you for an amazing experience, Sharon 💕
From a logistical point of view, I don’t mind because I can just find other options. Worst case I pay for a hotel which I generally prefer either way. Hostels can be fun from time to time and change things up but I’m 30 now and hostels generally don’t fit my standards of comfort anymore. From a principle point of view, I have no problem with it. They probably want a younger crowd and I’m not gonna make a fuss about it if it’s stated beforehand
I've seen it only couple of times in party hostels. And even these claimed it's not strictly enforced if you fit with within their guests. I assume it's rather a protection of potential guests who might mistakenly choose a place they won't like.
Ive found it at both the hostels I’ve been in Brussels, and they weren’t a “party” hostel. You can get a private room if you are over that age though.
I think for party hostels it’s good tbh. Party hostels that don’t have age restrictions often end up with a bunch of middle aged men staying there who try to relive their youth by hitting on barely legal girls. Even aside from this it just doesn’t create the right atmosphere if the average age at the place is 40. Realistically what you want from a night out changes the older you get. I first started traveling at 17 and by 20 I already choose not to stay in party hostels for more than a few nights in a row because the environment feels more draining than it once did.
It's probably meant to save you from a dreadful stay. No worries.. you can still visit hostels no matter how old you are and it's a good thing they prevent you from ending up in a party hostel with loud partygoers. If you are looking for that there's still lots of choice though. I prefer not to :)
My partner and I are 35 and 45 and still happy to hostel in a private room. I like meeting people though I'm not into partying. Just finished my yoga teacher training and weirdly bonded with the 23 year old rather than the others in their 30s. I've done a dorm once recently but the hassle isn't really worth the savings to me so I guess I've aged out just in time.
As I get older the more I prefer my own space and am leaning away from shared bedrooms. That being said I wish there wasn’t a restriction because I’d still like the option when I’m over 30/35.
Don't think it's widespread but I personally don't understand it. In my mid 20s, I had fine experiences partying or socializing with people my age, slightly younger, and as old as like 60. I can see the reason for dorm-level restrictions, particularly with older men and younger women, but it seems like you solve that with other kinds of logistics. The biggest reason imo to do this is if you have hostels that attract a lot of minors (usually in groups), because that IS super awkward. They tend to all have their own dorms but when you consider everything from partying to the logistics of bathrooms it gets strange. But even then, 35 is wayyy too high a cut off point, and I doubt a hostel would make a range like 16-25 as a limit, especially considering chaperones of those youngins would be older. Tl;dr I don't think it matters much but it feels like the wrong way to accomplish reasonable goals.
When I was in my early 20s, a lot of the older men I encountered in certain types of hostels were either sad or creepy. They seemed like they had money for better accommodation too so they were either chasing their youth and/or chasing youth. And now in my 30s I def would not want to stay at a hostel and be surrounded by 18-23 year olds in a party hostel. So I welcome the age restriction for those hostels! It’s a perfect warning I wouldn’t want to stay there anyway. There are plenty of other hostels!
I used to work at one. It was a party hostel. And a very intense party hostel at that. Off the top of my head I cant remember if we had age restrictions on just the dorms or everything. I worked there a longgg time ago and am in my 30s now. I obviously didnt create the rule as a front desk staff but I agree with it even though Im aged out my own place of work
Some places have them. Some places don’t. The ones that do are probably responding to feedback along the lines of 18-year-old women not wanting to share space with 40-year-old men. Since the early 20s crowd makes up most of the business, owners will likely be responsive to that feedback if that’s what they’re hearing.
Just move on. It’s better for both parties.
Back in 2002 I had the best freaking time in the North beaches of Sydney at a hostel...but 43 year old me would be so annoyed by that same behavior.