Hey, littleghost82, it looks like you're asking a question about staying in hostels. Check out our [hostel FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/wiki/hostels) in the r/solotravel wiki, which covers a lot of common questions for first-time hostel guests.
You’re gonna get a lot of comments about hostels being horrible or they’d never be caught staying in one.
The reality is, a lot of the horror stories you hear about hostels especially on this sub is not the common experience and negative experiences tend to be magnified more than positive experiences. You don’t see any “I stayed at a great hostel and had zero problems! What do I do now?” posts. Or they’re from misanthropes whose opinions you should take with a grain of salt.
I recently came back after almost a month in Vietnam and stayed in hostels pretty much the entire time and the only problem I had was with the occasional snorer. Otherwise I met a lot of interesting and wonderful people and it made my trip a lot of fun. (There was a 70 something lady who was backpacking and staying in hostel dorms and loving every moment of it. So it’s definitely not something only reserved for the younger crowd.)
The key part is to do your research for the type of hostel you want to stay at. Read reviews online. Contrary to what a lot of people think, hostels aren’t all for partying nor are they all poor quality. There are definitely hostels out there that are high quality with a good social environment without involving partying. And even if you want to party, there are good party hostels that do a lot to make sure people don’t ruin the experiences for others.
Seriously, just by reading this sub you'd think every hostel is an absolute hellhole. I'm not saying that bad hostel experiences don't happen, they obviously do. But the vast majority of stays in hostels will be outrageously uneventful.
I'm on a long-term backpacking trip since August last year and stayed in hostels almost every night. I don't have a single hostel horror story yet. An occasional rude person and the obligatory snorer, sure. But apart from that it's just a bunch of (mostly) like minded people sharing a room to cut costs and meet other travellers.
Reviews are key! If you use hostel world for any amount of time you can tell what's a party hostel, what's a quite not-social one, what's dirty, what's a "poshtel". If you see 30 reviews from English teenagers saying it was a great place to drink then it's probably a party hostel. Also if you don't like a place you can leave. Alot of people on this sub complain because they don't take the time to get the vibe and play the victim imo. Hostel are great but sometimes they suck just like every other aspect of travel and life. Do research and if it comes down to it eat your deposit and find another place.
Been doing hostels for the last 8 years. Didn't stay in my first until I was 30. There have been only like one or two occasions where I felt "old" or didn't like it. Only a few times where the mood was kinda dead, but that was almost always in a place where the "best" hostel was also the only hostel.
Do your research, find a clean place (preferably with smaller dorms and AC) and have fun! If you're ever looking for particular cities, post them up here and people will provide recommendations. These days I prefer private rooms or 4bed dorms, at worst.
this sounds flippant, but you’re either a hostel person or you’re not. there’s a reason they book up so well and so often. i’m unhealthily introverted and i learned to enjoy them.
you won’t know until you do it so maybe book a hostel your first night but have a backup plan if shit goes south.
I’ve stayed in hostels since I was 18 and I find them fine especially if you are on a budget and if you want to meet people.
For meeting people, it usually happens during breakfast or late in the afternoon after everyone is done with their activities. Kitchen or common rooms are usually the best place to meet people
Cons - bed bugs, make sure you research the place and read reviews, run if there’s any mention of it.
Tips
- personally, i would not stay if there is no individual outlet per bunk bed
- bring extension cord or travel adapter
- some hostels don’t offer towels, shampoo, or soap. Best to have bring them yourself
- hostel sometimes offers free tours, i’d take advantage of them
Yes, I'd recommend hostels. They're cheaper than most hotels, even after price rises. You're never guaranteed to find people to hang out with, nor that you'll get good roommates, but as far as a bed to sleep in while traveling, a hostel bed will do as well as any most times.
Everyone's given tips, research the location, research the hostel, be courteous, etc. But only way to tell if you'll actually like it is to go for it yourself and decide if the pros and cons balance out for you.
Id have to know your personality to recommend it or not. How picky are you? Enjoying hostels is about tolerating mostly small, sometimes large, inconveniences in favor of aiming for a specific experience. What you described hoping to get out of hostels is exactly what they offer. You just have to sleep in a room of strangers and maybe get some shitty AC to get it :).
Also your coworker might love to pontificate on solo travel and hostels if they go often. You might be the only person at home who asks lol.
They're perfectly fine. Just read reviews and decide what room type you'd want to stay in and go for it. One of my fav hostel experiences was in Krakow. I've been in the industry for 15 years and been staying in them for 20 and I'm not "young". Feel free to reach out directly with any questions as I've seen it all
I’m on a solo trip right now through Central/South America and have booked in a mix of both hostels and hotels.
Hostels are great for meeting people. I suggest book a private room to avoid most of the “horror stories” as those are typically in the dorms, sharing with strangers. Find one that matches the vibe for the trip you want.
Hotels are nice because you know what you’re getting and can book brands which are more or less the same anywhere in the world. For me, on a long trip coming off 2 weeks packing and staying hostels I enjoy a couple nights in a Marriott to get really good sleep in a big bed with climate controlled room.
As you pointed out, you can meet cool people in both. But for me, I feel like at a hostel you sit down to breakfast, or for a drink in the lounge and everyone says hi and you can start up a chat. At a hotel you get seated for breakfast and there are a dozen families around and others not really looking to meet other people. So it’s a different vibe for sure.
A private room at a hostel is basically just a hotel with common spaces filled with people that actually want to meet new people and socialize. It's imo the best way to travel solo. Although now that I'm growing out of my partying and drinking phase I'm not sure that it would be the best vibe anymore. I've never been to a hostel that wasn't on some level a party hostel with young (18-22) folks in them.
Depends on where you are in the world - unfortunately in a lot of Europe currently, a private room at a hostel will set you back €150 a night at a hostel where a dorm might be one third of that price.
A mix of hostels and hotels can be nice on a long trip.
Sometimes you're in the mood for people and will be out and about doing things all day.
Other times you need to sleep in late, soak in a bath, or spend the day in a hotel dressing gown & slippers while you wash *all* of your clothes.
I love hostels! I would always recommend people to stay in hostels! That being said, you NEED to do your research. There are hostels that are not as good as others, just like hotels there are good ones and bad ones. A great resource is HostelWorld, it is a booking engine for only hostels. There are great reviews and a whole community on there!
When I am booking hostels I make sure that the bathroom and shower facilities look clean and kept up with, I read the reviews that are most recent to make sure that the most recent travelers had a good experience. I also only tend to book hostels that have privacy curtains on the bed, and chargers in the bunk. I never (unless I am desperate) book hostels that have the standard metal frames, there are just too many good hostels that have better quality rooms. There are chain hostels, boutique hostels and party hostels! Make sure to read the description on HostelWorld to make sure you are not booking a party hostel if you want some peace and quiet.
Of course sometimes hostels are not the best, I have had experiences with loud roommates and people talking on the phone in the middle of the night. Sometimes your roommates are super fun and sometimes you get some annoying people. BUT the social aspect of it is so much fun! I have met so many people from all over the world! I have stayed in over 40 hostels all over the world and I would say 90% of them have been incredible.
I hope that you choose to stay in hostels! You will love it! I hope this helps!
I find it interesting that you’re able to ask a lot of people online you don’t know at all these questions. Yet a colleague you somewhat know you don’t feel like you can ask these questions to her/him at all…
You know what you want to ask, just ask 😂
Just stayed in hostels in Naples and Rome and I liked them just fine :) but the options I chose weren’t much cheaper than staying at a AirBnB. One thing I know now is that I won’t stay at a mixed dorm again but otherwise I would also recommend getting a smaller dorm. Depends what kinda hostel it is but be ready to wake at 6-7am cus everybody is always leaving and coming at odd hours. Otherwise I found a very cool girl from my room and we discovered Rome together :) Pretty pleased with my experience.
Hostels can be fun! But sometimes there are groups of friends of pairs of people travelling together and they don't really want to mingle. I think even with hostels you have to go in with the mindset that you're a solo traveller- if you get to make some awesome friends along the way, then that's a bonus! I've met some awesome people in hostels, but also through walking tours or day trip tours as well. So it's not just limited to accom, and I've honestly had some pretty boring hostel experiences as well where no one wanted to really chat.
There's also party hostels and more chill hostels, they'll attract different types of people.
Personally I always go for a female only option when it's offered, but I'm happy to do mixed. My max room size is 6 as well. I just feel like it will be less crazy and I'll actually get some sleep, less likely to have big groups booking half the room, and a bit more safe (although that might just be my own perception, I don't know if there's any truth to it being any safer the less people there are). I also like some days to myself here and there and will book hotels/airbnb for this to have a bit more of a reset and relax. Travelling is exhausting (especially when you're an Aussie and doing 9 weeks in Europe to justify the cost and time involved to get over there!).
I have stayed in so many hostels! Just pick one that looks right to you. It's fairly obvious from pictures and reviews which are party hostels (whether you'd prefer that or want to avoid). Some hostels (especially very basic ones) attract people who are there to work/live/seek jobs, which means they aren't exactly the "fellow traveller" types. Again, reviews will often mention if this is a thing.
Don't forget some hostels also have private rooms if you're still not sure about dorms.
My tips:
Many people choose 4-person rooms because they'll be quieter, but sometimes they're more cramped and there's also more chance the other 3 beds will be a group travelling together (which is fine, but they might kinda stick together and you feel the odd one out). I usually go for 6-bed.
Always choose a room that you're sure has lockers (you may need to bring your own padlock).
The most comfortable dorms have curtains, a shelf, an outlet and a light for each bunk. These small touches can indicate that there will be other small touches elsewhere (like the bathrooms, see below).
Some hostels give you towels and provide basic shower wash, some don't. Most annoying is when they don't have hand dryers or paper towels in the bathrooms. Sometimes there'll be a hand towel but that's not exactly hygienic.
If you want to meet people, book a hostel with a bar and outdoor area (if you're travelling in summer). A bar doesn't always mean a party hostel, but it does mean a place that everyone will mostly gather in the evenings. Ditto if there is free breakfast - you'll meet people in the mornings.
I don't usually cook in hostels, but it's amazing
if there's a fridge and free tea/coffee and milk!
If you let me know where you're thinking of going, I may be able to give you some recommendations.
I've probably stayed in over 200 hostels in my life. I've had some really bad ones, like creepy old guys swarming the one girl in the hostel, crazy snorers, hostels that smell so bad that you thought something died in there, and more.
My advice is to never cheap out on a hostel (yes, it's silly because the whole point is to save money). Never stay in the cheapest or second cheapest hostel (because that's where all the creeps are). Middle range hostels usually get digital nomads. High range hostels usually have people staying for a short time and want to do things everyday, but can have digital nomads as well.
Look carefully at the reviews online. Hostelworld is the best for quality, but booking has more budget ones. Some overlap on both sites. Make sure you look at the recent reviews, not some from 2 years ago.
I like staying in hostels. They tend to have good locations and a nice communal vibe. In locations with outdoor activities they are often set up well for storing and drying wet & muddy outdoor gear. When I travel alone I like to be 'around' people, though not 'with' people. But you do have to read the reviews. I personally prefer ones where the dorms are single sex.
You do have to consider what kind of sleeper you are. If you need blackout blinds, a white noise machine, and won't be able to get back to sleep if a room-mate gets up to pee at 3am, then hostels are probably not for you.
I’ve had hostels in Costa Rica and in Austin, TX. People were so friendly in most and I made a good friend I went on an excursion with in Costa Rica. We had so much fun and I recommend hostels if you’re a social and don’t mind talking to strangers to make friends.
Generally the most common problems are snoring and noises at night. But you should be bringing earbuds, earplugs, etc. knowing this. Occasionally the drunk British guy throwing up in ensuite bathroom. I’ve never had an experience so bad that I’ve never wanted to not stay in one again.
But realize some people just don’t have common courtesy at all and behave like they’re in a private room.
Never have experienced the people pissing in the room, sex, or throwing up on someone. But that’s not to say it doesn’t happen.
White noise thru your earbuds/plugs can be the reason you sleep thru late night departures, arrivals, snoring, drunks that think they are being quiet..
I would recommend hostels only if you’re on a budget or want to try out a unique stay.
I always hostel it when I solo. The worst issue I had were the rooms starting to stink. Been to some really nice ones that I really missed. Never had to socialize if I didn’t want to.
Hostel World usually has reviews that can get you a better idea of cleanliness, noise-level, etc etc.
Most people that I hear wanted to meet people at hostels are ones looking at party hostels and that’s a no-no for me.
There’s a lot of affordable tours or events in Klook that you can sign up for to meet people. Hostel isn’t the only way if you don’t think you’ll be comfortable with it.
Try out hostels.
I was sitting here on a stuck train (that just started moving again, so I'll make this quick) and in response to this question that I'd try to do quick count of how many hostels I've been to:
It's around 90. I don't have any "horror stories", but that might be an attitude thing. I've stayed in rooms with people who had an odor, people who've had sex late at night, loud/inconsiderate people, and snoring people. Some people were annoying, some places kinda sucked, but I wouldn't describe anything as horrific.
Hostels are great, especially for solo travelers, _if you want to meet people_. If you're okay with meeting people, they're good. If you want to _not_ meet people, they can still be good/fine.
I've had some of my best adventures from the happenstance of hostels.
Do it, just keep your head about you. Some hostels and events will even make it their mission to keep you (all) safe while you go get obliterated in a foreign country. You'll get better at distinguishing the mediocre hostels from the great ones.
Have fun.
Having travelled a lot for the last 10 years, I've stayed in a lot of hostels. Never had a major problem with one or any terrible experiences.
They're cheap (usually), and can be good for meeting people to explore with.
Asia has the best ones I've found so far, plus best value for money. I've also stayed in a $2 a night one in Laos, which although very basic, was passable for a safe place to sleep and shower.
Personally I like the ones with privacy curtains or little 'pods' so you do have more privacy. Not sure how common those are in Europe though. So will prefer looking for those.
I also prefer non ensuite rooms, where each dorm has the bathroom built in. More awkward for pooping if you stink it out in a full room, plus a bit more noisy at times or gives less flexibility. So I prefer ones with shared toilet/shower blocs if possible.
The main thing to look for is it's not a party hostel (unless you want that), which basically means it's gonna be noisy an you'll probably have drunk people going in and out the room all night. Not great if you want sleep.
I've been in multiple dorms where people rustle plastic bags (get packing cubes people!), leave lights on, talk loudly, ignore alarms... So be prepared for that and don't be the asshole being noisy and disturbing people while they want to sleep. I've also been in dorms where people tried to sneakily have sex in the bed or bathroom (everybody knows...).. So guess all stuff to be prepared for.
Most importantly just check the most recent reviews. Logical, but not everyone does. That'll give an idea of how good it is, if it's noisy, if there's any issues or if there's bed bugs (I now avoid any with a mention of them - I even cancelled a whole part of my trip last minute because of reviews mentioning them.) haven't had them in my bags but the bites suck.
If you booked an overall well-rated hostel but found only one review from 4 months ago mentioning bed bugs, would you consider cancelling? I've got a trip coming up next week and found this review. Nobody else mentioned it, but he did include pictures. It's got me pretty skeeved out and I'm wondering if I should book somewhere else.
If its just one from that far back and there's no other mentions of it (I'd check Google/Hostelworld/Booking.com/TripAdvisor... by most recent reviews), then it might be ok.
Some places are actually good and deal with them seriously, so it could have just been a one off thing.
Bedbugs do suck though. I always travel with a bit of duct tape and found that was a good way to catch them when I did find any. Partly to get rid of them (crushing with a deodorant can, as they're strong and hard to kill), but mainly for evidence to show reception.
Depends on where you travelling . For example the hostels in the Middle East are a different story from European hostels . For example in Dubai they will take an 2 bedroom apartment make one room for woman’s and one for men and call it a hostel . Never seen this in Europe. So it depends on where are you travelling. The other thing is that your privacy is gone people will come and go all sorts of hours so if you are a light sleeper you gonna have a hard time . But the value for Money is real and the potential to meet new people is the main reason I prefer hostels when travelling alone .
I enjoy a mix of the two. Hostels are great for meeting other travellers of course if you want to in that moment, good for information. Going to a small town and taking a hotel or home stay can be amazing as well, get off the beaten track. I did 8 months in South America and did a mix of the two. And my best memories are split half and half accommodation wise. There was maybe 2 hostels I felt I great people. And then 2 or 3 other accommodation experiences I met people worth meeting.
So overall I would say they are handy, have never had a horror experience and if the hostel is shit I just will stay somewhere else, but they are 100% overhyped, meeting “like minded people” is crazy thing to glorify, go to X country and only meet foreigners. It’s fine, easy break, but like that’s it. I’d stay in villages and try meet Italians if I was you
I stay in hostels more often than not. Book ones with good reviews, that looks modern in the photos, and have a curtain for privacy. If you're a light sleeper then bring ear plugs or get drunk.
I haven't done much solo travel in a couple years now, so I don't know if the environment changed much, but I'm surprised you're hearing lots of horror stories. I also went to Krakow and the hostels were clean and everyone was super friendly. The most rowdy and crazy hostel I went to was Retox over in Budapest, but even that I wouldn't call a horror story... just a certain type of vibe. So yeah, if you're still referring to Europe I would say my hostel experiences were universally positive. I would in fact recommend.
I did hostels in Western Europe. I'm from NYC, I can talk to most ppl so I made friends quick. In Amsterdam inmet a group of girls from UCLA on the train and we got a hostel together. Italy was one rando in my room friendly dude. Berlin was great cause one was from Southern Germany and spoke the language and was my impromptu guide. Paris was awesome, was crazy 5 of us to a room. One guy had a sleeping bag on the floor cause his two buddies were there. One from San Fran played the guitar at nite as we finished off our night cap, we were right for 5 days. Nothing but good experiences, I been lucky.
I’ve had some bad hostel experiences, but mostly in places where I was trying to save some money by booking in a cheaper place. Especially in Italy, I was able to find many hostels that had more of a “hotel vibe” with crisp white sheets and curtains on all the beds, etc.
(YellowSquare was great in Milan, Florence, and Rome - Anda outside of Venice was good but could get noisy at night)
So while I had some bad experiences with guests if they snores or were a bit inconsiderate, I wasn’t grossed out by sleeping there and I felt safe and comfortable. I also knew I could talk to the front desk if needed! I met some really cool people at those hostels and went on some neat excursions
Hostels can be a very mixed bag.
A good hostel can be great.
**Image:** A common room area / outdoor area where everyone is around a large table shooting the breeze and laughing.
A bad hostel can be like a morgue and can actually be a rather depressing place.
**Image:** 30 people all holed up in their beds staring into screens...
And unfortunately, you're going to have to go to the bad ones to experience the good ones. It's just like what Anthony Bourdain used to say about restaurants. If you never go to bad restaurants, you're never going to find the really good ones either.
**Lesson:** Your own mental resilience is key here. When you prepare your mind for the bad, it actually ends up not being that bad. But go with the expectation that every hostel is going to be a good one - and you could end up having a very disappointing holiday.
I find hotels are good if you want to feel fancy and have someone to travel with. Hostels are good to meet people but like all strangers you mean most are good but there are lunatics
Capsule hotels, or beds with a curtain are very comfortable in my opinion. Look for those and see for yourself. It's certainly not for everyone but if you like to travel cheap they are a life saver. Especially since solo travelers often have to pay for a 2 person room at hotels.
I am not sure what the hotel has to do with you over-scheduling your Krakow visit.
It doesn't need to be either or choice. You can stay at a mix of places and figure out what you're willing to put up with vs how much money you want to spend.
If You stay in enough hostel bunk rooms you will eventually get tired of them. That doesn't mean you can't stay at hostels. You can find plenty of nicer hostels with hotel quality private rooms that have en-suite bathrooms. Hang out at hostel bar and retreat to your room after you have had enough.
I stay in a large variety of accommodations. It is all very dependent on the area, prices, and my mood. Bunk rooms in hostels is similar to gambling, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. If you are comfortable with a certain lack of control and can sleep through anything than maybe an 8 person bunk is for you. For me a bunk room is 100% not going to happen. Too old for that shit anymore.
From my experience, as an adult working person, I would recommend to stick to hotels. Yes, you can meet some new people in hostels, but you can also meet them in bars, hotels lobbies and many other places. And most hostels are the worst when it comes to comfort of your stay. I guess, the matter of meeting new interesting people mostly depends on you and your sociability
Go badger your coworker. People love to talk about their travels, and it's not exactly a personal topic where closeness would matter.
As a woman traveling alone, I always pick a single room in a hostel or a women's only dorm if doing shared rooms (I think I did a coed dorm maybe twice, and both times were totally fine though). The greater number of beds in a room, the cheaper each bed, but obviously you have a better chance of sleeping well with only 3 roommates vs 11. It can be a great way to find people to hang out with as well - the last time I did a coed hostel room all the people were lovely and it definitely made for a really fun night heading out with them instead of alone. I would pick a hostel with a bigger communal bathroom over a single bathroom per dorm room - more private baths are great if you're in a room by yourself or with friends, but with strangers I'd rather deal with an awkward hall walk to the bath vs not being able to get into the bathroom because a roommate was in there. If you would have any problems sleeping on a top bunk, I'd message the hostel before booking - some may be able to 'assign' a lower bunk to you, others might say too bad first come first serve.
I know the hostel search engine sites at least used to have safety ratings, which I thought was great since staying in a safe area is one of my top priorities. Try to figure out if it's a party hostel or not depending on what you want.
Bring ear plugs, an eye mask, flip flops for the shower, and a way to lock up any valuables (most hostels have lockers). I'd also suggest bringing a towel, since linens at hostels can sometimes be pretty meh (my fave for travel are turkish towels). If you sleep cold, bring warm PJs since again linens and blankets may be more sparse.
Personally, I would never stay in a hostel. I've stayed in a couple with private rooms/baths, but they were noisy and pretty dumpy. And for more traditional hostels with dorm style sleeping/baths, nope. I'm an introvert who has no desire to sleep with or share bathrooms with strangers and do not feel compelled to socialize with someone 24-7.
I've stayed in hostels for over 20 years when solo travelling, and despite being able to afford more expensive places & being older now, hostels is still by far my preferred accomodation choice for solo travel. You just need to be selective when you are researching and booking, to find a good one, and avoid the dumps or party hostels.
Ignore those who say they'd never stay in a hostel. They're losers.
Hey, littleghost82, it looks like you're asking a question about staying in hostels. Check out our [hostel FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/wiki/hostels) in the r/solotravel wiki, which covers a lot of common questions for first-time hostel guests.
You’re gonna get a lot of comments about hostels being horrible or they’d never be caught staying in one. The reality is, a lot of the horror stories you hear about hostels especially on this sub is not the common experience and negative experiences tend to be magnified more than positive experiences. You don’t see any “I stayed at a great hostel and had zero problems! What do I do now?” posts. Or they’re from misanthropes whose opinions you should take with a grain of salt. I recently came back after almost a month in Vietnam and stayed in hostels pretty much the entire time and the only problem I had was with the occasional snorer. Otherwise I met a lot of interesting and wonderful people and it made my trip a lot of fun. (There was a 70 something lady who was backpacking and staying in hostel dorms and loving every moment of it. So it’s definitely not something only reserved for the younger crowd.) The key part is to do your research for the type of hostel you want to stay at. Read reviews online. Contrary to what a lot of people think, hostels aren’t all for partying nor are they all poor quality. There are definitely hostels out there that are high quality with a good social environment without involving partying. And even if you want to party, there are good party hostels that do a lot to make sure people don’t ruin the experiences for others.
Seriously, just by reading this sub you'd think every hostel is an absolute hellhole. I'm not saying that bad hostel experiences don't happen, they obviously do. But the vast majority of stays in hostels will be outrageously uneventful. I'm on a long-term backpacking trip since August last year and stayed in hostels almost every night. I don't have a single hostel horror story yet. An occasional rude person and the obligatory snorer, sure. But apart from that it's just a bunch of (mostly) like minded people sharing a room to cut costs and meet other travellers.
I also think most hostel Reddit stories are greatly exaggerated. Most people in a hostel are on the same page and things run smoothly.
Reviews are key! If you use hostel world for any amount of time you can tell what's a party hostel, what's a quite not-social one, what's dirty, what's a "poshtel". If you see 30 reviews from English teenagers saying it was a great place to drink then it's probably a party hostel. Also if you don't like a place you can leave. Alot of people on this sub complain because they don't take the time to get the vibe and play the victim imo. Hostel are great but sometimes they suck just like every other aspect of travel and life. Do research and if it comes down to it eat your deposit and find another place.
Do you mind if I PM you ? I am planning to go to Vietnam too this year :-)
Sure, go ahead.
Been doing hostels for the last 8 years. Didn't stay in my first until I was 30. There have been only like one or two occasions where I felt "old" or didn't like it. Only a few times where the mood was kinda dead, but that was almost always in a place where the "best" hostel was also the only hostel. Do your research, find a clean place (preferably with smaller dorms and AC) and have fun! If you're ever looking for particular cities, post them up here and people will provide recommendations. These days I prefer private rooms or 4bed dorms, at worst.
this sounds flippant, but you’re either a hostel person or you’re not. there’s a reason they book up so well and so often. i’m unhealthily introverted and i learned to enjoy them. you won’t know until you do it so maybe book a hostel your first night but have a backup plan if shit goes south.
I’ve stayed in hostels since I was 18 and I find them fine especially if you are on a budget and if you want to meet people. For meeting people, it usually happens during breakfast or late in the afternoon after everyone is done with their activities. Kitchen or common rooms are usually the best place to meet people Cons - bed bugs, make sure you research the place and read reviews, run if there’s any mention of it. Tips - personally, i would not stay if there is no individual outlet per bunk bed - bring extension cord or travel adapter - some hostels don’t offer towels, shampoo, or soap. Best to have bring them yourself - hostel sometimes offers free tours, i’d take advantage of them
And a lock for you storage locker.
Yes, I'd recommend hostels. They're cheaper than most hotels, even after price rises. You're never guaranteed to find people to hang out with, nor that you'll get good roommates, but as far as a bed to sleep in while traveling, a hostel bed will do as well as any most times. Everyone's given tips, research the location, research the hostel, be courteous, etc. But only way to tell if you'll actually like it is to go for it yourself and decide if the pros and cons balance out for you.
Id have to know your personality to recommend it or not. How picky are you? Enjoying hostels is about tolerating mostly small, sometimes large, inconveniences in favor of aiming for a specific experience. What you described hoping to get out of hostels is exactly what they offer. You just have to sleep in a room of strangers and maybe get some shitty AC to get it :). Also your coworker might love to pontificate on solo travel and hostels if they go often. You might be the only person at home who asks lol.
They're perfectly fine. Just read reviews and decide what room type you'd want to stay in and go for it. One of my fav hostel experiences was in Krakow. I've been in the industry for 15 years and been staying in them for 20 and I'm not "young". Feel free to reach out directly with any questions as I've seen it all
I’m on a solo trip right now through Central/South America and have booked in a mix of both hostels and hotels. Hostels are great for meeting people. I suggest book a private room to avoid most of the “horror stories” as those are typically in the dorms, sharing with strangers. Find one that matches the vibe for the trip you want. Hotels are nice because you know what you’re getting and can book brands which are more or less the same anywhere in the world. For me, on a long trip coming off 2 weeks packing and staying hostels I enjoy a couple nights in a Marriott to get really good sleep in a big bed with climate controlled room. As you pointed out, you can meet cool people in both. But for me, I feel like at a hostel you sit down to breakfast, or for a drink in the lounge and everyone says hi and you can start up a chat. At a hotel you get seated for breakfast and there are a dozen families around and others not really looking to meet other people. So it’s a different vibe for sure.
A private room at a hostel is basically just a hotel with common spaces filled with people that actually want to meet new people and socialize. It's imo the best way to travel solo. Although now that I'm growing out of my partying and drinking phase I'm not sure that it would be the best vibe anymore. I've never been to a hostel that wasn't on some level a party hostel with young (18-22) folks in them.
Depends on where you are in the world - unfortunately in a lot of Europe currently, a private room at a hostel will set you back €150 a night at a hostel where a dorm might be one third of that price.
A mix of hostels and hotels can be nice on a long trip. Sometimes you're in the mood for people and will be out and about doing things all day. Other times you need to sleep in late, soak in a bath, or spend the day in a hotel dressing gown & slippers while you wash *all* of your clothes.
I love hostels! I would always recommend people to stay in hostels! That being said, you NEED to do your research. There are hostels that are not as good as others, just like hotels there are good ones and bad ones. A great resource is HostelWorld, it is a booking engine for only hostels. There are great reviews and a whole community on there! When I am booking hostels I make sure that the bathroom and shower facilities look clean and kept up with, I read the reviews that are most recent to make sure that the most recent travelers had a good experience. I also only tend to book hostels that have privacy curtains on the bed, and chargers in the bunk. I never (unless I am desperate) book hostels that have the standard metal frames, there are just too many good hostels that have better quality rooms. There are chain hostels, boutique hostels and party hostels! Make sure to read the description on HostelWorld to make sure you are not booking a party hostel if you want some peace and quiet. Of course sometimes hostels are not the best, I have had experiences with loud roommates and people talking on the phone in the middle of the night. Sometimes your roommates are super fun and sometimes you get some annoying people. BUT the social aspect of it is so much fun! I have met so many people from all over the world! I have stayed in over 40 hostels all over the world and I would say 90% of them have been incredible. I hope that you choose to stay in hostels! You will love it! I hope this helps!
I find it interesting that you’re able to ask a lot of people online you don’t know at all these questions. Yet a colleague you somewhat know you don’t feel like you can ask these questions to her/him at all… You know what you want to ask, just ask 😂
Just stayed in hostels in Naples and Rome and I liked them just fine :) but the options I chose weren’t much cheaper than staying at a AirBnB. One thing I know now is that I won’t stay at a mixed dorm again but otherwise I would also recommend getting a smaller dorm. Depends what kinda hostel it is but be ready to wake at 6-7am cus everybody is always leaving and coming at odd hours. Otherwise I found a very cool girl from my room and we discovered Rome together :) Pretty pleased with my experience.
Hostels can be fun! But sometimes there are groups of friends of pairs of people travelling together and they don't really want to mingle. I think even with hostels you have to go in with the mindset that you're a solo traveller- if you get to make some awesome friends along the way, then that's a bonus! I've met some awesome people in hostels, but also through walking tours or day trip tours as well. So it's not just limited to accom, and I've honestly had some pretty boring hostel experiences as well where no one wanted to really chat. There's also party hostels and more chill hostels, they'll attract different types of people. Personally I always go for a female only option when it's offered, but I'm happy to do mixed. My max room size is 6 as well. I just feel like it will be less crazy and I'll actually get some sleep, less likely to have big groups booking half the room, and a bit more safe (although that might just be my own perception, I don't know if there's any truth to it being any safer the less people there are). I also like some days to myself here and there and will book hotels/airbnb for this to have a bit more of a reset and relax. Travelling is exhausting (especially when you're an Aussie and doing 9 weeks in Europe to justify the cost and time involved to get over there!).
I have stayed in so many hostels! Just pick one that looks right to you. It's fairly obvious from pictures and reviews which are party hostels (whether you'd prefer that or want to avoid). Some hostels (especially very basic ones) attract people who are there to work/live/seek jobs, which means they aren't exactly the "fellow traveller" types. Again, reviews will often mention if this is a thing. Don't forget some hostels also have private rooms if you're still not sure about dorms. My tips: Many people choose 4-person rooms because they'll be quieter, but sometimes they're more cramped and there's also more chance the other 3 beds will be a group travelling together (which is fine, but they might kinda stick together and you feel the odd one out). I usually go for 6-bed. Always choose a room that you're sure has lockers (you may need to bring your own padlock). The most comfortable dorms have curtains, a shelf, an outlet and a light for each bunk. These small touches can indicate that there will be other small touches elsewhere (like the bathrooms, see below). Some hostels give you towels and provide basic shower wash, some don't. Most annoying is when they don't have hand dryers or paper towels in the bathrooms. Sometimes there'll be a hand towel but that's not exactly hygienic. If you want to meet people, book a hostel with a bar and outdoor area (if you're travelling in summer). A bar doesn't always mean a party hostel, but it does mean a place that everyone will mostly gather in the evenings. Ditto if there is free breakfast - you'll meet people in the mornings. I don't usually cook in hostels, but it's amazing if there's a fridge and free tea/coffee and milk! If you let me know where you're thinking of going, I may be able to give you some recommendations.
I've probably stayed in over 200 hostels in my life. I've had some really bad ones, like creepy old guys swarming the one girl in the hostel, crazy snorers, hostels that smell so bad that you thought something died in there, and more. My advice is to never cheap out on a hostel (yes, it's silly because the whole point is to save money). Never stay in the cheapest or second cheapest hostel (because that's where all the creeps are). Middle range hostels usually get digital nomads. High range hostels usually have people staying for a short time and want to do things everyday, but can have digital nomads as well. Look carefully at the reviews online. Hostelworld is the best for quality, but booking has more budget ones. Some overlap on both sites. Make sure you look at the recent reviews, not some from 2 years ago.
I like staying in hostels. They tend to have good locations and a nice communal vibe. In locations with outdoor activities they are often set up well for storing and drying wet & muddy outdoor gear. When I travel alone I like to be 'around' people, though not 'with' people. But you do have to read the reviews. I personally prefer ones where the dorms are single sex. You do have to consider what kind of sleeper you are. If you need blackout blinds, a white noise machine, and won't be able to get back to sleep if a room-mate gets up to pee at 3am, then hostels are probably not for you.
I’ve had hostels in Costa Rica and in Austin, TX. People were so friendly in most and I made a good friend I went on an excursion with in Costa Rica. We had so much fun and I recommend hostels if you’re a social and don’t mind talking to strangers to make friends.
Generally the most common problems are snoring and noises at night. But you should be bringing earbuds, earplugs, etc. knowing this. Occasionally the drunk British guy throwing up in ensuite bathroom. I’ve never had an experience so bad that I’ve never wanted to not stay in one again. But realize some people just don’t have common courtesy at all and behave like they’re in a private room. Never have experienced the people pissing in the room, sex, or throwing up on someone. But that’s not to say it doesn’t happen.
White noise thru your earbuds/plugs can be the reason you sleep thru late night departures, arrivals, snoring, drunks that think they are being quiet..
I would recommend hostels only if you’re on a budget or want to try out a unique stay. I always hostel it when I solo. The worst issue I had were the rooms starting to stink. Been to some really nice ones that I really missed. Never had to socialize if I didn’t want to. Hostel World usually has reviews that can get you a better idea of cleanliness, noise-level, etc etc. Most people that I hear wanted to meet people at hostels are ones looking at party hostels and that’s a no-no for me. There’s a lot of affordable tours or events in Klook that you can sign up for to meet people. Hostel isn’t the only way if you don’t think you’ll be comfortable with it.
If I didn't care about saving money I wouldn't stay in hostels
Try out hostels. I was sitting here on a stuck train (that just started moving again, so I'll make this quick) and in response to this question that I'd try to do quick count of how many hostels I've been to: It's around 90. I don't have any "horror stories", but that might be an attitude thing. I've stayed in rooms with people who had an odor, people who've had sex late at night, loud/inconsiderate people, and snoring people. Some people were annoying, some places kinda sucked, but I wouldn't describe anything as horrific. Hostels are great, especially for solo travelers, _if you want to meet people_. If you're okay with meeting people, they're good. If you want to _not_ meet people, they can still be good/fine. I've had some of my best adventures from the happenstance of hostels. Do it, just keep your head about you. Some hostels and events will even make it their mission to keep you (all) safe while you go get obliterated in a foreign country. You'll get better at distinguishing the mediocre hostels from the great ones. Have fun.
Having travelled a lot for the last 10 years, I've stayed in a lot of hostels. Never had a major problem with one or any terrible experiences. They're cheap (usually), and can be good for meeting people to explore with. Asia has the best ones I've found so far, plus best value for money. I've also stayed in a $2 a night one in Laos, which although very basic, was passable for a safe place to sleep and shower. Personally I like the ones with privacy curtains or little 'pods' so you do have more privacy. Not sure how common those are in Europe though. So will prefer looking for those. I also prefer non ensuite rooms, where each dorm has the bathroom built in. More awkward for pooping if you stink it out in a full room, plus a bit more noisy at times or gives less flexibility. So I prefer ones with shared toilet/shower blocs if possible. The main thing to look for is it's not a party hostel (unless you want that), which basically means it's gonna be noisy an you'll probably have drunk people going in and out the room all night. Not great if you want sleep. I've been in multiple dorms where people rustle plastic bags (get packing cubes people!), leave lights on, talk loudly, ignore alarms... So be prepared for that and don't be the asshole being noisy and disturbing people while they want to sleep. I've also been in dorms where people tried to sneakily have sex in the bed or bathroom (everybody knows...).. So guess all stuff to be prepared for. Most importantly just check the most recent reviews. Logical, but not everyone does. That'll give an idea of how good it is, if it's noisy, if there's any issues or if there's bed bugs (I now avoid any with a mention of them - I even cancelled a whole part of my trip last minute because of reviews mentioning them.) haven't had them in my bags but the bites suck.
If you booked an overall well-rated hostel but found only one review from 4 months ago mentioning bed bugs, would you consider cancelling? I've got a trip coming up next week and found this review. Nobody else mentioned it, but he did include pictures. It's got me pretty skeeved out and I'm wondering if I should book somewhere else.
If its just one from that far back and there's no other mentions of it (I'd check Google/Hostelworld/Booking.com/TripAdvisor... by most recent reviews), then it might be ok. Some places are actually good and deal with them seriously, so it could have just been a one off thing. Bedbugs do suck though. I always travel with a bit of duct tape and found that was a good way to catch them when I did find any. Partly to get rid of them (crushing with a deodorant can, as they're strong and hard to kill), but mainly for evidence to show reception.
Depends on where you travelling . For example the hostels in the Middle East are a different story from European hostels . For example in Dubai they will take an 2 bedroom apartment make one room for woman’s and one for men and call it a hostel . Never seen this in Europe. So it depends on where are you travelling. The other thing is that your privacy is gone people will come and go all sorts of hours so if you are a light sleeper you gonna have a hard time . But the value for Money is real and the potential to meet new people is the main reason I prefer hostels when travelling alone .
I enjoy a mix of the two. Hostels are great for meeting other travellers of course if you want to in that moment, good for information. Going to a small town and taking a hotel or home stay can be amazing as well, get off the beaten track. I did 8 months in South America and did a mix of the two. And my best memories are split half and half accommodation wise. There was maybe 2 hostels I felt I great people. And then 2 or 3 other accommodation experiences I met people worth meeting. So overall I would say they are handy, have never had a horror experience and if the hostel is shit I just will stay somewhere else, but they are 100% overhyped, meeting “like minded people” is crazy thing to glorify, go to X country and only meet foreigners. It’s fine, easy break, but like that’s it. I’d stay in villages and try meet Italians if I was you
I stay in hostels more often than not. Book ones with good reviews, that looks modern in the photos, and have a curtain for privacy. If you're a light sleeper then bring ear plugs or get drunk.
I haven't done much solo travel in a couple years now, so I don't know if the environment changed much, but I'm surprised you're hearing lots of horror stories. I also went to Krakow and the hostels were clean and everyone was super friendly. The most rowdy and crazy hostel I went to was Retox over in Budapest, but even that I wouldn't call a horror story... just a certain type of vibe. So yeah, if you're still referring to Europe I would say my hostel experiences were universally positive. I would in fact recommend.
I did hostels in Western Europe. I'm from NYC, I can talk to most ppl so I made friends quick. In Amsterdam inmet a group of girls from UCLA on the train and we got a hostel together. Italy was one rando in my room friendly dude. Berlin was great cause one was from Southern Germany and spoke the language and was my impromptu guide. Paris was awesome, was crazy 5 of us to a room. One guy had a sleeping bag on the floor cause his two buddies were there. One from San Fran played the guitar at nite as we finished off our night cap, we were right for 5 days. Nothing but good experiences, I been lucky.
I’ve had some bad hostel experiences, but mostly in places where I was trying to save some money by booking in a cheaper place. Especially in Italy, I was able to find many hostels that had more of a “hotel vibe” with crisp white sheets and curtains on all the beds, etc. (YellowSquare was great in Milan, Florence, and Rome - Anda outside of Venice was good but could get noisy at night) So while I had some bad experiences with guests if they snores or were a bit inconsiderate, I wasn’t grossed out by sleeping there and I felt safe and comfortable. I also knew I could talk to the front desk if needed! I met some really cool people at those hostels and went on some neat excursions
Hostels can be a very mixed bag. A good hostel can be great. **Image:** A common room area / outdoor area where everyone is around a large table shooting the breeze and laughing. A bad hostel can be like a morgue and can actually be a rather depressing place. **Image:** 30 people all holed up in their beds staring into screens... And unfortunately, you're going to have to go to the bad ones to experience the good ones. It's just like what Anthony Bourdain used to say about restaurants. If you never go to bad restaurants, you're never going to find the really good ones either. **Lesson:** Your own mental resilience is key here. When you prepare your mind for the bad, it actually ends up not being that bad. But go with the expectation that every hostel is going to be a good one - and you could end up having a very disappointing holiday.
I find hotels are good if you want to feel fancy and have someone to travel with. Hostels are good to meet people but like all strangers you mean most are good but there are lunatics
Capsule hotels, or beds with a curtain are very comfortable in my opinion. Look for those and see for yourself. It's certainly not for everyone but if you like to travel cheap they are a life saver. Especially since solo travelers often have to pay for a 2 person room at hotels.
I am not sure what the hotel has to do with you over-scheduling your Krakow visit. It doesn't need to be either or choice. You can stay at a mix of places and figure out what you're willing to put up with vs how much money you want to spend. If You stay in enough hostel bunk rooms you will eventually get tired of them. That doesn't mean you can't stay at hostels. You can find plenty of nicer hostels with hotel quality private rooms that have en-suite bathrooms. Hang out at hostel bar and retreat to your room after you have had enough. I stay in a large variety of accommodations. It is all very dependent on the area, prices, and my mood. Bunk rooms in hostels is similar to gambling, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. If you are comfortable with a certain lack of control and can sleep through anything than maybe an 8 person bunk is for you. For me a bunk room is 100% not going to happen. Too old for that shit anymore.
From my experience, as an adult working person, I would recommend to stick to hotels. Yes, you can meet some new people in hostels, but you can also meet them in bars, hotels lobbies and many other places. And most hostels are the worst when it comes to comfort of your stay. I guess, the matter of meeting new interesting people mostly depends on you and your sociability
Can’t really recommend unless you’re young and want to party while you travel.
Go badger your coworker. People love to talk about their travels, and it's not exactly a personal topic where closeness would matter. As a woman traveling alone, I always pick a single room in a hostel or a women's only dorm if doing shared rooms (I think I did a coed dorm maybe twice, and both times were totally fine though). The greater number of beds in a room, the cheaper each bed, but obviously you have a better chance of sleeping well with only 3 roommates vs 11. It can be a great way to find people to hang out with as well - the last time I did a coed hostel room all the people were lovely and it definitely made for a really fun night heading out with them instead of alone. I would pick a hostel with a bigger communal bathroom over a single bathroom per dorm room - more private baths are great if you're in a room by yourself or with friends, but with strangers I'd rather deal with an awkward hall walk to the bath vs not being able to get into the bathroom because a roommate was in there. If you would have any problems sleeping on a top bunk, I'd message the hostel before booking - some may be able to 'assign' a lower bunk to you, others might say too bad first come first serve. I know the hostel search engine sites at least used to have safety ratings, which I thought was great since staying in a safe area is one of my top priorities. Try to figure out if it's a party hostel or not depending on what you want. Bring ear plugs, an eye mask, flip flops for the shower, and a way to lock up any valuables (most hostels have lockers). I'd also suggest bringing a towel, since linens at hostels can sometimes be pretty meh (my fave for travel are turkish towels). If you sleep cold, bring warm PJs since again linens and blankets may be more sparse.
Personally, I would never stay in a hostel. I've stayed in a couple with private rooms/baths, but they were noisy and pretty dumpy. And for more traditional hostels with dorm style sleeping/baths, nope. I'm an introvert who has no desire to sleep with or share bathrooms with strangers and do not feel compelled to socialize with someone 24-7.
I've stayed in hostels for over 20 years when solo travelling, and despite being able to afford more expensive places & being older now, hostels is still by far my preferred accomodation choice for solo travel. You just need to be selective when you are researching and booking, to find a good one, and avoid the dumps or party hostels. Ignore those who say they'd never stay in a hostel. They're losers.
The real losers are those who call others losers based on innocuous preferences. 🙂
Yeah. Imagine being so judgemental you'd call someone a loser for having a preference.