Hostels: Myths, Advice and Suggestions
Most people don't really know too much about hostels, especially those who haven't done too much "budget traveling." But what are they really like and are they worth visiting for the average person, even on short trips?
What is a hostel?
A hostel is a budget type of accommodation. They are not generally very luxurious, one might call them rather spartan to be more specific. The range in quality drastically but the average hostel in most places around the world is acceptably clean, friendly staff and generally vibrant and full of 20 somethings. Most often the rooms are quite large with bunk beds for between 4-12 people. Most hotels segregate the rooms by male and female, but this is not always the case. You will almost never have a shower or bathroom in your own room but will find a common bathroom on each floor or hallway.
How do hostels make money?
Hostels tend to make their money by getting lots of people in each room and additionally by offering local travel services, tours and other touristic adventures. Quite often you will find that hostels try quite hard to get you to use their tour services and encourage you to part with your money by suggesting that other tour guides are no good and theirs is far superior. Quite often they have standing offers with tour companies, restaurants, rental companies and much more, but keep in mind these services almost certainly come with a commission for the hostel... So it might be better to go out on your own to make arrangements.
Are hostels always dirty?
I won't lie to you, you will almost never find a hostel that is as clean as a "Western Hotel" but most hostels do a good job of keeping things clean. Normally you are given clean sheets from the reception desk and bathrooms and rooms are generally cleaned at least once daily. Hostels in most major Western European cities have a really high standard of cleanliness, while as you get in to Eastern Europe and Asia that sometimes slides a bit.
How much do hostels costs?
Hostels range in price depending on the country you are in. In most of Western Europe you can expect to pay between 18-25 euros. It's still quite a bit of money for the budget traveler but it is certainly far less expensive than the average hotel or motel. As you get to Eastern Europe you can expect to pay between 8-15 Euros, the further east you get the cheaper the prices are as a general rule. By the time you get to Asia you can expect the costs 2-8 euros. Most hostels include breakfast in the cost of the stay, it's nothing fancy, often some bread, jams, cheese or whatever the common breakfast of the local people. One final word of advice is to try and bargain the price or get a better deal. If you are staying more than 4-5 days odds are you can get at least 20 percent off, if you are staying longer it is definitely worth it to bargain. Try to bargain discreetly and not in front of other guests. Bargaining at big chain hostels is often pointless, it works far better in no-westernized countries.
Do I have to share a room with strangers?
Most of the time yes you will. Even if a hostel doesn't have enough guests, they will more than likely put you all in the least amount of rooms. They do this to save time and money on cleaning up additional spaces.
If you know a hostel has a certain amount of beds per room and you are traveling as a group, often you can arrange all to be in the same room. If there is an empty bed you might be able to "buy it out" eliminating the additional stranger. It's not uncommon to see families (mom, dad and a couple of children) do this sort of traveling. They book an entire room and ensure there will be no additional people.
Hostels generally have a few different sleeping arrangements: single rooms, double rooms, dorm rooms. Some break down dorms in to "3 per room" "5 per room" etc and price it accordingly. The most expensive rooms having the most privacy or least amount of people.
How safe are hostels?
It's been my experience that hostels are very safe. Most hostels have a 24 hour reception desk to keep people from coming. Quite often they have locked front doors where you must be "buzzed in" from reception. Most hostels also have a safe at reception for passports, cameras and expensive items, they should provide you with a receipt when accepting the goods. It's also quite common to have lockers in the hallway or in the rooms themselves. Most of the time it isn't large enough for a backpack or suitcase, but enough to lock up your "valuables." I've never had anyone try to steal my backpack, clothing or shoes when I left them out. Occasionally you will hear about some backpacker pilfering another persons bag, these people are normally ejected from the hostel instantly and handed over to law enforcement in Western Countries. But out of all the hostels I've visited I have only experiences it once.
How do I find hostels?
There are a lost of big hostel booking websites that you can use to either book your room or if nothing else find the address and phone number. Most hostels tend to be in the heart of a city. It's remarkable how well places they generally are, however they are often on the higher floors of buildings and in older buildings. Most of the time if you look at a map all the hostels will be in one area of the city, generally that area will be a trendy area with history and a nightlife or be in close proximity.
Though you might be able to find deals on hostels away from city centers quite often it's more hassle then it's worth. You will find yourself paying more for public transit or have to rely on the hostel for transportation (at a cost of course). Most of the hostel websites have ratings and comments and you can get a really good idea about what it will be like and if the location is conducive to crawling home from the bar.
Any more advice?
Most hostels have a really great atmosphere, staff is usually backpackers working temporarily for a free room or a retired backpacker who understands what you are doing. Hostels are a really great place to meet other travelers, get advice about travel and sights, swap books and just have a really great time.
Don't get caught up in hanging out in the hostel all the time though. Sometimes you enjoy yourself so much meeting new people from around the world that you forget to see the world itself. Get out there and experience things and drag one of your new friends along!
What is a hostel?
A hostel is a budget type of accommodation. They are not generally very luxurious, one might call them rather spartan to be more specific. The range in quality drastically but the average hostel in most places around the world is acceptably clean, friendly staff and generally vibrant and full of 20 somethings. Most often the rooms are quite large with bunk beds for between 4-12 people. Most hotels segregate the rooms by male and female, but this is not always the case. You will almost never have a shower or bathroom in your own room but will find a common bathroom on each floor or hallway.
How do hostels make money?
Hostels tend to make their money by getting lots of people in each room and additionally by offering local travel services, tours and other touristic adventures. Quite often you will find that hostels try quite hard to get you to use their tour services and encourage you to part with your money by suggesting that other tour guides are no good and theirs is far superior. Quite often they have standing offers with tour companies, restaurants, rental companies and much more, but keep in mind these services almost certainly come with a commission for the hostel... So it might be better to go out on your own to make arrangements.
Are hostels always dirty?
I won't lie to you, you will almost never find a hostel that is as clean as a "Western Hotel" but most hostels do a good job of keeping things clean. Normally you are given clean sheets from the reception desk and bathrooms and rooms are generally cleaned at least once daily. Hostels in most major Western European cities have a really high standard of cleanliness, while as you get in to Eastern Europe and Asia that sometimes slides a bit.
How much do hostels costs?
Hostels range in price depending on the country you are in. In most of Western Europe you can expect to pay between 18-25 euros. It's still quite a bit of money for the budget traveler but it is certainly far less expensive than the average hotel or motel. As you get to Eastern Europe you can expect to pay between 8-15 Euros, the further east you get the cheaper the prices are as a general rule. By the time you get to Asia you can expect the costs 2-8 euros. Most hostels include breakfast in the cost of the stay, it's nothing fancy, often some bread, jams, cheese or whatever the common breakfast of the local people. One final word of advice is to try and bargain the price or get a better deal. If you are staying more than 4-5 days odds are you can get at least 20 percent off, if you are staying longer it is definitely worth it to bargain. Try to bargain discreetly and not in front of other guests. Bargaining at big chain hostels is often pointless, it works far better in no-westernized countries.
Do I have to share a room with strangers?
Most of the time yes you will. Even if a hostel doesn't have enough guests, they will more than likely put you all in the least amount of rooms. They do this to save time and money on cleaning up additional spaces.
If you know a hostel has a certain amount of beds per room and you are traveling as a group, often you can arrange all to be in the same room. If there is an empty bed you might be able to "buy it out" eliminating the additional stranger. It's not uncommon to see families (mom, dad and a couple of children) do this sort of traveling. They book an entire room and ensure there will be no additional people.
Hostels generally have a few different sleeping arrangements: single rooms, double rooms, dorm rooms. Some break down dorms in to "3 per room" "5 per room" etc and price it accordingly. The most expensive rooms having the most privacy or least amount of people.
How safe are hostels?
It's been my experience that hostels are very safe. Most hostels have a 24 hour reception desk to keep people from coming. Quite often they have locked front doors where you must be "buzzed in" from reception. Most hostels also have a safe at reception for passports, cameras and expensive items, they should provide you with a receipt when accepting the goods. It's also quite common to have lockers in the hallway or in the rooms themselves. Most of the time it isn't large enough for a backpack or suitcase, but enough to lock up your "valuables." I've never had anyone try to steal my backpack, clothing or shoes when I left them out. Occasionally you will hear about some backpacker pilfering another persons bag, these people are normally ejected from the hostel instantly and handed over to law enforcement in Western Countries. But out of all the hostels I've visited I have only experiences it once.
How do I find hostels?
There are a lost of big hostel booking websites that you can use to either book your room or if nothing else find the address and phone number. Most hostels tend to be in the heart of a city. It's remarkable how well places they generally are, however they are often on the higher floors of buildings and in older buildings. Most of the time if you look at a map all the hostels will be in one area of the city, generally that area will be a trendy area with history and a nightlife or be in close proximity.
Though you might be able to find deals on hostels away from city centers quite often it's more hassle then it's worth. You will find yourself paying more for public transit or have to rely on the hostel for transportation (at a cost of course). Most of the hostel websites have ratings and comments and you can get a really good idea about what it will be like and if the location is conducive to crawling home from the bar.
Any more advice?
Most hostels have a really great atmosphere, staff is usually backpackers working temporarily for a free room or a retired backpacker who understands what you are doing. Hostels are a really great place to meet other travelers, get advice about travel and sights, swap books and just have a really great time.
Don't get caught up in hanging out in the hostel all the time though. Sometimes you enjoy yourself so much meeting new people from around the world that you forget to see the world itself. Get out there and experience things and drag one of your new friends along!
